Qfour great Italian comedians told in a special evening. Tonight at 21.25 on Rai 3 goes on air The Magnificent 4 of Laughter, documentary film directed by Mario Canale, starring Roberto Benigni, Francesco Nuti, Massimo Troisi and Carlo Verdone. At the helm, another name in Italian comedy, Emmanuel Fanelli.
The Magnificent 4 of Laughterthe documentary film
At the center of the story told by the director, the beginnings of each. Cabaret, Unity festival, small theaters or parishes. Each of them started from the bottom line, the real one. The one made of experiments, first times, monologues more or less successful. Something, however, was happening and over time they grew up. The public began to appreciate them and in a short time popularity and consecration followed.
Both of them left an indelible mark in our local comedywhich revolutionized the way Italians laugh and, consequently, the film industry. A chain that has experienced record takings thanks to winning films, which immediately became real cult.
Produced by 3D Produzioni and Luce Cinecittà, in collaboration with Rai Documentari, The Magnificent 4 of Laughter reconstructs those years through gags, interviews and backstage footage. Important testimonies that help to contextualize the career of the protagonists ea photograph a specific historical moment. From then on, in fact, nothing was the same as before. The work of Benigni, Nuti, Troisi and Verdone have distorted the approach to comedy, marking a before and an after.
Roberto Benigni and Massimo Troisi in “We just have to cry”. (HANDLE)
At the helm of the evening, Emanuela Fanelli
They paved the way for those who arrived later, but above all they told a cross-section of contemporary Italy, in which anyone could be reflected. For the conduction of the special was chosen Emmanuel Fanelli, one of the rapidly rising faces of Italian comedy. Theater, cinema and TV actress, the exploit came with A piece of Lundini, in which he proved his vis comica. She too tells cross-sections of contemporaneity, through her masks, such as Simonetta the make-up artist of Magnani and Licozzi’s chosen agent.
The documentary film was presented last October at Rome Film Festival. In an interview with the Luce Archive, the director Mario Canale explained what prompted him to make the docufilm. «I’m interested in understanding how comedy, which is generational, adapts to the spirit of the time», he has declared. Thinking about The Magnificent 4 of Laughterit is clear that each of them was able to adapt to the spirit of the time to perfection.
Everyone told the vices and virtues of the present, giving a clear and truthful image of the country. A subtle reading, but always in a comic key. Light, but not superficial, though never weighed down by drama. To make the documentary, Canale used «very many archival materials“, including backstage footage“also very extensive”.
Carlo Verdone, one of the protagonists of “The Magnificent 4 of laughter”.
Channel: «The Magnificent 4 of Laughterunited by the ability to bewitch the public»
Direct evidence of a golden age, in which the watchword was experimentation. “In those years there was a desire to visualize things,” he continues. He then outlines the figure of the comedian. «The comedian has a path to follow», he explains, «then at a certain point there is a mutation».
According to the director, «the objectives change and, above all, the themes within his films change. Hardly a comedian stays his whole life with that kind of comedy». About Roberto Benigni, Francesco Nuti, Massimo Troisi and Carlo Verdone he adds: «I was interested in putting them close together, to understand where the affinities were and where the differences were. There are some affinity that all four hadwhich was first of all the ability to monologue».
Or, “the ability to stand alone in front of an audience – which can also be very vast, such as [quello che] has had Benigni – and to be able to totally dominate him. To make him laugh all the time, to bewitch him in some way. Who with the body, who with the word, who with the dialect. The 4 are born from the observation of the changing world».
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