Kaos (film)
Encyclopedia
Kaos is a 1984 drama film
directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani
based on short stories by Luigi Pirandello
(1867-1933). The movie's title is after the name of the woods (Kaos, locally Càvusu) near Pirandello's birthplace in the neighborhood of Girgenti
on the southern coast of Sicily
.
An epilogue, Colloquio con la madre (""Conversing with Mother"), of similar length as the stories, describes Pirandello's fictional visit home many years after his mother has died. He asks his mother to retell the story of a trip to Malta
she took as a child to visit her exiled father.
award for best production and screenplay and was nominated for best music. It also won the Silver Ribbon
award for best screenplay.
The film was very well received by critics, but its length may have prevented wide exposure. In his 2007 book The Best Movies of Our Years, M. Owen Lee
considered it the best movie to come out locally in 1986 .
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani
Paolo and Vittorio Taviani
Paolo and Vittorio Taviani are noted Italian film directors and screenwriters...
based on short stories by Luigi Pirandello
Luigi Pirandello
Luigi Pirandello was an Italian dramatist, novelist, and short story writer awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1934, for his "bold and brilliant renovation of the drama and the stage." Pirandello's works include novels, hundreds of short stories, and about 40 plays, some of which are written...
(1867-1933). The movie's title is after the name of the woods (Kaos, locally Càvusu) near Pirandello's birthplace in the neighborhood of Girgenti
Agrigento
Agrigento , is a city on the southern coast of Sicily, Italy, and capital of the province of Agrigento. It is renowned as the site of the ancient Greek city of Akragas , one of the leading cities of Magna Graecia during the golden...
on the southern coast of Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
.
Synopsis
The movie depicts four short stories from Pirandello's 15-volume series Novelle per un anno, which play around his birthplace in the 19th century. A raven, which in the introduction is shown to get a bell around his neck from locals, leads one from one story to the next.- L’altro figlio ("The Other Son) is about a mother whose two sons have emigrated to the United States. She hasn't heard from them since (14 years ago), but still favors them over a third son who has stayed behind and tries to help and please his mother. The reason for her completely shunning him are explained in flashbacks to events in 1848.
- Mal di luna ("Moonsickness") Three weeks after their honeymoon, Sidora discovers that, during the full moon, her husband Batà spends the night howling outside like a werewolf and scratching to get back in. Batà tries to save his marriage by allowing her to have the handsome Saro spend the full-moon nights at their place to protect Sidora.
- La Giara ("The Jar") In this comedic section, a feudal landlord (Don Lollò) orders a very large jar for his olive oil, but the new jar breaks almost immediately under mysterious circumstances. The great "jar-fixer" Zi' Dima, famous for his secret-recipe glue, is called to repair the jar, but Zi' Dima manages to fix the jar with himself in it and Don Lollò refuses to break the jar again to let him out.
- Requiem Instigated by the imminent death of their founding father, farmers in a remote hamlet on grounds owned by a baron try to obtain the rights to bury their dead locally rather than in the town, which is over a day's hike away. The baron refuses and carabinieriCarabinieriThe Carabinieri is the national gendarmerie of Italy, policing both military and civilian populations, and is a branch of the armed forces.-Early history:...
escort the peasants back to their hamlet to break down the beginnings of a graveyard the peasants are building.
An epilogue, Colloquio con la madre (""Conversing with Mother"), of similar length as the stories, describes Pirandello's fictional visit home many years after his mother has died. He asks his mother to retell the story of a trip to Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
she took as a child to visit her exiled father.
Cast
- Margarita LozanoMargarita LozanoMargarita Lozano is a Spanish-born actress known for her career in Italian films. She has worked for Luis Buñuel in Viridiana, Sergio Leone in A Fistful of Dollars, Pier Paolo Pasolini in Pigsty, the Taviani brothers in La notte di San Lorenzo, Kaos and Good Morning Babylon; Nanni Moretti in La...
- Mariagrazia (in "L'Altro figlio'") - Claudio BigagliClaudio BigagliClaudio Bigagli is an Italian actor. He has appeared in 43 films and television shows since 1976. He starred in Fiorile, which was entered into the 1993 Cannes Film Festival.-Selected filmography:...
- Batà (in "Mal di luna") - Enrica Maria Modugno - Sidora (in "Mal di luna")
- Franco FranchiFranco FranchiFranco Franchi was an Italian comedian.He was born in Palermo, Sicily and began his career in the 1950s, although his career only really took off in the 1960s...
- Zi' Dima (in "La Giara") - Ciccio IngrassiaCiccio IngrassiaCiccio Ingrassia was an Italian comedian.He was born in Palermo, Sicily and began his career in the 1950s, although his career only really took off in the 1960s. He starred in many comedies, mainly as a duo with comedian Franco Franchi...
- Don Lollò (in "La Giara") - Biagio Barone - Salvatore (in "Requiem")
- Omero AntonuttiOmero AntonuttiOmero Antonutti, is an Italian actor and dubber, appearing regularly in films and theatre performances. He was born at Basiliano, Friuli.His most notable performance to date was in the Taviani brothers' acclaimed film Padre Padrone...
- Luigi Pirandello (in "Colloquio con la madre") - Regina Bianchi - Pirandello's mother (in "Colloquio con la madre")
- Massimo Bonetti - Saro (in "Mal di luna" and "Colloquio con la madre")
Awards and reception
Kaos won the 1985 David di DonatelloDavid di Donatello
David di Donatello, named after Donatello's David, is a movie award assigned each year for cinematic performances and production by Ente David di Donatello, part of Accademia del Cinema Italiano. It is the Italian equivalent to the Academy Award. There are 24 categories as of 2006.- History :The...
award for best production and screenplay and was nominated for best music. It also won the Silver Ribbon
Nastro d'Argento
The Nastro d'Argento is a movie award assigned each year, since 1946, for cinematic performances and production by Sindacato Nazionale dei Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani, the association of Italian film critics...
award for best screenplay.
The film was very well received by critics, but its length may have prevented wide exposure. In his 2007 book The Best Movies of Our Years, M. Owen Lee
M. Owen Lee
M. Owen Lee, also known as Father Owen Lee , is an American classics and music scholar.Father Lee has been a member of the Basilian Fathers since 1947...
considered it the best movie to come out locally in 1986 .
Reviews
- Janet MaslinJanet MaslinJanet Maslin is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for The New York Times. She served as the Times film critic from 1977–1999.- Biography :...
, Chaos (1984), New York Times, October 13, 1985. - David Denby Poets and Peasants, New York Magazine Feb 24, 1986, pp 62-63.