telespallabob

True, "Yesterday" is magnificent and it called for such a review. Thank you.

Indeed, three hours of such a dense and raw narrative are heavy to digest. Appropriately, Travaglio here and there tries to insert elements that can lighten the mood with a laugh, sometimes in good taste and thunderous. It’s a smart choice; I had seen the first Promemoria in Brescia and was definitely satisfied; it was a great evening. I allow myself a critique: those caustic little jokes he throws out seem a bit out of place when I read his articles in Il Fatto Quotidiano. They have a better impact live and on TV. Read on paper, they irritate a little (in fact, I prefer to read his colleague Gomez).

Thank you for the wonderful nickname, but trust me, I'm not a witty and sharp mind; I simply say what I think. Let's say that among the dialects, those that have undergone a process of vulgarization and devaluation are the ones that are structurally closer to the Italian language, such as Romanesco or some Tuscan dialects. To this, we can add some questionable characters who have used it for vulgar purposes, ultimately diminishing it. Now, I wouldn't be able to tell you how "Romanized" the language of RAI speakers is, but it is worth noting that their diction and fluency have greatly deteriorated (not surprisingly, the ones from the old school are the ones managing to hold on). This is truly a problem of selection and hiring (remember the Berlusconi-Saccà wiretaps?). Keep in mind that RAI holds very few competitions compared to the past. Moreover, the fact that most of the main studios are in Rome (Via Teulada, Saxa Rubra) naturally leads to people from a certain geographical area ending up working there (consider that there are still regional offices where a whole range of services related to the territory are managed, regional news broadcasts, the features that then go on RAI3, documentaries, and it's also normal that many stay working in their own areas rather than ending up in Rome).

I don't know, but I don't entirely agree with what was written in the review. It’s well written and passionate, of course, but I don’t warm my heart by reading it, and I certainly don’t think of Pavese as a "weak mind," especially since it implies that suicide is an act of defeat. What he writes, however, contains stories of pain and anger that shouldn't warm our hearts but rather leave us feeling unsettled. It prompts reflection on how we deal with our emotions in a society that rejects suffering and sadness, where weakness equates to ineptitude and an inability to cope with the world.

@Berlinboy, that is not true at all! He knows what he's talking about; it’s no coincidence that in the second comment he corrected himself (perhaps also thanks to me being quite tough on him) and added other interesting points. I'm completely in agreement with him about re-evaluating everyone after they’ve died, 101%. It reminds me of what happened after Funari’s death, when everyone started doing pieces on him as a television innovator and other similar nonsense. When he was alive, Blob used to tear him apart, dedicating entire episodes that were like direct hits. They targeted him relentlessly. I remember that from the day he died until his funeral, they completely ignored him as if nothing had happened. The day after the funeral, they aired a regular episode and ended with a white writing on a black background: "ciao Gianfrà". No commentary or revisiting of old footage. Just an anonymous message. This, in my view, is intellectual honesty. Now, let’s move on to "romanizzazione," which I agree with in the sense that the Sordian Romanesco has roots that trace back to the verses and writings of Gioacchino Belli and Trilussa (it hasn’t always been like that but it often had those references). Then it became a crude stereotype (think Bagaglino, Cesaroni, and that whole trend). It became that way because a cultural heritage (the dialect) was given to those who didn’t deserve it. I'm a lover of dialect because when used well, it becomes culturally enriching. A magnificent example is the Vernacoliere, but there are also Marco Paolini's performances done in Venetian dialect, the historical Legnanesi by Musazzi, and many other examples around Italy. Dialect, when used well, has an extraordinary added value. Regarding "mitizzare," I would like him to delve deeper because it also seems vague to me. So I hope he wishes to explore that topic further.

The average Italian doesn't seem like such a caricature to me, quite the contrary. It still shows signs of great stature today. Shall we deny that Italians are not those depicted, often masterfully, by Totò and Alberto Sordi (as well as many other great actors)? Shall we deny that they recognize and appreciate the flaws of characters like Antonio La Trippa or the Marchese del Grillo (and there are many others)? In my opinion, with this stereotype business, we are only fooling ourselves; we reduce a negative description of our being because we have this obsession with being better than what is seen in films or read in books. We watch certain scenes and say: "Are Italians really like that? Nonsense! I am better!" Proving to oneself that one is better is simply a self-referential and obtuse gesture. The average Italian has become a stereotype partly for this reason, since he hasn't been understood and nothing has been done to change it. After all, after thirty years, that famous "Io so' io e voi non siete un cazzo!" has still not been understood. No one is perfect, but find other occasions to criticize Albertone or Totò, not in films like this where there is only to learn and not to make distinctions just for the sake of getting on a pedestal.

@Antmo, don't worry. The Master is back on the bench, give his players some time to recover from the steps of the Zaccheria and we'll see him teaching football again. By the way, he might even like a record like this, attacking. Maybe he wouldn't tell you: he would pause, give him time to smoke, nod, and then take off again. Not with the motorcycle from the cover but still and magnificent like the pose of the one riding on the cover.

Thank you all. Now a few answers. @Gustavo, does he have his flaws? Probably yes, but I don't think that's so important. He's a cantaurocker, using his own definition, and the problem of heroism certainly doesn't lie in searching for any flaws but in the quality of his virtues. @Zzot, what does he do? He picks up the guitar, writes, sings, and shares his stories with a punk attitude at 50 years old. Critics say he writes about the same things but they make a mistake: they don't weigh against the feeling he conveys, his ability to write songs (and that’s not easy, especially when you have to deal with survival. He lives off this). It's nice to think that in '94 he was missing water and by '95 he pulls out a ruthless guitar and comes up with "Ma finitela," a more beautiful way to tell someone to bug off, but in the end, I (and Marco Masini) are banal and we tell people to bug off. @Cappio, there are many things that should be written. All the F.F. deserve it, and I'm glad that I associated this reflection with what many define a negative period of Fede's career; after all, the following year saw the release of the legendary (in a negative sense) "Sesso e Violenza." The reprimand to Guccio. "La locomotiva" is a classic, we all know it and it's beautiful, but I can't forgive him that line. Also because in the song, the hero is limited to just one episode. Heroes, at least as I understand them, accomplish continuous feats and pull them out just when they seem finished. And anyway, on one thing you are wrong: I am the second to last (I even have the presumption that there's someone worse than me) who can teach how to write an unorthodox review. Thank you for the trust you've given me. P.S. I apologize to Bruce Gilbert for calling him Brian.