VENICE 2008 Competition / Italy
Corsicato turns pop in Il seme della discordia
Seven years after the commercial failure of Chimera, Pappi Corsicato returns to the big screen with Il seme della discordia (“The Seed of Discord”), the last Italian title presented in competition on the Lido. The film was greeted with laughter and jeers at the initial press screening.
Based on Heinrich von Kleist’s short story “The Marquise of O” (also adapted for the silver screen by Rohmer, in The Marquise of O), the film centres on a young and beautiful woman (Caterina Murino), whose husband (Alessandro Gassman) is often absent. She discovers she is expecting a baby just as he finds out he is sterile.
This is serious subject matter, but only on paper: for the director of Libera and Black Holes develops the plot (which doesn’t shy away from weighty issues, including rape and abortion) into a resolutely female comedy and playfully transforms the everyday dramas that fill news columns into a highly colourful pop world.
“The challenge of the film was recounting these tragedies in a light-hearted way, transposing the painful scenario onto a non-realistic level”, explained the director, whose fantasy took shape with the help of DoP Ennio Guarnieri’s visual talent.
More than the story (which is far too flimsy), the film’s visual look takes precedence: that of the images and actresses. “Pappi was very specific, obsessive even, about the hairstyles, accessories and the make-up, which was meant to evoke icons of the 1960s and 70s, such as Sophia Loren and Dalida”, commented Murino, who heads a female-dominated cast.
The film also stars Isabella Ferrari, Valeria Fabrizi, Martina Stella and renowned actress Iaia Forte, who has appeared in all the director’s films.
The focus on the female realm (“cheerful, contradictory and positively mad”) is reminiscent of the films of Pedro Almodovar, for whom Corsicato worked as assistant director on the set of Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!. The director added: “Like him and Tarantino, I’m also inspired by films from the past”.
Corsicato’s cinematic memory also influences the film’s musical score, which is made up for the most part of vintage soundtracks.
Produced by Rodeo Drive in collaboration with Medusa Film and Sky, Il seme della discordia is being released domestically this evening by Medusa (on 225 screens).
(Translated from Italian)
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