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Passione

Passione

John Turturro

  • Country: Italy
  • Year: 2010
  • Language: Italian
  • Producer: Carlo Macchitella, Giorgio Magliulo, Alessandra Acciai
  •  
  • Screenplay: John Turturro, Federico Vacalebre
  • Runtime: 95
  • Programmes:

John Turturro takes us on a voyage through the robust and diverse musical culture of Naples, combining archival footage with performances set in the streets, alleys, studios and labyrinths of the city.

Documentary,  Music,  Europe

screening times

    • Sunday September 12
    • 10:15:00 PM
    • SCOTIABANK THEATRE 2
    • Monday September 13
    • 3:30:00 PM
    • AMC 3
    • Sunday September 19
    • 3:45:00 PM
    • SCOTIABANK THEATRE 4

Note: indicates Premium Screening.

official description

As much a love poem to Naples as a tribute to the popular music that bubbles up in the streets and neighbourhoods of this fascinating and complex city, John Turturro’s effervescent Passione combines archival footage with stunning musical numbers to explore a deep cultural heritage. Naples has seen it all: earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, foreign invasions, crime, poverty, corruption and neglect, but it is also a hotbed of music that explores ideas of love, loss, sex, jealousy, emigration, social protest, birth and death. The songs themselves are drenched in contradiction and irony but they carry a robust vitality that reflects the energy of the metropolis.

Beginning by visiting with a trio of grizzled record veterans who muse on the characteristics of Neapolitan music, Turturro proceeds to take us on a musical journey through the back alleys and public squares, beaches and studios of the city to record young and old, amateurs and professionals, performing a divergent and eclectic group of songs. Footage of past masters Sergio Bruni, Massimo Ranieri and Renata Carasonni rub shoulders with contemporary artists like the M’Barka Ben Taleb and James Senese.

Turturro’s Italian roots and love of the country give the film added poignancy. The film journeys from nostalgic memories to reconstructions using the bedrooms, parapets and castles of the city, placing musicians in streets and piazzas, whilst exploring the full range of populist folk music from Neapolitan melodramas to contemporary video clips. Each song carries its own narrative associations, and one of the most fascinating aspects of the film is the contemporary American influence on the music. Children fathered during the war by Yankee soldiers have grown up in Naples and are now adding their distinct sound to a city that has seen many cultures come and go, leaving their legacies in this amazing city.

Piers Handling

director bio

John Turturro was born in Brooklyn and received his M.F.A. from the Yale School of Drama. He is best known as an actor for his acclaimed performances in Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing (89) and Clockers (95), and Joel and Ethan Coen’s Miller’s Crossing (90) and Barton Fink (91). His performance in Quiz Show (94) was nominated for a Golden Globe award. He has written and directed the features Mac (92), which won the Caméra d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, Illuminata (98), Romance & Cigarettes (05), which screened at the Festival, and Passione (10).

full credits

Principal Cast: Misia, Massimo Ranieri, Peppe Barra, Max Casella, M'Barka Ben Taleb
Producer: Carlo Macchitella, Giorgio Magliulo, Alessandra Acciai
Cinematographer: Marco Pontecorvo
Editor: Simona Paggi
Sound: Antonio Barba
Production Designer: Antonio Farina
   
International Sales Agent: Beta Cinema
Production Company: Skydancers/Squeezed Heart Productions
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