Italian Film in the Shadow of Auschwitz (Toronto Italian Studies)

The last decade has witnessed an outpouring of Italian films that deal with Fascism, anti-Semitism and the Holocaust. This would appear to mark a distinct change from the postwar reluctance to represent such an infamous history. Roberto Benigni?s popular __Life is Beautiful__ (1997) is an obvious example, but there have been a number of other works that have not been exported that also attest to a distinct tendency within Italian domestic production to address the issue. Millicent Marcus?s __Italian Film in the Shadow of Auschwitz__ looks at this development, attributing the new acceptance not only to an international film sensation, but to a domestic cultural climate at once receptive to Holocaust representation, and ready to produce its own forms of historical testimony. Throughout the book, Marcus brings a variety of perspectives ? psychoanalytical, ideological, mass cultural ? to bear on the question of how Italian filmmakers are confronting the Holocaust, and why now given the sparse output of Holocaust films produced in Italy from 1945 to the early 1990s. What emerges is a fascinating look at how film is being used to confront a particularly damning aspect of cultural history. Marcus?s study features in-depth analyses of five recent Italian films: Ricky Tognazzi?s __Canone inverso__, Ettore Scola?s __Concorrenza sleale__, Andrea and Antonio Frazzi?s __Il cielo cade__, Alberto Negrin?s __Perlasca__, and Ferzan Ozpetek?s __La finestra di fronte__. As an added feature, the book includes a DVD of Scola?s short film __?43??97__, which has been unavailable outside of Italy until now. Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Historical Background Sketch 16 PART I: Weak Memory: From the End of the Second World War to the End of the Cold War, with a Foray into the 1990s 24 1. Ghost Stories: An Introduction 26 Grief Work 26 The Case of Rosetta Loy’s 33 2. A Diaphanous Body of Films 41 Soon After (1947–9) 43 The Second Wave (1960–6) 48 Breaking New Ground (the 1970s) 59 A Dearth of Films, Offset by the Arrival of the TV Mini-series (the 1980s) 75 After the Thaw (the 1990s) 83 PART II: Recovered Memory: Contemporary Italian Holocaust Films in Depth 96 3. The Haunting Strains of Holocaust Memory: Ricky Tognazzi’s Canone inverso (Making Love) 106 4. A Childhood Paradise Lost: Andrea and Antonio Frazzi’s Il cielo cade (The Sky Is Falling) 120 5. The Alter-Biography of the Other-in-Our-Midst: Ettore Scola’s Concorrenza sleale (Unfair Competition) 132 6. The Holocaust Rescue Narrative and the End of Ideology: Alberto Negrin’s Perlasca: Un eroe italiano (Perlasca: The Courage of a Just Man) 146 7. The Present through the Eyes of the Past: Ferzan Ozpetek’s La finestra di fronte (Facing Windows) 161 Postscript – A Glimpse at 2004: Il servo ungherese (The Hungarian Servant) and La fuga degli innocenti (The Flight of the Innocents) 174 Epilogue: The Holocaust, the Cinema, and ‘the Italian Case’ in Ettore Scola’s ’43–’97 182 Bibliography 190 Film Index 196 A 196 B 196 C 196 D 196 E 196 F 196 G 197 H 197 I 197 J 197 K 197 L 197 M 197 N 197 O 197 P 197 R 198 S 198 T 198 U 198 V 198 W 198 General Index 200 A 200 B 200 C 201 D 202 E 202 F 202 G 203 H 203 I 203 J 204 K 204 L 204 M 204 N 205 O 205 P 205 R 206 S 207 T 208 U 208 V 208 W 208 Y 208 Z 208 In Addition To Roberto Benigni's Internationally Acclaimed Life Is Beautiful (1997), There Have Appeared A Number Of Other Italian Films That Deal With The Holocaust, Many Of Which Have Not Been Available To Foreign Audiences. Millicent Marcus's Italian Film In The Shadow Of Auschwitz Looks At This Development, Attributing The New Acceptance Not Only To International Influences, But Also To A Domestic Audience That Is Increasingly Willing To Face Its Collective Demons And A Cultural Industry Ready To Produce Its Own Forms Of Historic Testimony. Throughout The Book, Marcus Brings A Variety Of Critical Perspectives To Bear On The Question Of How Italian Filmmakers Are Now Confronting The Holocaust, Especially In Light Of The Sparse Output Of Holocaust Films Produced In Italy From 1945 To The Early 1990s. What Emerges Is A Look At How Film Is Being Used To Address A Profoundly Disturbing Chapter In The History Of Humankind.--book Jacket. Millicent Marcus. Accompanying Dvd Contains A 10 Min. Short By Ettore Scola, Titled: '43-'97. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [169]-173) And Indexes. Film synopsis: At the Via del Portico D'Ottavia in 1943, entire Jewish families are forced into lorries by soldiers. A young boy escapes, running through the streets pursued by a soldier. The boy escapes into a cinema. On the screen, decades of cinema flash by. When the lights come on it is 1997. A young Black man rushes into the cinema for refuge. The now old Jewish man and the young Black man look at each other, the old man with a knowing, enigmatic smile on his face