L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2016 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE W i t h u n p r e c e d e n t e d c o o p e r a t i o n f r o m people who knew and w o r k e d w i t h J o r g e M a r i o Bergoglio, film director Daniele Luchetti offers a thoughtful, compelling account of the life of t h e m a n w h o w o u l d b e c o m e Pope Francis in the two-part series "Francesco — Il Papa Della Gente" that world pre- m i e r e d i n I t a l y o n M e d i a s e t Canale 5 few days ago as a per- sonal gift to the Holy Father on the occasion of his 80th birth- day. Pope Francis's experiences in t h e s l u m s o f B u e n o s A i r e s shaped his life and papacy. His deep identity as a pastor inter- twined with the pain of the dark days of Argentina made Jorge Mario Bergoglio a beloved fig- ure among the very poor during that country's bloody military- b a c k e d d i c t a t o r s h i p s o f t h e 1970s. Episodes of 100 minutes each detail his life in Argentina from his youth as the son of Italian immigrants to his pastoral work in the slums of Buenos Aires under brutal dictator General Jorge Rafael Videla. The story e n d s i n R o m e o n M a r c h 1 3 , 2013, the day he was elected Pope. A very good Argentine actor, Rodrigo de la Serna, stars as the young Bergoglio. "I didn't give much impor- tance to physical resemblance b e c a u s e t h i s w a s n ' t a b o u t a physical impersonation but it was more about inhabiting," says the film director. But de la Serna's facial expressions and b o d y g e s t u r e s w e l l m i m i c Bergoglio as a young Jesuit and then as a Jesuit superior, and f i n a l l y a s t h e a r c h b i s h o p o f Buenos Aires who sent many priests to work and live in the slums. L u c h e t t i i s i n t e r e s t e d i n authenticity and realism, and so is producer Pietro Valsecchi, CEO of Taoduefilm. "We have chosen the path of realism and emotion to tell the life of this man who is doing so much to bring the Church closer to the people," says Valsecchi. The high production values of the film required 16 weeks of s h o o t i n g a c r o s s A r g e n t i n a , Germany and Italy as well as 3,000 extras and much research. With a budget of 15 million euros, it is set to be released in the US through Netflix. The m o n e y w a s i n v e s t e d b y Mediaset. " M a k i n g t h i s f i l m i n Argentina, I learned a lot," says Luchetti, who also wrote the script. "I met extraordinary peo- ple. The wounds are still fresh in the country and economic prob- lems persist, but inexplicably seem to stir the creative energies of the people." He told the crucial elements of Bergoglio's personality, his wit and humanity, in a life that doesn't flinch from the moral issues surrounding political vio- lence. Some 30,000 people were abducted and went missing dur- ing Argentina's darkest years. MARIELLA RADAELLI Among them was Bergoglio's best friend, Esther Ballarino, an atheist chemistry professor who was one of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo who protested the dis- appearance of family members. The movie also recounts the killing of priests. "Bergoglio is a brave man. He went through so many hells a n d s o m e p u r g a t o r y , " s a y s Luchetti, whose main sources were direct. "I spent a lot of time speaking to his former students, his priests and secretaries. Then, gathering anecdotes and state- ments in the Vatican, I noticed he has several enemies there," he points out. Yet we know Francesco is extremely loved by the people — laymen, consecrated persons and even atheists. Capturing h e a r t s a n d m i n d s a c r o s s t h e world, his popularity has brought four times the number of pil- grims flocking to see him com- pared to his predecessor. Some express their devotion i n a r t . M a s t e r w o o d c a r v e r Giuseppe Stuflesser created a statue of Pope Francis that got my attention. When I saw his wood sculpture of Pope Francis, I t h o u g h t t h e m a e s t r o f r o m Ortisei in the Gardena Valley of t h e D o l o m i t e s , S o u t h T y r o l , explored what it means to be human. He not only depicted the p a t e r n a l b e n e v o l e n c e i n F r a n c e s c o ' s e y e s , b u t a l s o a more transcendental sense that is often difficult to capture. "I made only one artwork on Pope Francis because we would n e e d a s p e c i a l p e r m i t a n d approval from the Vatican to d e p i c t a l i v i n g p o p e , " s a y s S t u f l e s s e r , w h o s e r e l i g i o u s - inspired wood and bronze art is beautifully handmade and certi- fied by the Bolzano Chamber of Commerce. The Giuseppe Stuflesser ate- lier (www.giuseppestuflesser.it) was established in 1910 by his grandfather. "Before, my great- grandfather as well did the same job here in our valley, so the tra- dition is more than 300 years old," Stuflesser says. "In the old times, our artisans went to Paris and London by foot to sell small sculptures." And today there is still international demand for this sacred artwork. The Stuffleser atelier designed an altarpiece in the Vatican and continues to make stunning wood carvings strictly related to the sacred art integral to the Catholic religion. F r o m r e q u e s t s a n d n e e d s c o m e d i f f e r e n t s c u l p t u r e s . Saints, Madonnas, popes and angels are presented as real peo- ple with whom believers can find emotional as well religious identification. Pope Wojtyla and St. Padre Pio are the most com- missioned by parishes in Italy and abroad. Master Stuflesser closely studies the setting where artwork will be placed. "Is it a baroque or a modern church? I c o n s e q u e n t l y v a r y c o l o r s o f painted wood and forms," he says. Italian TV production on Pope Francis goes international The two-part series "Francesco - Il Papa Della Gente" is a gift to the Holy Father on the occasion of his 80th birthday Pope Francis is a brave man. He went through so many hells and some purgatory during his life

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