Cavani Multiverse
The crux of the matter, whatever the chosen direction of the all-round investigation, varies from time to time, from the documentaries of the Sixties to the triptych dedicated to Francis of Assisi; from films politically antagonistic towards institutional power such as The Cannibals or Galileo, devoted to anti-psychiatry such as The Guest or spiritually remote to those equally in opposition, albeit in a mystical key, such as Milarepa; or again from the most extreme classics such as The Night Porter, Beyond Good and Evil and Berlin Interior to the misunderstood and harassed Beyond the Door or Where Are You? I Am Here; from titles with a more declared literary matrix such as The Skin and Ripley's Game, up to the last eschatological seal which is The Order of Time.
In short, everything is indefinitely inscribed in the unmistakable cinematographic art of Liliana Cavani, where the senses meet and join, necessarily, as proof of the author's impossibility to express herself differently with the same linguistic propriety, given the need to exploit the implicit coexistence and combination of communicative and communicating channels. In other words, it is inscribed, in the practices of the audiovisual that otherwise could not be said by separating the visual instance from the sound one, that singular/plural need to find, historically, psychologically, culturally a mechanism that guarantees, even in a provisional and provocative way, under the constant threat and social, political and institutional sanction, a stability inside or outside schemes imposed from the outside, interior, intimate, internal and in interiors that guard, protect, preserve from prying eyes, except that of the all-seeing spectators the secret, the violated taboo, the scandal.
Every film with the Cavani brand is potentially a parable of crossed, interdependent, non-diabolical possessions, there being no conventional need to call in the devil, even if touched upon in the procedural and top-down intimidations in Galileo, demonstrating a country perpetually subjugated, constrained, blocked where the solution to the incurable problem of the disparity between gender, family, social and cultural subjects is resolved in the fortunate or unfortunate break from the rule, usually precarious and tragic, sometimes long-lasting, as an extreme solution to the possibility of getting out of the impasse of an oppression – in the known or available forms – atavistic or contingent, biological or cultural, historical or anthropological, the family like the patriarchy, heterosexuality like the orthodoxy of thought, machismo like Nazism. Domination, or rather power understood as unhappiness that denies and represses joyful power, intercepting possession resolves itself in a counter-power of return: a multiverse ante litteram, co-present and connected, inseparable and fatal, melodramatic and tragic, pictorial and architectural, differently religious and ascetic, sexual and sentimental.
FILM SYNOPSIS
Women in the Resistance (1965)
“Women in the Resistance”, directed by Liliana Cavani and broadcast in 1965 by RAI, is a 47-minute documentary made to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the Liberation. Belonging to the column “Prima pagina – programma di attualità,” the film is a journalistic investigation curated by Paolo Glorioso. Through interviews with about twenty women partisans of various ages and geographical origins, the documentary offers touching and dramatic testimonies of their experience during the Resistance. Narrated by the voice-over of Riccardo Cucciolla, among the stories told are those of Germana Boldrini, Marcella Ficca, and Maria Clotilde Agnoletti Fusconi, people who played crucial roles in significant episodes during the anti-fascist struggle. The documentary opens with farewell letters written by women sentenced to death by the Nazi-Fascists, offering an intense fresco narrated through the thread of memory of the extraordinary dedication and courage of the women involved in the Resistance.
Francesco (1989)
“Francesco,” directed by Liliana Cavani in 1989, retraces the life of Saint Francis of Assisi through the memories of Chiara and his first followers. The film narrates the transformation of Francis, from a dissipated youth to imprisonment in war, which pushes him to renounce earthly goods. After reading the translated Bible, Francis understands the complete dedication to God according to the evangelical teachings, asking Pope Innocent III to be able to preach a life of poverty and spiritual sharing, breaking with the conventions of his time.
The Night Porter (1974)
The story of ‘The Night Porter ‘The Night Porter’ takes place in 1957, a few years after the Second World War, and focuses on Lucia, a Jew who has experienced the horrors of the concentration camps, and Maximilian, her Nazi tormentor. The latter, under a false name, works as a night porter in a hotel in Vienna. When the two meet by chance, an intricate web of sadomasochistic relationships begins. The peculiarity of the situation lies in the fact that Lucia knows Maximilian’s true past, thus having the power to denounce him or escape. ‘The Night Porter’ deals with controversial and disturbing themes, creating a scenario full of sexual tension and psychological torment. Liliana Cavani’s film continues to arouse discussion for its audacity in dealing with the theme of sexual transgression in such a dark and delicate context as that of the Holocaust.
Beyond Good and Evil (1977)
The film “Beyond Good and Evil,” directed by Liliana Cavani in 1977, takes its title from the work of the same name by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. The film follows the life of the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche himself and Paul Rée and Lou von Salomé in their intense love triangle. After a promising start, the relationship becomes complicated due to the different dynamics and conflicting feelings of the protagonists. The cumbersome presence of Nietzsche’s sister, Elisabeth, further complicates matters. The story explores the challenges of love, jealousy and madness, culminating in tragic events that mark the lives of the main characters. The film offers a deep look into the complex human relationships and cultural tensions of the time.
Interior Berlin (1985)
“Interior Berlin” is a 1985 film directed by Liliana Cavani, freely adapted from the novel “The Buddhist Cross” by the Japanese writer Tanizaki Jun’ichiro. The story takes place in Berlin in 1938 and features Louise von Hollendorf, the wife of a high-ranking official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During a drawing course, Louise meets Mitsuko, the charming daughter of the Japanese ambassador, starting a passionate story that also involves her husband. Mitsuko drags them into an intricate erotic game, further complicated by the political situation in Nazi Germany.
Ripley's Game (2002)
“Ripley's Game” is a 2002 film based on the novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith. The story follows Tom Ripley, a former American criminal living in Italy, married to a young wife. During a party, a sick English framer, Jonathan, publicly insults him, arousing his desire for revenge. The opportunity arises when his former partner Reeves asks Ripley to find a hitman to kill a gangster in Germany and he suggests Jonathan, unaware that he is involved in a sneaky “game” of revenge orchestrated by Ripley. The plot develops in a vortex of violence, murder and deception, with suggestive settings in Palladian villas, and filming done between Padua, Vicenza, Bassano del Grappa and Berlin.
The Order of Time (2023)
“The Order of Time” is a 2023 Italian film inspired by the homonymous essay by Carlo Rovelli, who also served as a scientific consultant. The plot follows a group of long-time friends who reunite for a short vacation in the seaside villa of two of them, along with their teenage daughter. The uncertainty about a possible end of the world creates tensions in the group, leading to deep reflections on their past and present lives.
