For Portobello, its first Italian unique manufacturing, HBO Max is taking us again to Eighties Italy and one of the crucial notorious miscarriages of justice within the nation’s historical past. Legendary Italian auteur Marco Bellocchio (The Traitor, Kidnapped) directed and co-wrote the six-episode sequence, which tells the story of the downfall and imprisonment of widespread TV host Enzo Tortora, an harmless man.
“1982. Enzo Tortora is on the peak of his success,” reads a synopsis for the present, whose first two episodes world premiered on the Venice Movie Pageant earlier than screening on the BFI London Movie Pageant on Saturday afternoon. “He hosts Portobello, a present reaching 28 million viewers in prime time, the place contestants attempt to make the parrot, the present’s mascot, converse. Tortora is the king of Eighties tv, and the president of Italy, Alessandro Pertini, even appoints Tortora Commander of the Republic. Throughout this time, the Irpinia earthquake delivers the ultimate blow to the already fragile stability of the New Organized Camorra felony group [that originated in the region of Campania and is one of the oldest and largest criminal organizations in Italy, dating to the 18th century]. Giovanni Pandico, a trusted good friend of crime boss Raffaele Cutolo and an everyday viewer of Portobello, decides to repent. Interrogated by the judges, he names an sudden particular person: Enzo Tortora.”
What follows? “When, on June 17, 1983, the Italian police knock on Tortora’s resort room, he thinks it’s a mistake, however it’s only the start of an odyssey that may drag him from the heights to the abyss,” notes the plot abstract.
The manufacturing by Our Movies, an organization of the Mediawan group, and Kavac Movie, in co-production with ARTE France and in collaboration with Rai Fiction and Fremantle’s The Residence Footage, stars Fabrizio Gifuni as Tortora. The sequence is written by Bellocchio, Stefano Bises, Giordana Mari, and Peppe Fiore, with cinematography by Francesco Di Giacomo.
Portobello will debut in 2026 on HBO Max, the place it’s obtainable globally, together with in upcoming launch markets Italy and the U.Ok., however excluding France and Germany.
Bellocchio talked to THR, by way of a translator, in regards to the legacy of the notorious fall of an Italian TV icon and the way he loved telling the story for TV moderately than movie, whereas sustaining his cinematic fashion.
Portobello is a real story of police energy, failures of the justice system, and the facility of media to create after which tear down stars or icons. It’s set within the Eighties, however among the themes could sound acquainted to audiences at present. Did you ever take into consideration parallels to trendy occasions?
I didn’t consider the truth that it might be well timed or modern. I used to be fascinated by this story, which accommodates facets that may be thought of small or minimal, but additionally massive or high-level parts, similar to the truth that it entails the Camorra, entails the justice system, and the Italy of that point, which was already getting ready for the Berlusconi period, and in a scenario the place political events had been already in disaster.
There’s this harmless man, however he’s not a saint. This me. He’s not a saint, he’s not a hero. This man, nonetheless, is sort of pressured to tackle this position of a hero, which he doesn’t do deliberately, however the injustice towards him is so fierce that he, regardless of his will, turns into a hero. He turns into the herald of the rights of those that endure injustices on this justice system, which did actually every part fallacious to him.
Marco Bellocchio on the set of ‘Portobello.’
Courtesy of Anna Camerlingo
There’s a lot ambiguity within the character. I’m curious how troublesome it was for you as a storyteller to convey these layers, these shades of grey. And you’ve got labored with Fabrizio earlier than. Why did you are feeling he may carry to life this ambiguous persona and character?
As an actor, Fabrizio was actually the precise particular person. To begin with, as a result of he’s an mental. He’s very extremely educated. He’s the son of a choose, so he knew how the judicial system really labored. Aside from that, he’s actually a particularly gifted actor, and he learns quite a bit, he research quite a bit, he prepares for the character.
He introduced precisely this ambiguity I wished to point out as a result of the character has his ethical requirements, however on the similar time, he was anxious about defending his personal success, the success of his present and his personal private success.
So, I didn’t need to make it a campaign towards the judges, the Justice of the Peace who really made a mistake, which is totally not possible to know. They had been fully blind when it comes to this case and him. They weren’t a part of any plot or any ploy. They weren’t accomplices. I’m not saying they had been corrupt. They weren’t a part of a ploy, equipment, or something towards him. The one justification that we would point out is the truth that in these years, Camorra was killing possibly an individual a day. So the judges had been sort of attempting to set an instance. They had been completely blind to the scenario.
What else can we find out about Tortora as an individual?
He was not thought of a pleasant particular person. He was not appreciated very a lot. Particularly, he was not appreciated by the left-wing media, as a result of he was not taking any sides, and he was exhibiting off the truth that he was an mental a bit, a fantastic or essential mental. And this was disliked by intellectuals.
Fascinating! Did you ever take into consideration making Portobello a film? And why did you select a sequence as the suitable medium?
Really, the reason being a quite simple one. It’s extra of a time problem. Throughout the preparation, I used to be discussing, particularly with the opposite screenwriters, whether or not to make this right into a film or to make it right into a sequence. There have been moments the place we questioned which might be greatest, however then the concept of creating a sequence out of it prevailed, as a result of there have been many, many issues that we wished to inform and wished folks to know, which couldn’t be contained in only one film. So we determined to make a sequence out of it.
However clearly, the angle, the perspective, and the fashion are these of a movie. Many individuals have advised me that they appreciated the primary two episodes, however they might have moderately appreciated to see the entire sequence. So, mainly, the sequence ought to all be seen collectively.
‘Portobello’ with Fabrizio Gifuni
Courtesy of Anna Camerlingo
What was the toughest factor to get proper in regards to the present and its feel and appear?
Essentially the most troublesome half was highlighting the connections. Portobello at the moment was a really, very fashionable present, which was in a position to get an viewers of as much as 28 million viewers, which is one thing unthinkable at present. However at the moment, there have been no [streaming] platforms. There was nothing else. So for us, it was extraordinarily essential to have the ability to condense the illustration of the present, whereas on the similar time additionally exhibiting what was taking place in parallel.
These parallel tales had been key. For example, the members of the Camorra would accuse him, they usually had been full liars. They had been mendacity about him. Clearly, this was accomplished quite a bit throughout modifying, however it additionally wanted to be within the screenplay, within the script. And it wanted to be accomplished additionally from the filming and capturing perspective. You wanted to have the ability to present the issues that had been operating in parallel to have the ability to present the connections. So, we needed to present that Tortora was shifting in direction of the abyss with out realizing it.
For instance, at the moment, there was additionally the earthquake in Irpinia, one of many coincidences that led the Camorra folks to begin accusing Tortora as a result of it was handy for them. They began seeing that this was one thing that will be to their benefit, so we wanted to provide time to those particulars by means of screenwriting, filming, and modifying.
What position does faith play within the sequence, provided that it typically appears to play a key position in Italy?
Really, there are two ranges, the acutely aware and the unconscious stage. On the acutely aware stage, within the third episode, there’s a scene about Tortora being a non-believer. He was not an activist towards faith. Quite the opposite, he was very tolerant and he had excellent relations with the church, with monks and nuns. He wouldn’t say of himself that he was a non-believer or an atheist, however he would say that he was a liberal particular person. And at the moment, in Italy, faith was very strongly current, with the very robust presence of a Catholic get together, the Christian Democrats. So, faith was additionally very current within the background, for instance, within the schooling of individuals. I’m referring to myself as effectively. I don’t know whether or not at present younger individuals are being introduced up like this, however so far as I’m involved, as an illustration, I describe myself as a non-believer, however my approach of reasoning, my mind-set, remains to be sort of imbued and permeated by my Catholic upbringing.
What is going to you’re employed on subsequent? Will we see extra TV work from you, or will you return to movie?
I wish to make a film which has already been introduced and which is about an Italian but additionally North American particular person and character, Sergio Marchionne, who was an business chief and supervisor. He was the CEO of Fiat and managed to avoid wasting the corporate, which was about to go bankrupt. He gave this firm again the power. I wouldn’t say he resurrected it, as a result of it was nothing spiritual. It was very materialistic.
He’s very attention-grabbing as a result of Marchionne was an actual capitalist. He believed in capitalism, however not the kind of Italian capitalism the place there may be at all times a robust reliance on the welfare state, state assist, and the place that you must reconcile the pursuits of the weakest folks, whereas on the similar time bearing in mind the pursuits of what, on the time, had been referred to as the homeowners, the masters, the entrepreneurs. He selected the street of capitalism and went towards two giants in america, Normal Motors first, after which Chrysler. And he managed to take over Chrysler.
This was a fearless and brave particular person. He was not an excellent particular person. He was not even fully unhealthy, however actually he was very attention-grabbing as a personality. So I used to be provided to make this film, accepted, and I’m getting ready it.
