FS: Good Morning, Night

Foreign Spotlight: Good Morning, Night

Good Morning, Night goes behind the doors, into the minds, and is seen through the eyes of the kidnappers of Former Italian Prime Minster Aldo Moro. A quiet apartment is turned into a political prison for the Christian Democrat Party Leader. With this film, Marco Bellocchio shows the world a piece of Italian history without relying on facts but on the emotional story of the relationship between a group of kidnappers and their prisoner.

Set during the late 70’s, Chiara (Maya Sansa) and Ernesto (Pier Giorgio Bellochio) rent out a quiet apartment in Rome. Soon they smuggle in their friends Primo(Giovanni Calacagno) and Mariano (Luigi Lo Cascio). Never leaving the apartment the three men build a wooden prison hidden behind book case while Chiara works in a library hiding who she and the rest really are – Red Brigade Soldiers. There is always a risk of being caught with the peering eyes watching through the huge glass window. Soon Aldo Moro’s capture is announced on the television set in the living room. As the kidnapping causes increasing chaos in Italy, in this apartment, every thing is calm and they all go about their daily activities as if they were just taking care of another mouth to feed. For the rest of the film, Chiara, Ernesto, Primo and Martiano, debate ideals with Moro. They make him write letters to the government, his family, even the Pope to change the political system in Italy, to free political prisoners but nothing is changes. After the final realization that their plan isn’t working, the Red Brigades decide that something more extreme, more drastic must be done to get the word across that the Red Brigade is something to fear.

The true story of the kidnapping of Aldo Moro, during what was known in Italy as the “anni di piombo” (years of lead) which was an unstable time of terrorism, is an incident which is mentioned in numerous Italian films, including Daniele Costatini’s new film Fatti Della Banda Della Magliana, but this film makes it its central story. The facts were not entirely taken into consideration; instead, Marco Bellocchio relied on the diary, Il Prigioniero, co-written by the Red Brigade member Anna Laura Braghetti to give him his necessary information. The lead female character, Chiara, was based on her. Bellocchio used that book to get into the psychology of the revolutionaries but also used it to get into the psychology of a woman amidst revolutionary men. Though they wear masks when face to face with Moro, in the film, even Moro knows there is a woman among them because of the way his socks are folded. Maya Sansa plays a contradiction, her face is elegant, natural and innocent, yet her words of revolution are strong and defiant as if to come out of some brutish army sergeant. Bellocchio plays with contradiction with this film including its title Good Morning Night, taken from the Emily Dickenson poem, Good Morning, Midnight. Even with the depiction of Moro, Bellocchio strays from the truth and cast the actor Roberto Herlitzka, who played more a father figure to the group then Aldo Moro live in the flesh.

Marco Bellocchio (widely known for his first film Fist in the Pocket) uses music from Pink Floyd over footage from documentaries and even Rossellini’s Paisa to give a poetic feel to the film and enter into the dreams and thoughts of the characters. The cinematography by Pasquale Mari gives a classic, subtle look to the film much like the Godfather does. Marco Dentici, the production Designer, uses simplicity to create the ambiance of the 70s, such as the television set and the furniture, instead of using posters and gadgets. Sergio Ballo, the costume designer, uses dull colors and also classic cuts to clothe the violent Red Brigade making them seem professional, having pride for their work.

Good Morning, Night is more a character study and close examination of how kidnappers go about there daily activities, then a political film looking to make a change. With that in mind, it is a dark film, with shadows everywhere, a gun always in the frame, and characters on the verge of exploding into violence. We never see the violence, first hand, but we know what they are capable of doing. It is suspenseful, even more so for the non-Italian or younger generation who might not know much about this incident and the actual facts of how it all ended.