THEto Rome between the 70s and 80s has a particular charm for meand, partly because I lived it, partly because with its age-old nonchalance it was the scene of dark and criminal plots that I only read about in books. The eternal city has this effect: as you walk on the bumpy cobblestones of the center you sense that in addition to the sumptuousness of the monuments and the disorientation of tourists by such beauty there is an underground reality that pulsates but cannot be seen.
It is the world below, the criminal one of gangs and unspeakable secrets, of the plots of deviant services and colluding institutions. Like in an episode of Stranger Things However, you need to have a guide to immerse yourself in this underground universe and the newly re-edited book by Nicola Biondo and Massimo Veneziani The state forger (Shem) is perfect for the purpose.
The two journalists, through an accurate historical reconstruction, package what It may seem like a gripping noir novel but in reality it is the true life of Antonio Chicchiarelli known as Tony who embodies the ideal Virgil to descend into the abyss of those years.
Serena Dandini (photo by Gianmarco Chieregato).
Tony arrives in Rome from Abruzzo without a penny but with the dream of being part of the Roman world. He will succeed thanks to an extraordinary gift: he is a great artist. What is successful, however, is not his paintings but the perfect reproductions of art masterpieces which, with the complicity of a gallery owner he falls in love with, sells for astonishing prices.
Pietro Castellitto protagonist of “The Forger” on Netflix
In addition to Monet and Modigliani, Tony also perfectly reproduces fake documents and passports and soon enters the big ring of the Banda della Magliana, making a name for himself in the darkest underworld dominated by mafia and terrorism. He frequents the far right and the far left indifferently and is the author of the false statement number seven of the Red Brigades which triggered the famous misdirection during the kidnapping of Aldo Moro.
And here, at least for me, the plot of the book between crimes, shootings and evenings at Jackie O’ is intertwined with that of the film freely based on the work of Biondo and Veneziani directed by Stefano Lodovichi now broadcast on Netflix. A nice short circuit that gives the protagonist the face of Pietro Castellitto, a very credible forgera little naive and a little cruel, capable of embodying all the dark sides of this Gascon and ambitious character but not without tenderness.
To the classic question “Is the film or the book better?”, the answer is “Both is better”. For those who don’t know the story I won’t reveal the ending but don’t expect a happy ending.
All articles by Serena Dandini.
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