by Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi

Marco Bellocchio is one of Italy’s gemstones in film-making. An intrepid cinematic voyager,  who explores society through audacious antiautorianism and social reflection, where style isn’t neglected, quite the contrary. His attentive visionary eye captures humanity through oniric realism. As a result, during his 50-year career and 18 movies, Bellocchio, has encompassed a wide range of genres and subjects that have conquered worldwide audiences.

As a tribute, the Museum of Modern Art presents – in collaboration with Luce Cinecittà – a retrospective of Marco Bellocchio’s cinematic productions, from his earliest films to his latest, revealing a particularly rich oeuvre in contemporary Italian filmmaking. The event runs from April 16th to May 7th. What comes as icing on the cake is the interview-book ‘Morality and Beauty’, curated by Sergio Toffetti, presented at The Italian Cultural Institute in New York on April 17th.

In this exclusive interview Marco Bellocchio describes his voyage in the world of motion pictures:

The book called ‘Morality and Beauty’ very much epitomises your cinema, how much do you think these two elements are complimentary and in juxtaposition?

The title was picked by the curator of the book, Sergio Toffetti. The morality I stand for is certainly connected to the way I was raised according to a Catholic education, where morality was to follow the ten commandments. Within a society that is false and corrupted, morality is a value, as long as it doesn’t become judgemental. Those principles that demand us to behave in a certain way with each other are definitely part of my character. Beauty is part of imagining a movie. The images alone and style can’t be secondary. I don’t make a film to deliver a message or tell a story, I try to make movies as a painter, but instead of a canvas I used film and today digital devices. Beauty demands freedom and sometimes morality may compromise this freedom, create conflict and jeopardise it.

Since you also paint on canvas, how does that influence your film-making?

I have a predisposition for art. I started drawing when I was very young, and during my adolescence I started painting. Eventually cinema captured my images. I began as an actor and then I realised that I felt more comfortable directing. Hence my paintings somehow became moving images. The origin and style is expressionist, I remember I used to love German Expressionism, as well as Fauves, Picasso, Chagall, those were my references, which I brought with me also in the process of film-making. In some of my  movies, my painting experience is certainly clearer, such as ‘Vincere,’ where the expressionism coalesces with melodrama.

So how does it feel for a painter-film-maker to have a retrospective of his movies at MoMA?

This match is very fascinating and I usually don’t want to express myself other than through my work. Hence I do my best to be receptive in answering the questions of viewers and I’m looking forward to hearing the feedback of the public at the end of the retrospective.

America is very receptive to your film-making, what is your relationship with this country’s movies?

I’m probably the average spectator. I see a lot of films. Each film-maker finds in the movies he makes elements of other auteurs, usually I get inspired by European directors – from Russia, Spain, France, also Italy – and American actors, such as the great legends of the past like Marlon Brando and James Dean. American cinema is undoubtably extraordinary.

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