SOUVENIR D’ITALIE

Sceneggiatura / Screenplay: Giorgio Verdelli. Interpreti / Cast: Francesco Montanari (narratore / narrator), Stefano Bollani, Drusilla Foer, Rossana Casale, Massimiliano Pani, Fabio Fazio, Rosario Fiorello, Dario Salvatori, Bobby Solo, Pupi Avati, Simona Molinari, Lorenzo Hengeller, Riccardo Rossi, Gabriele Centis, Giovanna Famulari, Steve Della Casa, Massimo Moriconi, Donatella Luttazzi, Santino Mirabella, Rossana Luttazzi, Camilla Baresani, Remo Anzovino. Produzione / Produced by: Rai Documentari, Mad Entertainment. Con il sostegno di / Supported by: Rai Teche.

Lelio Luttazzi was one of the most emblematic figures of a time when music, theatre, film and television spoke the same language, one marked by superb songwriting and elegance. Souvenir d’Italie is the story of this great artist, whose life and career were intertwined with our recent history. It also looks at a moment in his life that others haven’t, perhaps because Luttazzi – this “healthy carrier of tuxedos”, as Enrico Vaime called him – was very reserved… Giorgio Verdelli reconstructs Luttazzi’s career and the miscarriage of justice that ended it in 1970. Above all, the film conveys the artist’s charm and intelligence as he reinvented Italian music and entertainment. The film premiered at Rome Film Fest 2022.

“Lelio Luttazzi is a name everyone knows, but almost exclusively for only one of his particular talents. On the one hundredth anniversary of his birth, this documentary aims to round out our understanding of this original artist’s extraordinary career. Luttazzi’s artistic output ranges freely across music and film to cabaret and even literature, thus standing as a cross-section of our recent past… In order to paint as complete a portrait as possible of Luttazzi the artist and Luttazzi the man, we dug deep into the stories told by his wife and friends and the photos, programs, and the enormous catalogue of his published music, unearthing all sorts of tidbits that are little known.” (G. Verdelli)

Giorgio Verdelli
Giorgio Verdelli is an italian director, author and producer of documentaries and music programs. He is one of the leading international music experts in Italy. Professionally born in the Neapolitan private radios, he made Shampoo in Naples 1980-81, the songs of the Beatles, sung in Neapolitan, still a famous cult in the cover sector. Giorgio Verdelli has more than 200 titles to his credit, including the cult TV series Unici.

filmografia scelta / selected filmography
2017 Pino Daniele. Il tempo resterà doc.; Premi / Awards: Nastro d’Argento Miglior documentario / Silver Ribbon for Best documentary 2020 Paolo Conte. Via con me doc. 2021 Ezio Bosso. Le Cose che Restano doc. 2022 Souvenir d’Italie doc.