Title: Reading and Writing the Mediterranean. Essays by Vincenzo Consolo
Abstract: Recensionidisplacement and exile, which is an inseparable part of the human condition.Chapter six is entitled "Soldini's Comedies: Where Dreams Come True."It is a panoramic view of far-reaching landscapes, geographical, folkloristic, and mythological ones.An irresistible and ambivalently humoristic depiction of a global vil- lage at the threshold of the new millennium, as portrayed in the vicissitudes of Rosalba and Agata (both characters played by the same Licia Maglietta) respec- tively in Pane e Tulipani {Bread and Tulips, 2000), and Agata e la tempesta {Agatha and the Storm, 2004).According to Luciano, the forging of new connections and sense of being, an attempt on Soldini's part to transcend reality itself.In the clos- ing chapter seven Luciano recapitulates the notion of the triad employed through- out her study of Silvio Soldini's cinema, reiterating her key arguments while pointing to Soldini's continual evolution as an independent filmmaker, a director of cin- ematic traditions, contemporary realities, and inquisitor of the human soul, both female and male.One useful addition to her book could have been a detailed index of names and titles.Following Luciano's publication, Silvio Soldini has released three novel works, a dramatic film Giorni e nuvole {Days and Clouds, 2007), an emotionally compelling look at middle-aged relationships, and two more documentaries Quattro giorni con Vivian (2008), on poet Vivian Lamarque and her work, and Un paese diverso (2008) in support of co-ops and volunteering associations, and aimed at counteracting the loss of authenticity and quality of life that plague modern society.