Exhibition, Cinema Nova film programme, and Talks: Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man

With colleague Elena Mosconi (Uni Pavia) I am organizing the Ugo Tognazzi: Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man initiative. This is a film retrospective and exhibition celebrating the 100th (and one) birthday of Ugo Tognazzi, the famous protagonist of Italian cinema. It includes the screening of three films that have been recently restored by the Cineteca Nazionale at the Cinema Nova. These works represent milestones in Tognazzi's career: The Fascist (Il federale, Luciano Salce, 1961), Crazy Desire (La voglia matta, Luciano Salce, 1962) and The Terrace (La terrazza, Ettore Scola, 1980). At the same time that a retrospective of film showcases Tognazzi's cinematic virtuosity, the exhibition traces the actor's career through a range of original materials. This includes posters and memorabilia on loan from the Tognazzi Archive in Cremona. Collectively, the Tognazzi works demonstrate a peculiarly 'Italian style' of comedy: this is a comedy in which an entire country is reflected, albeit through a critical, caricatured, and even tragicomic filter. Ugo Tognazzi: Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man is the result of a collaboration between Deakin University, the Italian Cultural Institute, Co.As.It, the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia – Cineteca Nazionale and the University of Pavia, where the Tognazzi Archive is based (with the Cremona City Council).