Fire!

AmanopensfireonthestatueoftheVirginduringthe15thAugustprocession.Barricadedinhishomewithhiswifeanddaughter,hecontinuestoshootwildly.Herefusestoopenthedoortothecarabinieriandherefuseseverythingheneeds,includingwater.<br/>　　关于导演：<br/>　　Intheturnofthe1960’sand70’sItaliancinemawasprobablythebestintheworld.Thegreatestnamesofmanygenerations,startingwiththepioneersofneorealism,wereallfunctioningtogetherandoverlapped,creatingauniqueimpression.Thescalerangedfromtherichnessofpopularfilm–italowestern,horror,alocalstyleofnoisycomedy–tovariousformsofavantgarde.GianVittorioBaldi,borninBolognein1930,isoneofthecrucialnamesofthisera:ahighlypersonaldirectorandproducer,amaninthemidstofradicaldocumentary,experimentalfilmsandfiction.<br/>　　Baldi’sbackroundisacombinationoftheknowledgeofthetraditionsofdocumentaryandontheotherhandthementalityandpowerofanavantgardist.Theshortfilmshedirectedbetween1958and1961–includeIlpiantodellezitelle(1958)andLacasadelletredicivedove(1960)–receivedmanysignificantawardsandblendauniquelyfirmdocumentaryapproachwithcinematographicpoetry.BothfilmswonthebestshortfilmprizeattheVeniceFilmFestival.<br/>　　OneofthereasonsBaldiisanextraordinaryavantgardistandatrailblazerishisboldnesstouseallthepossibilitiesofdirectsound;inhisowncountryhewasakindofabridgebuilderbetweenoriginalItalianneorealism(firstandforemostthemodernismofRossellini)andthenewwavefilmsofthe1960’s.Soundisonlyoneaspectbutvitallyimportant.Baldi’sfilmsareaboutrealpeople,whohavebeen”woundedbyhistory”–heshowsthecultureandlifeofthepeoplefromtheinside,asanintimateexperienceandtriestocaptureonfilmandmakerealtheinnerfeelingofpopularculture.<br/>　　Baldi’sfirst(fiction)featuresareLuciano–Unavitabruciata(1961)andFuoco!(1968),twofilmsthatinawaycarryontheearlierexperiences.Fuoco!–oneofthecentralItalianfilmsofitstime–willnowbeseeninFinlandfortheveryfirsttime.Thefilmwasshotin14days,inachronologicalorder,in16mmfilmandusingthepossibilitiesofdirectsound,withaslittletechnicalgimmicksaspossible.Thesubjectisfascinating:abloodbaththatbeginswithoutanylogicalexplanation.Asthefilmdevelops,itdeepensintoametaphorofpowerandtherageofkillinginsociety,thathasapparentlylostitssensesaltogether.Thethemeofthefilmisrebellionbutsoisalsothewaywithwhichithasbeenmade:thecameraisobsessed,thechaosisbeingorganisedbytherepeatedandsystematiccameramovements.Thefilmisalsoanessayaboutwatchingand,inthe1960’smanner,commitment.<br/>　　AsafreeproducerBaldiisatotallyamazingphenomenon.Howcanitbepossiblethattheoneandsamemanproducesthethreemostimportantkeyfilmsoftheerainthreedifferentcountries:Jean-MarieStraub’sGermanfilmTheChronicleofAnnaMagdalenaBach,RobertBresson’sFourNightsofaDreamerandsomeofthemostimportantworksofPierPaoloPasolini’ssternandsearchingcareer–thefictionfilmPigstyandthegreatembodimentofthepasolinianessayform,”TheAfricanOrestes”.<br/>　　InthosedaysEuropeancinemawaslivingauniquelyfascinatingphaseasa”concerto”ofdifferentcountries,andoneofthekeystothistimeofwisdomandlimitlessimagination,thatnowseemstobecompletelylost,werethegreatproducerpersonalities–thetypeslikeGianVittorioBaldi.(PetervonBagh-MidnightSunFilmFestival,Finland)