Director Gian Luigi Rondi dies at 94

CINEMA
Dead film critic Gian Luigi Rondi, former director of the Film Festival in Venice: he had 94 years
The dean and teacher of film criticism would have turned 95 years in December. He was president of the Academy of Italian Cinema and life Ente David di Donatello
by Maurizio Porro


Gian Luigi Rondi, the critic of the most discussed film, durable and passionate dive friend and political confidant of Bergman, Anna Magnani, Lollobrigida, cultural operator from international, died yesterday at 95 years: he was born in '21 in Tirano, province of Sondrio, Valtellina, but throughout his life took place in Rome, establishing numerous and not always disinterested friendships in the corridors of power: it was the Richelieu of this environment. in an interview with Corriere in March this 'year told : "I am proud to have been a cultural worker. He has created events and for the film festival. "

In addition to well-known critic in which stood out his knowledge of the show (he wrote the theater before the film), Rondi had numerous official posts: he had always created and directed the most famous awards of our cinema, the David di Donatello , and he had been repeatedly director of the Venice film Festival, also in inaccessible periods and even controversy among church-state (the one for red-hot devils Ken Russell) and subsequently President of the Venice Biennale. While in the age limits, shiny in moving the stick is supported, in recent years he had supported Piera Detassis in the direction of the Festival-Festival of Rome of which he was honorary president. And he had founded the Sorrento Dating, the festival of nations in Taormina and had a hand in Spoleto cinema, as well as play the role of secretary for the Sovereign Military Order of Malta Communications, SIAE Commissioner, President of awards payable to his friend Vittorio recovered de Sica who did not obey the commandment of "dirty laundry that is washed in the family," as suggested by Andreotti and how Rondi echoed.



And in all the festivals, the Croisette in Cannes, the Piazza Grande in Locarno, in the calle mayor Excelsior, headquarters of Show at the Lido, the Zoopalast all remember him as a constant presence in Berlin, punctual and above all cinema and knew he knew everything, supporting the theory direct knowledge of many of those masters of which I promptly wrote the reviews on time . And it not just the big, easy to recognize, but knew Rondi guess from talent scout talent also in the making, was to flush out and nouvelle vague directors everywhere, often embarking on airplanes for long journeys, crossing political walls, putting this its "mission" despite the loving family, a wife and two children, who have long had taken home in Paris, without divorce.
In his diaries, the best of world cinema
Recently the Sabinae editions were published, preceded by a letter of former President Napolitano, his diaries, voluminous book of over 1300 pages in which there is the history of Rondi career from 1947 to 1997: and in those chapters, divided per year, passing all the best of world cinema which often critical of you gave. He began writing the diaries, the author writes in the preface, at the suggestion of his friend Giulio Andreotti old: you never know, better to leave a trace, write down names and dates and events. And indeed at that big book that does not fit on the shelves, you can find everything: high art and metaphysical discussions and small shop games, airport rides and birthday parties of children, careful preparation of the religious culture with a special relationship clergyman, dive intimacy in crisis and various honors (among which the French Legion of honor), of which the rider and Rondi Commendatore did, he said, collecting, stars and medals, including one for the Liberation for the 70 years of the April 25 (on his anti-Fascism there is no doubt, venial sins were finally washed and in recent years the critical militated in the Democratic Party) files.
Childhood and beginnings as a journalist
Son of an officer of the Royal Carabinieri strict, the young Gian Luigi began working with a scandal in the family: he writes of the working item , periodical of Catholic communists, but is forced to sign Sigilin to avoid violating the honor ancestral. And, from the frying pan into the fire, he continues with criticism of dramatic vocal partisan until Silvio D'Amico, director of the Academy, not elected him deputy to the theater to time. And from that place the leap to film phonebook, vacated by Luigi Chiarelli, the playwright author of the mask and the face , it will be easy. The young Gian Luigi is to review old Filmon as The Rains , Anguish , Casablanca , Bernadette , Saratoga . On December 22, 1946 ended his career as "vice" and January 2, 1947 under the review of Marie Antoinette appears for the first time and in full the signature of Gian Luigi Rondi. A signature that for 60 years will be a trademark, passing free or almost for controversy, cultural revolutions, '68 and surroundings, which recognizes the beautiful but is forced to put it in brackets when the news was reason forces him to do a step back, as happened with some of our great authors (Rosi, Pasolini) upon which Rondi made ​​the mea culpa, as in the case of the masterpiece hands over the city , which won the golden Lion in Venice but it was a hot potato in hands and the hands of a critic of a right-wing newspaper.
The longest days 24 hours
Rondi collaborated with many magazines and was correspondent from Italy of Le Figaro and Le Film Francais and in '49 with the union of film journalists organized the first conference on the criticism, which also rose again from decades of censorship and despotism. On several occasions the tireless Gian Luigi, so the day was certainly more of the 24 hours that the ordinary man, he was a member of the international festival jury in Venice in '49, in Berlin in '61 and '82, in Rio de Janeiro in '65 (the distances were never a problem), at Cannes in '67 and '80, and in '71, in Venice, establishing the Lions for Lifetime that even the invisible Bergman came to withdraw, and that since then roared into the arms of the great masters (the last, a few days ago, I went to Belmondo and Skolimosvkji).
The author of documentaries
He was also the author of many documentaries and sometimes took care of the edition of the Italian dubbing some films that were in his heart as all the gold in the world of Clair (French cinema was the favorite) and Lights in winter Bergman, in '63, another author with whom he had a special relationship. And of course he was a teacher at La Sapienza University in Rome and the Catholic in Milan, publishing over time a large number of volumes on cinema not only Italian to which it was an accomplice witness and passionate, starting from Fellini and Rossellini and Magnani: when wrong the aim, as stated above for reasons above suspicion, was not his ignorance: he could see the beautiful, the good, the ethics of the screen, of course tied to a historical context that I really saw the protagonist, supporting actor , actor, all possible roles as evidenced by the aforementioned diary that really is a detailed chronicle of private vices and public virtues (and also vice versa) of our cinema. So many years, it seemed that the story Rondi could never end, in which the critic really knew everyone, artists and politicians, often under the tent perplexed, but also varied humanity, like the brigand Musolino, this day of November 1st '47. The diaries, entitled Pirandello, My life in the mirror starting with the recommendation of the historic Angiolillo director of writing in an understandable way and end up with a December 31 next to Monica Vitti, perhaps his last conscious toast.


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