Roberto Benigni was born in 1952, of course in Italy, in Manciano La Misericordia. In Polish, the word “misericordia” means “grace” and indeed, he received the gift of making people laugh. Although he is not only a comedy actor, but also a musician, performer, director and, finally, a screenwriter.
Little Robert’s father was a carpenter, his mother was a washerwoman, and the whole large family slept on the same bed. A sensitive and dreamy boy, he trained to become a priest. The great flood in Florence thwarted these plans. Then he studied accounting, then he was an assistant magician and the object of his tricks. After suffering burns, he quit his career as a magician. Show business was his true passion, so he began his career on stage, reciting poems and monologing his own texts. From there it was a short journey to the avant-garde theater in Rome and then to Italian television.
He made his debut in the 1970s as a film and theater actor. A decade later, he also took up directing. For his first film ( Tu mi turbi ) he hired Nicoletta Braschi, his future wife. Together, they created a harmonious duo in many films, such as Monster , Tiger and Snow , Pinocchio .
A characteristic feature of Benigni’s films is that moments of laughter are sometimes mixed with tears, with reflection or with surprise. These are not vulgar comedies, this outstanding actor wants to tell us something more about the nature of the world. His acting is characterized by expressionism and childish honesty, as well as the lack of any esteem for authority. This was the case in his most famous film to date in 1997, winner of three Oscars. The painting Life is Beautiful was a funny story about the Holocaust (the description itself sounds like an oxymoron). The award was presented to him by Sofia Loren herself, and his exuberant thanks and jumping on chairs for joy went down in the history of cinema. He thanked his parents for what he called “the greatest gift – poverty.”
He collaborated with great figures in the world of cinema, such as Bernardo Bertolucci, Costa-Gavras, Jim Jarmusch, Woody Allen. He collaborated with Federico Fellini on the film The Voice of the Moon , and with Walter Matthau he played the Devil in the film of the same title. He gained great fame in Italy thanks to his daring roles in the films Johnny Toothpick and Monster .
Book Pinocchio Carlo Collodi is quite dark and serious. Benigni felt a great bond with the wooden boy, because as a child his father would call him the puppet. For many years, the actor dreamed of playing the main role in this fairy tale and fulfilled his dreams in 2002 (he was 52 at the time). It was one of the most expensive productions in Italian cinema. The movie failed all the way. Critics crushed him and Benigni won the Golden Raspberry for the title role.
The actor made the second attempt in 2019. The new Pinocchio was directed by Matteo Garrone. This version is more faithful to the original. The special effects are great and Benigni as Gepett is convincing. The film, unlike the previous version, is not comedic, but more gothic-surreal in reception. We love such atmosphere!
What does Roberto say about himself?
I remember the circus I learned that a clown is a prince, a great prince. I always thought a prince was a lion or a magician, but the clown is the most important.
He remembered this science forever and that’s why he is so great at what he does. That’s why we love him so much.
