Buongiorno, notte (2003)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Marco Bellocchio

Writers:

Anna Laura Braghetti (book) and
Paola Tavella (book) ...
(more)

Release Date:

5 September 2003 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The 1978 kidnapping and murder of Aldo Moro, president of the most important political party in Italy at the time, Democrazia Cristiana, as seen from the perspective of one of his assailants -- a conflicted young woman in the ranks of the Red Brigade.

Plot Keywords:

Pope | Italy | Brigate Rosse | Kidnapping | 1970s

Awards:

8 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Maya Sansa	...	Chiara
Luigi Lo Cascio	...	Mariano
Roberto Herlitzka	...	Aldo Moro
Paolo Briguglia	...	Enzo
Pier Giorgio Bellocchio	...	Ernesto
Giovanni Calcagno	...	Primo
Giulio Bosetti	...	Paolo VI (as Giulio Stefano Bosetti)
Gianni Schicchi		(as Gianni Schicchi Gabrieli)
Carlo Castelli
Bruno Cariello	...	Segretario del Papa
Alberto Cracco	...	Medium
Emanuela Barilozzi	...	Annalisa
Roberta Spagnuolo	...	Sandra
Giovanni Cappelli	...	Un impiegato
Antonio De Matteo	...	Fratello Chiara
Alessandro Luci	...	Prete
Massimo Sarchielli	...	Impiegato
Maria Pia Iannuzzi	...	Impiegata
Daniele Zamboni	...	Agente immobillare
Maria Luisa Bellocchio	...	Zia di Chiara
Letizia Bellocchio	...	Zia di Chiara
Laura Lucciarini	...	Giulia
Alberto Gasbarri	...	Iadro
Simona Nobili	...	Vicina di casa
Tony Carnevale	...	Direttore
Elena Bellocchio	...	1 Bambina Matrimonio
Chiara Natoli	...	2 Bambina Matrimonio
Gianmarco Rinaldi	...	3 Bambino Matrimonio
Giorgia Calascibetta	...	Figlio Piccolo Sandra
Giulia Calascibetta	...	Figlio Piccolo Sandra
Fabio Camilli	...	(voice)
Valerio Sgamuffa	...	Chierchetto
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Giulio Andreotti	...	Himself (uncredited) (archive footage)
Tina Anselmi	...	Herself (uncredited) (archive footage)
Marco Bellocchio	...	Uomo alla seduta spiritica (uncredited)
Amintore Fanfani	...	Himself (uncredited) (archive footage)
Emilio Fede	...	Himself (uncredited) (archive footage)
Giovanni Leone	...	Himself (uncredited) (archive footage)

Directed by
Marco Bellocchio

Writing credits
Anna Laura Braghetti		(book "Il prigioniero") and
Paola Tavella		(book "Il prigioniero")
Marco Bellocchio		screenplay and
Daniela Ceselli		screenplay collaborator

Produced by
Marco Bellocchio	....	producer
Sergio Pelone	....	producer

Original Music by
Riccardo Giagni

Cinematography by
Pasquale Mari		(photography)

Film Editing by
Francesca Calvelli

Casting by
Béatrice Kruger		(as Beatrice Kruger)

Production Design by
Marco Dentici

Costume Design by
Sergio Ballo

Makeup Department
Daniela Altieri	....	assistant hair stylist
Gloria Pescatore	....	makeup artist
Roberta Petrini	....	key makeup artist
Sabrina Romanelli	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Sandra Bonacchi	....	production manager
Luigi Lagrasta	....	general organizer
Massimiliano Pisechi	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Daniela Ceselli	....	assistant director
Lucille Cristaldi	....	assistant director
Giuseppe Eusepi	....	assistant director
Lorenzo Grasso	....	assistant director

Art Department
Cristiana Amendola	....	assistant art director
Gian Maria Cau	....	assistant art director
Giancarlo Gabrielli	....	props
Gianluca Gabrielli	....	assistant props
Federica Gotti	....	second assistant decorator
Roberto Nespoli	....	assistant props
Fabrizio Puliani	....	assistant props
Luciano Puliani	....	props
Briseide Siciliano	....	second assistant production designer

Sound Department
Gaetano Carito	....	direct sound
Simone Carnesecchi	....	assistant boom operator
Fabio Cerretti	....	sound editor
Emanuela Di Giunta	....	sound editor
Pierpaolo Merafino	....	boom operator (as Pier Paolo Merafino)
Angelo Raguseo	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Carlo Cascioli	....	special effects technician
Paolo Del Bravo	....	special effects technician
Camillo Leporati	....	special effects technician
Michele Quartullo	....	special effects technician
Elio Terribili	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Claudio Misantoni	....	digital effects coordinator
Claudio Napoli	....	visual effects supervisor (uncredited)
Gian Luca Rizzo	....	visual effects producer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Gianluca Antolini	....	clapper loader
Giuliano Boni	....	grip
Alessandro Caiuli	....	electrician
Domenico Caiuli	....	gaffer
Eugenio Nelson Cavallari	....	second clapper loader
Francesco Cavazza	....	second assistant camera
Fabrizio Cerchio	....	assistant camera
Guido Cimatti	....	Steadicam operator
Guido Cimatti	....	camera operator
Claudio Conti	....	grip
Stefano D'Amadio	....	still photographer
Alberto Grassi	....	generator operator
Antonio La Barbera	....	electrician
Massimo Moreschini	....	electrician
Roberto Moreschini	....	key grip
Alessandro Natale	....	camera trainee
Fabrizio Nicoletti	....	grip
Sergio Verdecchia	....	generator operator
Daniele Caiuli	....	electrician (uncredited)
Daniele Rucci	....	grip (uncredited)

Casting Department
Aldo Piccapane	....	extras casting: Sax Studio Srl.

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Emanuela Curatolo	....	set wardrobe
Alessandro Di Porto	....	costumer trainee
Erminia Melato	....	costume assistant
Giacoma Mellini	....	wardrobe (as Giacoma Antonia Mellini)

Editorial Department
Enrico Barone	....	associate editor
Anita Cacciolati	....	assistant editor
Elide Camberini	....	color technician
Pasquale Cuzzupoli	....	color supervisor
Claudio Misantoni	....	assistant editor
Pamela Quaglia	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Danilo Cherni	....	music engineer
Danilo Cherni	....	musician: sampler
Riccardo Giagni	....	music consultant
Riccardo Giagni	....	music designer
Riccardo Giagni	....	music programmer
Riccardo Giagni	....	musician: sampler
Ricky Lancellotti	....	conductor: The Low Budget String
Maurizio Rizzuto	....	music designer
Maurizio Rizzuto	....	music engineer
Maurizio Rizzuto	....	music programmer
Carmenita Scarfone	....	musician: clarinet solo

Transportation Department
Spartaco Calanchini	....	driver
Alberico Gatti	....	driver
Alfredo Iannone	....	driver
Stefano Lentini	....	driver

Other crew
Federica Barozzi	....	location manager
Elisabetta Burranca	....	production coordinator
Adriano Ceccolini	....	production secretary
Maximiliano Crapa	....	production assistant
Elena Dodu	....	press attache
Marina Lyakhovenko	....	accountant
Yulieth Martinez	....	first production administrator
Iole Natoli	....	script supervisor
Daniela Ovi	....	production assistant
Marina Pelone	....	second production administrator
Stefano Pelone	....	production assistant
Arianna Rossini	....	press attache
Tatti Sanguineti	....	historical consultant
Margherita Spampinato	....	assistant script supervisor
Ermanno Taviani	....	location manager
Federica Verani	....	production assistant
Bernardo Vesigna	....	production assistant

Thanks
Dario Alfonsi	....	thanks
William Arcese	....	thanks
Alberto Baldini	....	thanks
Stefano Bonagura	....	thanks
Paola Castagna	....	thanks
Anna Lina Ferrante	....	thanks
Pierfranco Foggia	....	thanks
Luciano Hinna	....	thanks
Ennio Libalesso	....	thanks
Pantaleo Valerio Massimo	....	thanks
Enrico Morigi	....	thanks
Viviana Nardomarino	....	thanks
Ettore Pacetti	....	thanks
Alessandro Parenzo	....	thanks (as Sandro Parenzo)
Federico Pitzalis	....	thanks
Paolo Rossetti	....	thanks
Elisabetta Rossini	....	thanks
Pasquale Santoli	....	thanks
Carlo Sciobica	....	thanks
Avv. Silvio Tonazzi	....	thanks (as Silvio Tonazzi)
Luigi Valentini	....	thanks (as Avv. Luigi Valentini)
Alexis Vidakis	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Filmalbatros
• Rai Cinemafiction
• Sky (co-operation)

Distributors

• Wellspring Media (2005) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• 01 Distribuzione (2003) (Italy)
• Eesti Televisioon (ETV) (2007) (Estonia) (TV)
• Océan Films (France)

Special Effects

• Proxima

Other Companies

• Sax Studio  extras casting

Also Known As:

Good Morning, Night (International: English title)

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Spain:13 | Italy:T | Australia:M | South Korea:15 | Brazil:12 | Philippines:PG-13 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15

Company:

Filmalbatros

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Near the end, when Aldo Moro walks away in the deserted street, you can see a multicolored Peace flag in the background. Those flags would decorate Italian streets only in 2003, to oppose the invasion of Iraq.

Movie Connections:

Version of Il caso Moro (1986)

Soundtrack:

Marcia trionfale

The Political Context: a brief summary and clarification

I won't comment on the film's artistic merits, which I regard as noteworthy, nor on the psychological portrait given of the brigatisti, which I thought interesting but flawed. I will only say that the film was deeply moving for me and had me crying uncontrollably at times. I wish to give, instead, a sketch of the film's political context for the benefit of those whose familiarity with that period in Italian politics may be limited.

By 1978 Italy had been ruled uninterruptedly for more than 30 years by coalition governments, all of which were dominated by the Christian-Democratic party (DC). The Italian Communist Party (PCI) had been thrown out of the government in 1947 (in part, on the insistence of Washington as a condition for Italy's receiving Marshall aid monies), and it was excluded from all governments even though its share of the popular vote rose with every post-war election, making it the second largest party in Italy (it peaked at more than a third of the vote in the late 1970s). The PCI was not your average Communist party. It espoused a route to the transformation of capitalism that emphasized gradualism, social mobilization, and electoral politics--and by the early '60s its commitment to the acceptance of the principles of democratic pluralism was public and pronounced. By the end of the '70s, Italy was sorely in need of reform--the kind of reform in institutional arrangements and socio-economic policies that could only come through a change in government. The 30 years of DC rule had created a regime rent through and through with corruption and unresponsive government (by contrast with the regional governments run by the PCI which were models of efficiency and responsive government). But the US and most of the DC continued to argue that the opposition should not be allowed to come to power under any circumstances because of the "Communist menace." Aldo Moro, president of the DC at the time, was one of a few DC leaders receptive to the idea of bringing the PCI into the government to effect reforms and make the country more governable--responding, as he was, to the initiative of Enrico Berlinguer, leader of the PCI, who called for an "historic compromise" with the Catholic masses and their party. But at the same time that the PCI was inching towards the government, there were fractions of the left in Italy that felt that the PCI was selling out the dream of making "The Revolution". Certainly it was true that the PCI had long abandoned the notion of "Revolution in the West" as resembling anything like the storming of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg in 1917 (note the imagery of revolutionary Russia thrown into the film by Bellocchio as representative of the consciousness of the brigatisti). But the PCI continued to be nominally wedded to the idea that capitalism was not the final resting place in the evolution of human social-economic systems, and that it could and should be replaced by a system of production based on production to satisfy human needs rather than private profit. The closer the PCI moved towards government and compromise with the DC, the more this commitment to a socio-economic order alternative to capitalism was put into question in the eyes of Italy's "revolutionary" left (all of which, by the way, existed outside of the PCI in other social and political organizations). Enter the Red Brigades (BR). Most of the their ranks were filled with leftists who came to "revolutionary" politics via Catholicism and the social gospel. They believed themselves to be heirs to the tradition of revolutionary militancy (and armed struggle) embodied in the Resistenza, the struggle against the German occupation of Italy,1943-45--a struggle which, in the minds of many of the combatants, was waged for the sake of a socio-economic order alternative to the inequalities and irrationalities of capitalism (it was mainly Bellocchio's use of clips showing the execution of partigiani and the reading of the letters they had written just prior to their execution which brought me to tears). The BR believed that through "exemplary" actions (the knee-capping or killing of politicians, journalists, and trade-unionists seen by them as enemies of the working class) they might be able to galvanize the masses of the working class, whose revolutionary militancy had, presumably, had been lulled into a quiescent state by the "sell-out" leadership of the PCI. The kidnapping of Moro was designed to put a stop to that process, and indeed it succeeded well. To the delight both of the "revolutionary" left and Washington the PCI was kept out of the government for almost another 20 years, until after the fall of the USSR and the completion dissolution of the DC under the weight of a gigantic scandal. One side note: Bellocchio is certainly in error in suggesting that Stalin would have been part of the fantasies of the BR--while they greatly admired Lenin for having pulled off the Bolshevik Revolution, they detested Stalin and the bureaucratized party rule that came in his wake.

One final note: I'm not sure I understand why Bellocchio has chosen as his counter-hero a figure who suggests the use of "fantasia" as an alternative to violence. It was precisely the BR's "fantasia" that got them into trouble, imagining a world that didn't exist in Italy--a world of revolutionary seething masses just waiting for a spark to ignite them. In politics there's no substitute for Machiavelli's "chiaroveggenza" (the capacity to see things clearly).