2023-12-13 17:45:35
by Emilia Costantini
On December 18th the famous play by the great playwright will be broadcast in prime time on Rai1. Starring Massimiliano Gallo, Vanessa Scalera, directed by Luca Miniero
«Mo avimm’ wait’, Ama’… He has to pass’ ‘a nuttata». It is the last line, the lapidary phrase that concludes «Napoli milionaria!», the masterpiece by Eduardo De Filippo, which returns to the scene, in the form of a TV-movie directed by Luca Miniero, on 18 December on Rai1 in prime time . The protagonists are a couple of actors who already gave an exemplary performance last year in the interpretation of «Filumena Marturano»: Massimiliano Gallo this time is Gennaro Jovine, Vanessa Scalera is his wife Amalia.
The comedy was written in a short time by the great playwright in 1945 and, in 1950, it arrived on the big screen with his direction, before being performed in London in 1972 and, in a lyric drama version, at the Spoleto Festival in 1977. We are in Naples immediately after the war and the poor Jovine family makes do as they can. In particular, Amalia is very busy with the black market, against her husband’s advice. «Eduardo’s text is unfortunately very current: an anathema against all wars – underlines the director – The corruption that he saw in his destroyed city of those years, with those who made money thanks to the black market and no longer wanted to hear about war, it is a topic that, in certain aspects, still concerns us.”
The TV-movie is produced by Picomedia in collaboration with Rai Fiction. «We shot it entirely in Forcella, in Vico Scassacocchi – continues Miniero – And the inhabitants of the neighborhood were very close to us, they participated, they helped us in the staging. In the “lows” of the alley an engaging surreal atmosphere was created.” Gallo tries his hand at the role that was Eduardo: «And it’s not easy – underlines the actor – because De Filippo was not only a great author, but also an immeasurable interpreter of his works. As before, I approached the character with absolute respect for the one who created and played him. Gennaro is a poor man swallowed up by difficult family dynamics. He is losing his job and is absolutely against Amalia’s dealings, however he does not take a clear position, he does not take responsibility for it and, in some way, he suffers it.” Scalera intervenes: «Amalia is a woman who struggles to make a living, she lives in fear of war and gets by on the black market. She is a complex character, because at a certain point she changes: from a chrysalis she becomes a butterfly, that is, she understands that money can bring happiness and that up until that moment she has lived an infamous life.”
«Unfortunately – concludes Gallo – I didn’t have time to work with Eduardo, I was too young and still didn’t do this job. However – adds the actor who has just published the book «Fabulous» – I keep a special memory. It was 1984 and my father Nunzio acted in the comedy “Bene mio e core mio”. I was 16 and I was attending the premiere of the show, but the playwright was already ill, he would disappear some time later, and he couldn’t be there. At the end of the performance, a telephone complete with an extension cord was brought onto the stage and Eduardo’s voice was heard saying, to thank the actors, “Good evening!”. All the spectators stood up and a long round of applause followed.”
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December 13, 2023 (modified December 13, 2023 | 5:04 pm)
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