Signals: Paolo Benvenuti
Overview of films
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Confortorio
Based on historical records from the Rome of the Popes, Confortorio is an astounding moral drama chronicling the failed attempts of Catholic prelat
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Frammento di cronaca volgare
Heavily influenced by Jean-Marie Straub, Benvenuti fictionalizes historical documents on the long conflict between Pisa and Florence at the end of
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Gostanza da Libbiano
Benvenuti’s ultimate masterpiece. Inspired by the records of a trial for witchcraft, Gostanza da Libbiano drew comparisons with Dreyer and Bresson.
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Puccini e la fanciulla
While tracking down the creative process that led to the composition of La fanciulla del west, Benvenuti uncovers new historical truths about the T
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Il bacio di Giuda
Benvenuti’s first feature is an ambitious reflection on the character of Judas, based on a rigorous study of both canonic and apocryphal gospels. T
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Il cantamaggio
Introduced by Nobel Prize winner Dario Fo, this documentary researches on the tradition of the maggio (May), a brand of poetry performed by Tuscan
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Il balla balla
Benvenuti’s own The Big Shave: a timeless indictment of the political and economical exploitation of youths.
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Del monte Pisano
An exploration of the Tuscan landscape leads Benvenuti to the discovery of an ancient and almost lost tradition of popular poetry: the maggio.
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Medea, un maggio di Pietro Frediani
Benvenuti films with commendable rigueur the performance of a maggio based on the character of Medea, staged by peasants in an old oil mill.
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Segreti di stato
A fictional investigation into the Portella della Ginestra massacre (1947) that leads Benvenuti to harrowing conclusions on the connection between
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Il cartapestaio
An early, short masterwork where Benvenuti films with ecstatic participation (and Schönberg’s music) the laborious creative process of a master of
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Il giorno della regata
An imaginative and vibrant picture on the traditional regatta between the Marine Republics of Italy, filmed by Benvenuti together with his students