Title : Dolce far niente
Director : Nae Caranfil
Cast : François Cluzet (Stendhal), Isabella Ferrari (Josephine), Giancarlo Giannini (Count Nencini), Margherita Buy (Countess Gabriella Nencini), Pierfrancesco Favino (Rossini)
Genre : Comedy, Drama
Special notes : One of the most underrated movies of the ’90s
This was one of the nicest surprises I had since I’ve been studying in Bucharest. What started as a normal day ended up with me seeing a most enjoyable movie directed by Nae Caranfil ( Asphalt Tango, Philantrophy, The Rest is Silence) with a solid cast of talented actors.
The title makes it difficult to imagine what could happen in 119 minutes. “Dolce far niente” is an Italian expression which could translate as “Sweet idleness”. The interesting story behind the movie doesn’t make it easier to understand. It is based on a book “Un voyage a Terracina” written by Frederic Vitoux who comes up with a new scenario: a meeting between two geniuses Stendhal and Rossini. This meeting probably never occurred in reality but it’s an interesting plot for a book.
It begins with a story from Henri Beyles’s (later known as Stendhal) book “Voyages à Rome, Naples, Florence 1817-1826" where a servant spies on his headmaster’s lady. Little did he know that his master had a magic ring that dismembered him. With nothing else but the head remaining, he waits for the lady and recites her a poem. This is how the director begins the movie. It is great because it links the movie with Stendhal’s writings and implies that what happens in this movie could have happened in real life only there is no historic proof to this. Then he introduces us to Stendhal and Josephine as they travel together to Naples. This is a powerful scene as the semiotic is intense, Stendhal dressed in red and Josephine in black which reminds us of his novel “The Red and the Black”.
The historic set intrigues us as well. A young Stendhal travels from France to Italy to study the “beautiful arts”. There are problems with thugs (as seen by the authorities) or revolutionaries(as seen by themselves). This spices up the action. As one of the thugs is captured he is tortured every night and we hear him screaming. This frightens the viewer at first as much as it humors him later.
Stendhal remains stranded in Terracina while the authorities deal with the imminent danger that thugs represent. He finds a place to stay at Count Nencini (Josephina’s cousin’s husband).
The plot thickens when Rossini and Countess Gabriella Nencini arrive in Terracina. Rossini has a natural act with women so he does as he pleases and still gets it his way while Stendhal tries in vain to seduce Josephine.
A captivating story with an even more captivating end, this movie is the undeniable proof of Nae Caranfil’s directing ingeniousity..
It begins with a story from Henri Beyles’s (later known as Stendhal) book “Voyages à Rome, Naples, Florence 1817-1826" where a servant spies on his headmaster’s lady. Little did he know that his master had a magic ring that dismembered him. With nothing else but the head remaining, he waits for the lady and recites her a poem. This is how the director begins the movie. It is great because it links the movie with Stendhal’s writings and implies that what happens in this movie could have happened in real life only there is no historic proof to this. Then he introduces us to Stendhal and Josephine as they travel together to Naples. This is a powerful scene as the semiotic is intense, Stendhal dressed in red and Josephine in black which reminds us of his novel “The Red and the Black”.
The historic set intrigues us as well. A young Stendhal travels from France to Italy to study the “beautiful arts”. There are problems with thugs (as seen by the authorities) or revolutionaries(as seen by themselves). This spices up the action. As one of the thugs is captured he is tortured every night and we hear him screaming. This frightens the viewer at first as much as it humors him later.
Stendhal remains stranded in Terracina while the authorities deal with the imminent danger that thugs represent. He finds a place to stay at Count Nencini (Josephina’s cousin’s husband).
The plot thickens when Rossini and Countess Gabriella Nencini arrive in Terracina. Rossini has a natural act with women so he does as he pleases and still gets it his way while Stendhal tries in vain to seduce Josephine.
A captivating story with an even more captivating end, this movie is the undeniable proof of Nae Caranfil’s directing ingeniousity..
“ Two things I hate the most : work and boredom “ We were expecting you…
Special thanks to : http://www.ro-iff.ro/
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