by Enrica Fico
NO ENGLISH SUBTITLES AVAILABLE
DOCUMENTARY – NO ENGLISH SUBTITLES AVAILABLE
In the framework of the celebrations for the 100th anniversary of Antonioni’s birth, in co-operation with the National Gallery of Art and AFI, the Italian Cultural Institute of Washington presents Fare un film è per me vivere, a documentary by Enrica Fico, Michelangelo Antonioni’s wife, shot on the set of Beyond the Clouds, the old master’s latest film.
Michelangelo Antonioni’s wife, Enrica, made this privileged–view documentary on the making of the old master’s latest film Beyond the Clouds.
The fact that Beyond the Clouds was made at all represents something of a miracle, given that the octogenarian Antonioni had not made a picture in more than a decade as a result of a debilitating stroke, suffered a few years earlier, that left him essentially without speech. Otherwise physically and mentally capable, undauntedly, Antonioni summoned his strength to adapt some of his short stories into a script, recruited a first-class cast and shot it in Italy with backup from Wim Wenders, the German director who helmed the wraparound connecting material.
In Fare un film e’ per me vivere (To make a movie is to be alive) one sees glimpses of how Antonioni was able to direct with limited mobility, and had Wim Wenders involved directly in the central role of explaining his vision and direction to cast and crew alike. From interview pieces with Wenders, one understands a little bit more on this collaboration process. This explains quite clearly the dynamics between the two filmmakers on the set. Wenders is constantly present at every step of the way, often snapping photos and generally behaving like a loyal assistant. That there may have been a clash of egos between these two auteurs is briefly evident in one sequence, but Wenders quickly backs down, as it’s clear who the boss is on this production.
Enrica Antonioni’s work is essentially Beyond the Clouds – specific, so much so that it could be deemed as a making of a documentary of the movie, rather than a general one on Antonioni. Nevertheless, with cast interviews spanning from Jean Reno to Sophie Marceau and from Fanny Ardant to Marcello Matroianni, given the large numbers of actors and actresses featured in what essentially is a collection of short films, viewers learn more about the cast’s thoughts and feelings in regards to Antonioni’s style and direction.
In this way this documentary reveals a reverential deference on the part of all his collaborators and actors, the legendary director’s methods of communicating through glances and gestures, his unstinting perfectionism and his surprisingly youthful mischievousness and humor, among other things.
One can say that Fare un film e’ per me vivere is Antonioni’s will to his aficionados and followers.
courtesy of the Cultural Department of the Emilia-Romagna Region
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