By
David Savage
“Prendi appunti.†(“Take notes.â€)
That was the famously economical answer the great Italian
neo-realist screenwriter, Suso Cecchi d’Amico, gave when asked what advice she
had for those aspiring to write films. Pay attention to the way people speak
and act, and write it down, she seemed to be suggesting. It’s not in our
daydreams where we’re going to find that convincing bit of dialogue or key to a
character’s motivation. It’s in daily life, which holds more rich material than
any of us could ever use.
The Bicycle Thief (‘48), Rocco and His Brothers (‘60) The Leopard
(‘63), Senso (‘54), Violent Summer (‘59) and Jesus of Nazareth
(TV, ‘77) are only a handful of the powerful films she wrote or contributed to,
among more than 100 carrying her name.
Most cited for her career-long collaboration with director
and close friend Luchino Visconti, with whom she worked on five films,
including 1963’s The Leopard starring Burt Lancaster, she also held her
own alongside such powerful directorial egos as Antonioni, De Sica, Monicelli
and Zeffirelli.
“Scrivere Il Cinema,†(Writing Film), is a six-day tribute
to Cecchi d’Amico, organized by Richard Peña, director of the Film Society of
Lincoln Center, which kicks off November 26th and runs through December 1st at
The Walter Reade Theater in Lincoln Center.
I spoke recently to Peña about the significance of Suso
Cecchi d’Amico’s contributions to cinema and the relative rarity of a tribute
organized around a screenwriter:
Cinema Retro: A tribute organized around a screenwriter
is fairly rare. Why did you choose this specific screenwriter for a tribute?
Richard Pena: Perhaps, but Suso was an
extraordinarily special screenwriter. Having recently done a lot of work on
Italian cinema, I was startled to see how often her name figured in the credits
of so many masterworks. She was an extraordinary talent, and her passing is a
loss for all who love film.
CR: Do you think her career was overshadowed by her
collaboration with such auteurist names in Italian cinema, such as Visconti,
Monicelli, et al? It seems as though a woman would have a hard time holding her
own against such huge egos?
RP: My sense is that this had as much
to do with the contemporary lionization of film directors as it did plain old
sexism. From what I've heard about her, she held her own with the boys.
CR: Can you identify a common thread or characteristic
style that belongs to Cecchi d’Amico’s dialogue or characterizations?
RP: With over 100
screenplays to her credit, that becomes difficult; moreover, I've seen at best
50% of them. I think she often likes to focus on a character who takes a
decisive action and then study the consequences of that action on those around
him/her.
CR: Do you consider her an innovator in screenwriting?
RP: I'm not the best person to answer
that question. I think she had a good sense of when to let the action play out
on its own rhythms--to under-script, as opposed to an overly determined writing
style.
CR: Can you trace any effect she had on any one American
screenwriter in particular?
RP: A certain group of American
filmmakers have tried to capture the spirit or even adapt BIG DEAL ON MADONNA
STREET. Whit Stillman would be someone who I'm sure really admires Suso's
work.
CR: Do you know how much control she exerted over her own
screenplays in terms of the liberties the directors were allowed to take, i.e.,
was she territorial about her dialogue?
RP: I'm frankly not sure about that,
but why hire Suso Cecchi D'Amico if you don't want her work?
CR: Aspiring screenwriters will come to this program,
hopefully. What are you hoping they take away?
RP: I hope they sense how carefully
structured her screenplays were. There's always a good sense of architecture to
her screenplays, even when they leave lots of space for the director.
CR: If you had to choose one film in the line-up that is
a definite don’t miss, what would your choice be? Why?
RP: I would say VIOLENT SUMMER, as it's
really an amazingly great film and not that well known. A chance for people to
discover not only Suso's work, but that of Valerio Zurlini, a wonderful yet
little-known filmmaker as well.
To view the full lineup in the “Scrivere Il Cinema: The
Films of Suso Cecchi d’Amico†tribute, visit www.filmlinc.org