Pietro Marcello
Per Lucio

It might have been the easy suggestion that characterizes someone who is 18, but I, during the year of grace 1977, was favorably struck by what Lucio Dalla sang in "Il cucciolo Alfredo":

"The Chilean band posted on the wall / promises a show / a sure hit / Andean music, what a mortal bore / it's been more than three years / it always repeats the same way / while the puppy Alfredo sings differently / the song without a note / of someone who is lost..."

In a few verses here is a common feeling, mine and that of many other young people and otherwise, who, with all due respect for the tragedy experienced by the Chilean people in those years, felt the musical monotony of groups like the Inti Illimani and consequently the propensity to listen to different music. Lucio Dalla, even on that occasion, was able to capture the spirit of the times, the underlying trends present in the society of the era. I considered him one of the geniuses of Italian music of those days.

It is obvious, therefore, that when I went to see "Per Lucio," a documentary film dedicated to Lucio Dalla and directed by Pietro Marcello, I had high expectations. Unfortunately, I must admit that, even with all the extenuating circumstances, I was somewhat disappointed. Let's be clear: condensing into a docufilm of less than 80 minutes a complex and multifaceted figure like Lucio Dalla is not an easy task. However, not impossible, if you consider that last year "Paolo Conte, via con me" was released, a piercing portrait of the Asti composer. And so, what did not seem up to the deserved and fitting celebratory film for the good Lucio?

Marcello's work focuses on the cross-testimony of two people who knew and frequented Dalla, namely Umberto Righi, known as Tobia (his impresario), and Stefano Bonaga, a friend of Lucio since childhood. The two, sitting in a trattoria enjoying a large portion of tagliatelle (bon appétit...), recall Dalla's struggle (originally a jazz musician) to assert himself in a showbiz environment still hostile to considering certain music as anything more than "light", without adequately evaluating the innovative impact of certain proposals (too niche and classified as singer-songwriter material of Ligurian origin). So it shouldn't be surprising that Lucio, early in his career, also performed at the Antoniano of Bologna in front of mago Zurlì and in the presence of his embarrassed mother (this was perhaps the most incredible part of the docufilm, I myself didn't suspect its existence...). But thankfully, with the advent of the 70s decade, new opportunities opened up, and success began to attend to the Bolognese artist with the song "4 marzo 1943", later leading to the famous collaboration with Roberto Roversi, who would write the lyrics for many subsequent (decidedly more experimental) songs up to the long-playing "Automobili". From that moment on, the paths of the two would separate, and Dalla would become a full-fledged composer (from "Com'è profondo il mare" onward).

It certainly stands out, as "Per Lucio" progresses, how the artistic rise of the Bolognese musician runs parallel to the profound changes in Italian society, which from industrial would become increasingly post-industrial. But many aspects of Dalla's human and professional story remain in the shadows, such as, for example, the deep bond with the city of Bologna (which is only hinted at in sketching Roversi's figure, regarding whom the reasons for the subsequent differences with the Bolognese musician are not specified).

Not to mention that certain fundamental songs in Dalla's career like "Piazza Grande," "L'anno che verrà," "Caruso" are not properly mentioned. It just gets to recall "Balla balla ballerino" and "Futura" as if afterward there was a void. Oh no, dear Righi and Bonaga (and by extension director Marcello), comfortably seated in a trattoria feasting away, that’s not quite the way to celebrate a great like Lucio Dalla. Although you affirm the immortal nature of such a musician and great storyteller, you haven’t managed to provide the most comprehensive portrait of him, thus wasting a golden opportunity. We, his loyal admirers, can only go back to listening to his records, always full of charm despite the passing years.