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Caro diario

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Caro diario
Italian theatrical release poster
Directed byNanni Moretti
Written byNanni Moretti
Produced byAngelo Barbagallo
Nanni Moretti
StarringNanni Moretti
Renato Carpentieri
Antonio Neiwiller
CinematographyGiuseppe Lanci
Edited byMirco Garrone
Music byNicola Piovani
Production
companies
Sacher Film
Banfilm
La Sept Cinéma
Distributed byLucky Red (Italy)
BAC Films (France)
Release dates
  • 12 November 1993 (1993-11-12) (Italy)
  • 20 May 1994 (1994-05-20) (France)
Running time
100 minutes
CountriesItaly
France
LanguageItalian
Box officeL8.3 billion (Italy)[1]

Caro diario (lit. 'Dear diary') is a 1993 Italian-French semi-autobiographical comedy film written, directed and co-produced by Nanni Moretti, who also stars as himself. The film is structured in three anthological episodes, presented as the chapters of Moretti's open diary, in which he describes his thoughts about various slice of life situations.

The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, where Moretti won the Best Director Award.[2]

Plot

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Chapter I: In Vespa (On My Vespa)

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Putting the hot Roman summer to good use, Nanni Moretti dedicates himself to his favorite hobby, riding his Vespa through the streets of the half-deserted city.

Here, Moretti lets the landscape inspire his thoughts: he laments the banalization of politics in contemporary Italian cinema, comments on the gentrification of the quarters of Rome, mocks the overzealous critical reception of movies like Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, and confesses his love for dance caused by the movie Flashdance – later meeting its star Jennifer Beals. Finally, he visits the place in Ostia where Pier Paolo Pasolini was killed, to pay his respects.

Chapter II: Isole (Islands)

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Having to work on an idea for a new movie, Moretti decides to leave Rome for a while for the more peaceful Aeolian Islands. In Lipari he's the guest of his friend Gerardo, an austere scholar who moved there eleven years earlier to better study James Joyce's Ulysses without being distracted by modern commodities such as television, which he despises. However, both are unable to find the tranquility they're searching for since the number of tourists has suddenly increased.

They move to Salina, where they are guests of two couples friends of Gerardo, both incapable of managing their hyperactive children, a feature that seems rampant on the entire island. Meanwhile, Gerardo begins watching television and gradually becomes completely addicted to it, and especially to soap operas. They move again, this time to Stromboli, where they are constantly bothered by a megalomaniac mayor who tries to involve them in the oddest projects.

They finally move to Alicudi, frugal and isolated, lacking water and electricity. Here Moretti seems to have found the right place to focus on his project, but soon Gerardo runs away in despair to catch the last ferry, unable to live without his favorite soap operas, while disavowing his ideals and proclaiming undying love for cheap entertainment.

Chapter III: Medici (Doctors)

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Moretti clarifies to the audience that the following chapter will be based on a true story happened to him some years earlier; one day, he begins to suffer from persistent itching and insomnia. He visits many doctors and specialists, but they all dismiss him with different diagnosis, prescribing a lot of costly drugs and prohibiting him to eat most of his favorite food. Seeing no improvements, Moretti unsuccessfully tries alternative cures like reflexology and acupuncture.

After almost a year, a doctor notices his developing cough during a visit and suggests him an X-ray. That reveals a mass on his lung, which after a biopsy is discovered to be a still-curable Hodgkin's lymphoma. Moretti successfully goes through chemotherapy and has the lymphoma cured. Sometime later, he reads the definition of Hodgkin's lymphoma in a basic medical encyclopedia, finding out that its most common symptoms are exactly itching and insomnia. Surrounded by the dozens of useless drugs he bought, Moretti laments the incapability of most doctors of listening to their patients, before making a bitter toast "to health" with a glass of water.

Cast

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Source:[1]

Chapter I (In Vespa)
Chapter II (Isole)
Chapter III (Medici)
  • Nanni Moretti as himself
  • Mario Schiano as Prince of the dermatologists
  • Valerio Magrelli as first dermatologist
  • Sergio Lambiase as second dermatologist
  • Roberto Nobile as third dermatologist
  • Gianni Ferraretto as allergist
  • Pino Gentile as Prince of the dermatologists's stand-in
  • Franco Lucarelli as radiographer
  • Oreste Rotundo as radiologist
  • Serena Nono as reflexologist
  • Yu Ming Lun as Chinese doctor
  • Tou-Yui Chang Pio as Chinese doctor
  • Umberto Contarello [it] as assistant to the Chinese doctors

Reception

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The film grossed L8.3 billion in Italy[1] It also grossed $3.1 million in France.[3]

Year-end lists

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Accolades

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref
Belgian Syndicate of Cinema Critics 9 January 1995 Grand Prix Nanni Moretti Nominated [7][8]
Cannes Film Festival 23 May 1994 Best Director Won [2]
Palme d'Or Caro diario Nominated
César Awards 25 February 1995 Best Foreign Film Nominated [9]
Chicago International Film Festival 23 October 1994 Gold Hugo Nominated [10]
Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival 27 September 1994 Best International Film Nominated [11]
David di Donatello Awards 18 June 1994 Best Film Won [12][13]
Best Director Nanni Moretti Nominated
Best Producer Angelo Barbagallo and Nanni Moretti Nominated
Best Actor Nanni Moretti Nominated
Best Screenplay Nominated
Best Cinematography Giuseppe Lanci Nominated
Best Editing Mirco Garrone Nominated
Best Score Nicola Piovani Won
Best Sound Franco Borni Nominated
European Film Awards 27 November 1994 FIPRESCI Prize Caro diario Won [14]
Golden Ciak Awards 30 June 1994 Best Film Won [15]
Best Director Nanni Moretti Won
Best Screenplay Won
Best Cinematography Nicola Piovani Nominated
Best Editing Mirco Garrone Nominated
Best Sound Nicola Piovani Won
Italian Golden Globes 6 July 1994 Best Film Caro diario Won [16][17]
Best Actor Nanni Moretti Nominated
Best Original Score Nicola Piovani Nominated
Nastro d'Argento Awards 19 March 1994 Best Director Nanni Moretti Won [18][19]
Best Producer Angelo Barbagallo and Nanni Moretti Nominated
Best Actor Nanni Moretti Nominated
Best Original Story Nominated
Best Score Nicola Piovani Nominated
National Society of Film Critics Awards 3 January 1996 Best Foreign Language Film Caro diario Nominated
Sant Jordi Awards 24 May 1995 Best Foreign Film Won [20]
Stockholm Film Festival 20 November 1994 Bronze Horse Award Nominated

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Lancia, Enrico (2001). Dizionario del cinema italiano: I film. Vol. 6\1: Tutti i film italiani dal 1990 al 2000. A-L (in Italian). Rome: Gremese Editore. p. 139. ISBN 8884400856.
  2. ^ a b "Festival de Cannes: Caro diario". festival-cannes.com. Archived from the original on 2011-08-22. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
  3. ^ "Grosses of selected non-English language films by territory". Screen International. 16 February 1996. p. 16.
  4. ^ Maslin, Janet (December 27, 1994). "CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK; The Good, Bad and In-Between In a Year of Surprises on Film". The New York Times. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  5. ^ Elliott, David (December 25, 1994). "On the big screen, color it a satisfying time". The San Diego Union-Tribune (1, 2 ed.). p. E=8.
  6. ^ Simon, Jeff (January 1, 1995). "Movies: Once More, with Feeling". The Buffalo News. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  7. ^ ""Exotica" à l'UCC". Le Soir (in French). January 9, 1995. p. 9. Retrieved October 27, 2012.
  8. ^ "Jan Bucquoy, prix Cavens". Le Soir (in French). December 19, 1994. p. 9. Retrieved October 27, 2012.
  9. ^ "PALMARÈS 1995 - 20 ÈME CÉRÉMONIE DES CÉSAR". academie-cinema.org (in French). Archived from the original on 2019-02-23. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
  10. ^ "1994 — 30th Chicago Film Festival". chicagofilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  11. ^ "Another award for Egoyan film". Edmonton Journal. 27 September 1994.
  12. ^ "David: La sfida tra Moretti e Veronesi". La Stampa (in Italian). 5 May 1994. p. 51. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  13. ^ Robiony, Simonetta (19 June 1994). "CINEMA: Il David della pace". La Stampa (in Italian). p. 19. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  14. ^ "European Film Awards Winners 1994 - European Film Academy". europeanfilmacademy.org. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
  15. ^ "MORETTI VINCE ANCHE IL CIAK D'ORO". La Repubblica (in Italian). 30 June 1994. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  16. ^ "ECCO I FINALISTI DEL GLOBO D' ORO". La Repubblica (in Italian). 23 June 1994. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  17. ^ "Globo d'oro a Moretti, Galiena e Silvio Orlando". La Stampa (in Italian). 7 July 1994. p. 18. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  18. ^ "Nastri d'argento, in lizza Moretti, Archibugi, Soldini". La Stampa (in Italian). 8 February 1994. p. 16. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  19. ^ Caprara, Fulvia (20 March 1994). "Moretti d'argento". La Stampa (in Italian). p. 23. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  20. ^ De Luna, Joaquin (24 May 1995). "CRÍTICA: Premios Sant Jordi". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 August 2019.
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