"The shadow of Caravaggio" is the film that is being shot in Napoli, dedicated to the genius of Italian art of the late 500s: Michelangelo Merisi, played by Scamarcio. Filming, which began at the end of September, sees the Neapolitan city as the protagonist, where various sets have been set up, all inaccessible to the public.
In the places involved in the shooting (Castel dell'Ovo, Santa Maria la Nova and via Morelli) the city seems to have magically returned to the 600s, to the times when the painter lived in Spanish Neighborhoods. The film is written, directed and performed by the great Michele Placido (now in his fourteenth film as a director), who worked four years so that Merisi's life could have its own adaptation. Sandro Petraglia and Fidel Signorile collaborated on the script.
A stellar cast
The film set of "The shadow of Caravaggio" will also affect Rome, Viterbo, Ariccia, Frascati and will land in Malta. In addition to Scamarcio and Michele Placido, who plays Cardinal Del Monte, diplomat and art collector, the cast includes other well-known names. The French Louis Garrel, it will be the mysterious "Shadow" that will haunt the painter; Micaela Ramazzotti she will play the role of Elena, the inspiring muse; Isabelle Huppert will play the marquise Costanza Colonna. With them, too Alessandro Haber, Vinicius Marchioni, Lolita Chammah, Moni Ovadia, Lorenzo Lavia, Brennus Placido. At his film debut the rapper and artist I have, who will play Cecco.
In 2021 the film will arrive in Italian cinemas
"L'Ombra di Caravaggio" makes use of a respectable team even behind the scenes, where the scenography is curated by Tonino Zera, the costumes from Charles Poggioli, photography is entrusted to Michele D'Attanasio and assembly a Consuelo Catucci. The music is gods Planetoids, while the production is Franco-Italian. The film, which will arrive in our cinemas in 2021, is made with the contribution of the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism - Directorate General for Cinema and Audiovisual and the Lazio Region.
"The Shadow of Caravaggio", the plot
In the film, Placido stages "a cursed artist with absolute talent, an ante litteram rock star". Michelangelo Merisi is in fact one of the most brilliant and appreciated painters of his time, but he is also a turbulent and rebellious soul. The subjects he paints (vagabonds, prostitutes, criminals, severed heads) deviate from the Baroque trend, in which the religious theme prevails. The extraordinarily influential Church of Rome, in addition to having the right of censorship, also has the power to decide on the lives of others.
When Caravaggio was in Naples
Caravaggio arrived in Naples at the end of 1606, and remained here for about a year in the Spanish Quarters. He returned to the city in 1609, but because of his reckless and overlived life, he had a fight or was attacked at the exit of an inn. Left injured or disfigured, news of his death began to circulate. In these two Neapolitan periods, especially in the first, there were many works that he created. In 1607 he painted the "Judith who beheads Holofernes", a first version of the "Flagellation of Christ", the "Salome with the head of the Baptist", the first version of "David with the head of Goliath", the "Crucifixion of St. Andrew". Between 1606 and 1607 he made the "Madonna del Rosario" and "Seven works of Mercy", between 1607 and 1608, the second version of the "Flagellation of Christ".
“L'Ombra di Caravaggio”, an announced success
This film about the intricate and adventurous life of this immense Italian artist is already shaping up to be a success. A film that will allow us to better understand the personality of this much discussed painter, but much loved in Italy and in the world. Caravaggio, a mix of genius and recklessness, with an immortal charm.