Il Pianto della statua

The film sheds light on the artistic and historical value of sacred sculptures made in terracotta, particularly those dedicated to the representation of pietà, that was spread all through the Po valley and in Emilia-Romagna beginning from the 1480s. The Compianti are groups of statues representing Maria, Maddalena, Maria Salomè, Maria di Cleofa, Giovanni l’Evangelista, Nicodemo, Giuseppe d’Arimatea, gathered around the body of the dead Christ. They were sculpted in wood or shaped in terracotta and spread through the main European countries, particularly France, however, they obtained special prominence in the land of Emilia-Romagna between the XV and the XVI century. After having been considered for a long time as expressions of “minor art”, nowadays, thanks to the revaluation of masters such as Guido Mazzoni, Niccolò dell’Arca and Antonio Begarelli, they have been reconsidered due to the strong emotional impact and the marked realism of the subjects that can transmit their suffering. The film describes five important works of these masters: three by Mazzoni are in Busseto in the Chiesa di Santa Maria degli Angeli, in Ferrara at the Chiesa del Gesù and in Modena in the Chiesa di S. Giovanni Battista; one by Niccolò dell’Arca, the most famous one, is in Bologna in the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Vita and one by Antonio Begarelli is located in the Chiesa di S. Francesco in Modena. A sacred representation that becomes cinema and literature thanks to the texts written by: Michael Cimino, George Romer, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Diego Marani, Lucrezia Lerro, Pino Roveredo, Antonio Scurati and Vittorio Sgarbi. Anna Bonaiuto and Toni Servillo are the narrating voices. Franco Battiato, Roberto Cacciapaglia, Antony; the Johnsons wrote the musical score.
The film co-produced by the Emilia-Romagna Region.

2008_IlPiantoDellaStatua1

REGIA:
Elisabetta Sgarbi
PRODUZIONE:
Betty Wrong
NAZIONALITÀ:
Italia
ANNO:
2007
DURATA:
50’
PRESENTAZIONE:
Al 60° Festival di Locarno