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Asini che volano : elogio degli Italiani tra cinema e realtà
Description:
it’s New Year’s Eve, and Christian De Sica sets out to seduce his son’s girlfriend—who happens to be his own former mistress—to provide his son with an excuse to break up with her. But his wife catches him in the act. Chaos ensues. *Natale a Biella* (“Christmas in Biella”): it’s New Year’s Eve, and a member of parliament accidentally shoots the son-in-law of an undersecretary’s bodyguard. The undersecretary claims he didn’t see a thing because—at the stroke of midnight—he had stepped out to take out the trash. Chaos ensues. Which of these is the plot of a *cinepanettone* (a classic Italian holiday comedy), and which is real life? It’s impossible to tell. Comedy used to draw inspiration from real life; now, it’s the other way around: the “monsters” we once laughed at are now in power, and they feel no shame whatsoever. Yet, for decades, we understood Italy—and ourselves—better through these corrosive or surreal plots, iconic lines, and unforgettable characters. We liked those characters, flaws and all, and they made us laugh. Today, when they instead inspire fear, it is time to rediscover the traits of the “Italian” as portrayed in those films: often an opportunist, a bungler, a bit of a coward—but also human, communicative, and creative. Perhaps parochial, yet capable of traveling the world and making himself understood. Sometimes uneducated, but still possessing a deep respect for a culture he does not himself possess.
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