A Conversation with Carlo Verdone

One can say that Carlo Verdone is a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to cinema. He began his career in television in the 70’s. With the guidance of legendary director Sergio Leone, Carlo Verdone made a smooth transition to the big screen. Since the success of his first film in 1982, In Viaggio con Papa (Traveling with Papa), Verdone has been regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of our time. In recent years, he’s gone beyond the boundaries of acting to find further success in directing and screenwriting.

Born in Rome on November 17, 1950, Carlo Verdone has stayed faithful to his Roman roots. Many of his characters have embodied the everyday struggles of the typical Roman man trying to assimilate into the society of the modern woman. The irony portrayed in so many of his characters has led to comparisons with the great Alberto Sordi, although Verdone himself would beg to differ with those comparisons. In an effort to stay on top of the changing styles of Italian cinema, Verdone has reached out to other cultures by shooting some of his latest movies outside Italy, even if he usually stays faithful to portraying the modern Italian man.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Carlo Verdone at “Open Roads”, an annual film festival held at the Walter Reade Theater in New York City showcasing the best new films being made in Italy. I found him to be very down to earth and serious about his passion for the cinema, with a melancholic affection for the colleagues who have had an impact on his career.

As a veteran to cinema, how do you feel about the current status of the Italian cinema?
I believe that we have several good screenwriters, actors and directors. The biggest difficulty with Italian cinema now is the difference in itself from television, which often has good quality but is invasive and also changes the style of cinema…for example, the reality shows and how quickly they change. This confuses the minds of new generations. It’s a very complex situation because the cinema is not as supported by the government as television. So, festivals such as the Open Roads in New York are extremely important for the future of our films. If it was not for the passion and dedication of the organizers of these festivals in promoting our films, it would be much harder for us.

Has your work evolved to stay on track with the new trends in Italian cinema?
Yes, I’ve changed very much since the beginning of my career as a filmmaker. My first films were like explosions of acting, like sole acts. I gave a lot of focus especially to dialect, my Roman dialect. In moving forward, I decided to give less importance to this Roman dialect and more importance to something national and international. I directed the film Maledetto Il Giorno Che T’ho Incontrato (Damned the Day I Met You) in the Chech Republic, and I shot Sono Pazzo di Iris Blond (I’m Crazy For The Iris Blond), with Claudia Gerini in Belgium. I decided to go outside my country and I tried to de-provincialize my films as much as I could.

You’ve been called the new “Alberto Sordi”. How do you feel about that?
I don’t think it’s true. Sordi was a great actor. I was a spectator and a fan of his movies but he had a mask and the mask was unique, so you cannot imitate a mask. Sordi always interpreted one character; very Italian, cynical and funny but it was only Sordi. He also had the luck to work in a very important period…the end of the war, post-war and the economic boom. I worked in the 80’s when the role of the man was in competition with the woman. Therefore, a lot of main characters had difficulties with female characters, not only with their mothers and sisters, but with all women. So, together with Massimo Troisi, I interpreted this situation where the male lost this kind of control or power with women.

What is your connection with Sergio Leone?
Sergio Leone was my first producer. He saw me on a television show where I played a lot of different characters. He called me and said, I want to produce your film. Before we made the first film, I lived in his house for a year. He was a wonderful teacher for me. He was like a padrino, a godfather. So, thanks to Sergio, I am here.

Americans have been accustomed to seeing the usual players in classic Italian cinema such as Loren, Mastroianni, Fellini, Magnani and De Sica with their big budget releases. Their films are beautiful and they are beloved symbols of a magical time in cinema. However, for a thorough look into the evolution of Italian cinema, one should also see the films of Carlo Verdone’s mentor, Sergio Leone, whose “Spaghetti Westerns” shot Clint Eastwood to international fame during the mid 60’s…not to mention his controversial epic, Once Upon A Time In America. The films of character actors, Alberto Sordi and Massimo Troisi embrace Verdone’s chosen genre of comedy where the middle class Italian man is hilariously overwhelmed with survival in contemporary life. The films are very indicative of Italy in the periods in which they were shot; the 60’s through the 80’s in particular. They offer insight into how the Italian culture and standard of living changed since the end of World War II, and also before the mass immigration when most of our ancestors left. Many of these films are available over the internet on sites such as Amazon.com, Milestonefilms.com and Netflix.com. Carlo Verdone’s latest film, L’amore e` Eterno Finche` Dura (Love Is Eternal While It Lasts), which will bring you full-circle after seeing the work of Leone, Sordi and Troisi, is waiting distribution in the United States. For more information about Carlo Verdone’s work, check out his official web site at www.carloverdone.com.