I reiterate that the review is a nice read, but it contains quite a bit of stuff that I take the liberty to spill out. After his monumental debut, Caligari worked on a bunch of screenplays, spending about three years on each. They didn’t produce any of them. Caligari is a bit uncomfortable and perhaps a bit unlucky as well. After all, "Amore tossico" had managed to reach distribution companies only thanks to Ferreri's intervention. (In Italy, it goes like this: either you're old and established, or you're dead, or those with money don't give a damn about you.)
I was saying, he gets rejected a hell of a lot of projects until "L'odore della notte," and he achieves his goal with that film, and in 200 he starts a new project: a film centered on the relocation of organized crime activities from the south to the north. Can you imagine if anyone actually lets him do it...
So, between one disappointment and another, he completes that project he had started writing with Mastandrea ever since the filming of "L'odore della notte," which is indeed this film "Non essere cattivo." It’s a shame that, as usual, halfway through production they cut the funds, and Caligari finds himself once again with half a film ready, if not more, and zero money to continue. Mastandrea (who is as much of a fake dummy as he is a real actor, and as intelligent in real life as he is charismatic on screen) doesn't stand for it; he convinces the director to "beg" on TV talk shows (Mastandrea will actually do this). Moreover, Caligari is in really bad shape, and it would be a kick in the teeth from pity to let him die before he can see his last film completed, beyond the fact that he’s a director who deserves it. And if the Italian producers/distributors are absent from the TV talk shows, Mastandrea buys a page in "Il Messaggero" where he publishes an open letter to Martin Scorsese, informing the director that Caligari hasn't been able to work for two years and that the film he has is thick, and maybe Martin, since you’re so often quoted by Clausius, you've seen a Claudio film, and you might feel like throwing in a few bucks.
And Scorsese probably never even read that letter (he likely doesn't read "Il Messaggero"). But a bunch of assholes do, including people from the Medusa group (Mediaset), who thankfully cough up the cash (you bring up Scorsese, the director is about to die, and then you’ve solved your problems. Death, in this country full of old bastards, solves all your problems).
So the money comes. And Caligari dies. Before he can see his film completed. They edit the film with a religious respect for the director, the ending is what the director wanted despite the criticisms. Perhaps the transition where: "Cesarino will be Cesare" is a bit understated and risks appearing less dramatic than it is, but it’s Claudio’s ending.
The director's film that no one gave a shit about is now here.
And can someone kindly explain to me why, if nobody gave a damn about Caligari, in 2016 we chose him as the Italian spokesperson at the Oscars? (Oh my God, we’re presenting a scream of a movie at the Oscars; I don’t know how many decades it’s been since that happened).
P.S.: I’ve loved Mastandrea since I was 15 because "Tutti giù per terra" is "Tutti giù per terra," and if you don't like that explanation, it’s because you missed a few steps as a kid. And it’s awesome to discover that after decades, your references continue to be true to you. Thanks, Vale', keep it real, because in this country we have a visceral need for people of good will.