”I believe that a thing lasts in time when it is done with great sincerity, great honesty of means, and with a profound inner truth; then it will last, as a small thing, but it will last. ”
As prophetically stated by his own words, the “little” films of director and screenwriter Valerio Zurlini have not only have passed the test of time but are still shining with a growing light. They remain striking for their amazing modernity, which lies in various elements such as the emotional power of the stories narrated and the social and family conflicts depicted in a style of impeccable elegance. And perhaps the uniqueness of Zurlini’s cinema resides in the successful synthesis between a sophistication indicative of the director’s profound literary and visual culture and a disruptive passion.
A fierce critic of the hypocrisy of the bourgeoisie and of the obtuse and overwhelming mindset of the provincial, in each of the few films he managed to conclude, Zurlini included personal and autobiographical elements. One example is the explosion of the war narrated in “Estate Violenta” (1959), as Zurlini himself enlisted in the Italian Liberation Corps during World War II, or the mannerisms and clothes of Professor Dominici in “La Prima Notte di Quiete” (1972), in which Alain Delon plays the role of a character that could be identified as the director’s alter ego.
RIFF honours this artist with one of his most intense and dramatic films, the tale of the two brothers Enrico and Dino described in “Cronaca Familiare” (winner of the “Leone d’oro” at the Venice Film Festival in 1962), based on the autobiographical novel by Vasco Pratolini. Through this movie, as he also did years later with “Il Deserto dei Tartari” (based on the novel by Dino Buzzati), Zurlini brings together the pieces of a creative path that is always a reflection and metaphor of an inner path.
The film will be presented by the film critic Simone Emiliani, managing editor of “Sentieri Selvaggi” as well as “Filmcritica”, “Cineforum” and “FilmTv”. In addition to his role as artistic director of the “Valdarno Film Festival”, Emiliani was also assistant Professor of “The History of Cinema” at La Sapienza in Rome and committee and coordinator for the Asian Film Festival. His publications include “Kevin Costner – I mondi imperfetti di un eroe per caso”, monographs on Dustin Hoffman and Walter Hill (written with Mauro Gervasini), and “Fughe da Hollywood” written with Carlo Altinier.
