Volere Volare - Quirky Foreign Comedy
Film Review of Maurizio Nichetti's Hilarious Fantasy
Sep 3, 2008
Volere Volare (in English To Want to Fly) is an Italian film which received a limited release in art house cinemas back in the early nineties. It was an absolute treat for the lucky few who managed to catch a screening, and is intermittently available to purchase on DVD from Amazon.
Innovative Animation and Live Action Sequences
Volere Volare is somewhat unfairly tainted by the art house tag, as it is a hugely enjoyable eminently inclusive film. It is exciting and innovative, without being high brow or niche, cleverly merging sequences of animation and live action a la Who Framed Roger Rabbit. A world away from Disney, Volere Volare is concerned with an altogether much more adult world, but despite the risqué themes the film is never course or vulgar.
Martina and Maurizzio
The female lead, Martina (Angela Finocchiaro) plays a sort of specialist call girl. She enables her clients to fulfill certain fantasies – although it should be noted, thankfully, these all err on the side of funny ha ha! The freaks and geeks in the film are all rather warm-hearted, likable characters in fact, despite their idiosyncratic foibles.
The male lead Maurizzio (Maurizzio Nichetti) is a shy, gentle soul who, along with his brother, dubs film soundtracks for a living. Whilst Maurizzio's brother is interested in making money from dubbing blue movies (an absolutely hilarious sequence!) Maurizzio himself is far more interested in collecting weird sounds for dubbing classic cartoons. With his funny little Groucho Marx style moustache, Nichetti has a perfect face for comedy, but he's more than capable of moving into tenderness, which happens when he chances across Martina.
Strange but Sweet
Describing this film makes it sound rather sleazy, but in actuality it comes across as sweet and endearing. The love that grows between Martina and Maurizzio is an innocently maladroit affair, made all the more charming by Maurizzio's awkwardness. Seemingly unable to control his own body, Maurizzio retreats into the world he is most comfortable with – animation. Soon, much to his surprise, he starts to actually turn into a cartoon character. Lucky for him Martina is an expert at indulging strange behaviours!
Maurizzio Nichetti – Film Director
As well as starring in Volere Volare, Maurizzio Nichetti co-wrote and directed it with Guido Manuli. The film clearly builds on the experience of Nichetti's previous directorial work, an equally strange but engrossing film called The Icicle Thief. In the The Icicle Thief characters from film, TV adverts and real life all get mixed up together in a satirical melee. It's a great film, but Volere Volare is even better thanks to the director's own starring role which demonstrates an intrinsic understanding of exactly what needs to be conveyed in each scene. Nichetti is a wonderful combination of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, creating comedic moments which breakthrough language and cultural barriers. Volere Volare is a comic gem, well worth digging out.
Further Reading: Check out Cult Classics and Quirky Favorites for other foreign films which may be of interest.
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