L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 32 L'Italo-Americano Middle East. Many English and American directors have used these places to make movies, and the international audience likes it. My artistic i d e a w a s m a i n l y t o e v o k e something ancient, so the stones you still see in Sardinia were perfect for that part. Then, there is my interest in the anthropological richness that I found in local people since the early days of my career. I've been working with the same locals for all my m o v i e s . P e o p l e f r o m t h e countryside, shepherds, and residents have a real connec- tion with the land and the animals. Sardinia is to me what Matera was to Pierpaolo Pasolini: a place that evoked a world suitable to my idea of archeology, and anthropolo- gy, all at once, in the same place." People know little to noth- ing about the life of Mary before the angel's announce- ment. There's not much in the Scripture about her; she has been depicted as a young girl, mature beyond her years, knowledgeable of the Old Testament. Love between Mary and Joseph is almost a secondary element in the movie, yet it's there and view- e r s c a n s e n s e i t . T h e r e i s attraction, there's jealousy, there's fighting like a normal couple would fight. But we don't really see love in a full, romantic way. "This love s t o r y – D i r e c t o r Z u c c a explains – has become an important part of the movie h e a r d o v e r t h e l a s t 2 0 0 0 years. The book was written in years of strong activism around abortion and it is not by accident that's the choice Mary makes at the end of the book. "That wasn't something I wanted to do. Initially, I thought of it as a provocation a n d I d i d n ' t w a n t t o g e t involved. However, when I did read the book, I saw a powerful story and how mov- i n g i t s c h a r a c t e r s a r e . I c h a n g e d m y m i n d , a n d I immediately had to deal with the possibility of being kicked out of church. I really loved the book and, twelve years later, all the pieces to make a movie came together. Barbara and I agreed we'd change the f i n a l o f t h e m o v i e , n o t because we were afraid, but because we didn't want to leave the audience with such a strong message." D i r e c t o r Z u c c a , y o u were born in Sardinia. C h o o s i n g t h i s I t a l i a n region as the setting of the movie was probably an easy choice. However, there's more to it, like old people speaking the local dialect, the unique land- scape, the nuraghi. Many of these elements recall t h e p l a c e w h e r e M a r y lived during those years. What did Sardinia bring t o t h e m o v i e t h a t n o o t h e r p l a c e c o u l d o r would? First, I wanted to avoid directing a movie in tropical weather, like Morocco or the only after I've put it together. I had to cut the main story by half an hour, mainly Mary's life before she met Joseph, so I could accommodate space for the love between the two characters. Barbara's novel has this idea that it's the two o f t h e m a g r e e i n g a r o u n d chastity. Joseph doesn't fall in love with Mary at once, his f e e l i n g s g r o w o v e r t i m e . Joseph is the wise man, the one who has the knowledge and has traveled the world, he is both a mentor and ally to Mary. He wants her plan to become reality, at least at the beginning. That's why I wish I could have used more time in the movie to show their love and the relationship." When it comes to the char- acters, Director Zucca is very proud of the choices he made: Benedetta Porcaroli is only 25 y e a r s - o l d a n d s h e p l a y e d Mary's character at the age of 15 or 16. "I never worked with Benedetta before my produc- er introduced her name. She's a very talented actress, and the perfect fit for the charac- t e r . H a v i n g B e n e d e t t a a s Mary was the best choice of my life and the best gift, artis- t i c a l l y s p e a k i n g . W h e n i t c o m e s t o A l e s s a n d r o Gassman, he was my deci- sion. He got the perfect body to be Joseph. Not just the face, but all his physical fea- tures". To conclude the interview, we imagined, together with D i r e c t o r Z u c c a , a b o u t a sequel to the movie. Mary g a v e b i r t h t o J e s u s a n d became the mother of God: where does Mary go from here, in a hypothetical Gospel according to Mary - Part two, when Jesus is born and a new l i f e s t a r t s f o r e v e r y o n e involved? "That would take us to when Jesus was born and became older. At the moment of the gospels, he is obviously a very popular person, people follow him, meaning that he is what we would call today famous. Mary visits Jesus and b r i n g s h e r o t h e r s o n t o o . Jesus says he has no mother and he refuses to meet her. In the sequel, Mary would slap him, as any mother would do, recalling all the lessons moth- er-son lessons given through- out the years, which never got listened to." marriage. As time goes by, s h e i s t h e n s e t t o m a r r y another man, whose name is Joseph. The old man, played by Italian actor Alessandro Gassman, quickly under- stands that the young woman wants to learn the Greek lan- guage and science. The two make a plan that will set her free, at least until an angel appears, flaps their wings, and announces she will soon be the mother of the son of God. Mary's story, as we all know it, starts. Director Zucca, why d i d w e n e e d a m o v i e about Mary before Jesus, showing life through her own eyes, desires, and struggles? Why was it important to you to make a movie like this one? This movie is inspired by Barbara Alberti's book, writ- ten in 1979. Those were years o f s t r o n g f e m i n i s t m o v e - ments, and the book was con- sidered very controversial. When I got in touch with the author about a short movie I had done in Sardinia, she loved it. Then, she told me she could see the Bible in my work, recommended reading a book she had written back in the 70s, and asked me to think of a possible movie. W h e n s h e g a v e m e a n overview of the story, though, I refused her offer." As Director Zucca admit- ted, this was mainly because the book ends in a very differ- ent way compared to what p e o p l e h a v e l e a r n e d a n d W hat would we find in t h e Gospel, if Mary had the opportunity to take con- trol over her own life? What would we know that the Bible doesn't tell? These are hard, if not impossible, questions to answer, even though writers, movie directors, and com- p o s e r s h a v e m a d e s o m e a t t e m p t s t h r o u g h o u t t h e years: the outcomes are fasci- nating, thought-provoking, and puzzling. A m o n g t h e m , w e f i n d Paolo Zucca, the Italian director of the movie titled G o s p e l A c c o r d i n g t o Mary, which is coming to theaters across the country for the first time at the end of May. Mr Zucca was in San Francisco on April 30th for a special screening at the Vogue Theatre, thanks to the Italian Cultural Insti- tute and Director Alberta Lai. Director Zucca is well known for his work on feature movies, short movies, docu- mentaries, and commercials. His short The Referee won both the David di Donatello and the Special Jury Prize at C l e r m o n t - F e r r a n d a n d opened the Venice Days Sec- tion at the 70th Venice Film Festival. His second feature, The Man who Bought the Moon, premiered in Busan and at the Rome Film Fest. We had the opportunity to talk to Director Zucca during his first stop on the West Coast and dive into the story of Mary, played by actress B e n e d e t t a P o r c a r o l i . T h e movie shows Mary before J e s u s ' b i r t h , a s a y o u n g woman who dreams of Egypt a n d t h e g r e a t l i b r a r y o f Alexandria; she's interested in science and travel. When in the synagogue, she enthusias- tically listens to the prophets, while aiming to get the free- dom and the knowledge to embark on an adventure she can choose. Both her parents and relatives see her as wild and rebellious, especially when she refuses to become the wife of a rich man, in what would be an arranged Director Paolo Zucca premieres his latest film, "Revelations of Mary," at the Vogue Theatre SERENA PERFETTO Mary and Joseph, played by Benedetta Porcaroli and Alessandro Gassman SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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