pressbook CASE CHIUSE eng

Combo Produzioni and Rai Cinema
present
CASE CHIUSE
(“Brothels”)
directed by
Filippo Soldi
1
Combo Produzioni
production
in collaboration with
Rai Cinema
Cinecittà Luce
Produced by
Flavia Parnasi
2
Executive producer
Mario Mazzarotto for Combo Produzioni
official screening: Thursday, 3 November, 10:30 p.m.
p.m. - Teatro Studio
FILM PRESS OFFICE
WEB PRESS OFFICE
Studio PUNTOeVIRGOLA
Inter Nos Web Communication
+39.06.39388909
Malvina Diletti & Valentina Marone
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.studiopuntoevirgola.com
+393394831352
+393343962121
3
--CREDIT
--CREDITS
CREDITS---
Direction, Screenplay and Story
Filippo Soldi
Photography
Marina Kissopoulos
Editing
Maria Fantastica Valmori
Valmori
Sound Department
Stefano Sabatini
Michele Sapia
Fabio Russo
Original music score
Fabrizio Bondi
4
Original song
Arrio
Arrio De Pompeis
Musical editions
Rai Trade
A production
COMBO PRODUZIONI S.r.l.
In collaboration with
RAI CINEMA
CINECITTÀ LUCE
Produced by
Flavia Parnasi
Executive Producer
Mario Mazzarotto for Combo Produzioni
Coordinators
Livia Barbieri
Nannette Del Carmen
5
Production Assistant
Francesca Schiavone
Administration
Anna Cristina Vanni
Runtime
52’
Press Office
Studio PUNTOeVIRGOLA
Web Press Office
Inter
Inter Nos Web Communication
2|Page
6
Letters written by prostitutes and addressed to MP Merlin are read by
Piera Degli Esposti
Mariangela
Mariangela d’Abbraccio
With the participation of
Tinto Brass
Lando Buzzanca
Eva Cantarella
Luciana Castellina
Pia Covre
7
Louis Godart
Michele Lo Foco
Lina Wertmüller
Vanessa
Safina
Narrator
Pierluigi Cecchetti
3|Page
8
---SYNOPSIS--“Case chiuse” is a journey back into the past to the world of
brothels, an ancient institution that was conceived in the mists of
time. A journey that began a long time ago, from the lupanar in
Pompeii to the erotic parchment preserved in the Turin Egyptian
Museum; all the way to the soft lights of the Artemis brothel in Berlin
(which extraordinarily opens up its doors to the movie cameras) that
serves non-alcoholic drinks and pays attention to the well-being of
its customers. The film travels through vintage movie footage; and
recollections by people from the entertainment world such as Lina
Wertmüller and Tinto Brass; people from the world of culture such
as Eva Cantarella and Luciana Castellina; or Pia Covre, the
spokesperson for the “Civil Rights for Prostitutes Committee”.
The historical turnabout took place on 20 February 1958 when
the Italian Parliament approved the famous Merlin law and thereby
decreed the end of the ancient institution called brothels.
The
debate is open: a place of pleasure or of exploitation? Of seduction
or despair? The Italian writer Dino Buzzati compares the event to
the fire that burned down the Library of Alexandria in Egypt. Many
have fond memories of those places of “pleasure”. The prostitutes
from back then symbolically reply with some moving letters they
wrote to MP Merlin to report their situation of degradation; these
voices have been rendered thanks to the actresses Piera Degli
Esposti and Mariangela D’Abbraccio, who interplay with the images
of the film.
4|Page
9
Case Chiuse
by FILIPPO SOLDI
“Brothels are the only Italian institution where competence is
rewarded and merit is recognized”, Indro Montanelli.
February 20, 1958: the Italian Parliament approves Law No.
75, namely the “Merlin law”.
This envisages shutting down an
institution that has been present in Italian society for years – the
brothel, whorehouse, bordello, casa chiusa (translation: closed
house) as it was called when a decree by Crispi introduced the
obligation to keep the blinds down… The shut-down of brothels was
an event that the writer Dino Buzzati compared, since it was the
“end of an erotic civilization”, to the fire that burned down the Library
of Alexandria in Egypt.
But what was this “house of ill repute”?
In different countries, such as Italy, brothels no longer exist (at
least legally). In other countries they still do exist, while in others
they exist but in different forms.
The house of ill repute is an ancient institution, which was
conceived in the mists of time.
“The minute she heard him snoring, his wife”, wrote Juvenal
regarding Emperor Claudius”, who dared to prefer the mattress of a
stews to her couch in the Palace, called for her hooded night-cloak
and hastened forth.
Then, her black hair hidden under an ash-
blonde wig, she’d make straight for her brothel, with its stale, warm
coverlets, and her empty reserved cell. Here, under the name of
10
“The Wolf-Girl”, she would greet each client sweetly, demanded
cash payment and absorbed all their battering”.
Turin, Egyptian Museum:
a parchment dating back to the
12th century B.C. illustrates, without any embarrassment, the
encounter between a courtesan and a farmer in a brothel standing in
the shade of the pyramids.
Unmistakable images, like certain
frescoes in Pompeii.
What was the lupanar where Empress Messalina spent her
nights like? Perhaps it was a dark hovel, barely illuminated by the
lantern light, perhaps it stood in one of the many alleys in Suburra,
or perhaps it was in the vicinity of what we presently call the
“Imperial Fora”.
The remains of one of the largest lupanar of the Fora, built
between 80 and 50 B.C., are still standing – with small cellae that
open up towards the corridors. Just like some other brothels, the
name of the prostitute who occupied the cellae was written upon the
door, often accompanied by the requested fee, which usually
amounted to approximately one assarius.
“When the train stopped at Maineville”, wrote Marcel Proust in
“Recherche”, “the newcomer saw a luxurious building rising up in
front of him and he could not suspect that it was a brothel. «But
there’s no need to continue towards Babec», said the newcomer,
«simply by its aspect I believe that this hotel is certainly better, I
believe it is very comfortable and I may full well invite Madame
Verdurin, since there must certainly be beautiful parlours where a
lady like herself may sit. It is certainly a frame fit for all of us»”.
11
Brothels have taken many shapes in different places, different
times and different social standings.
1309:
the Bishop of
Strasbourg has a brothel built at his own expense.
Just like a
convent, with the girls having to dedicate a few hours a day to
prayers and religious functions. That’s how the brothel in Avignon
worked, willed by the very religious Queen Joanna of Anjou in 1347.
Pope Julius II followed that model, approximately 150 years later, in
Rome. In a questionable manner, however, St. Thomas Aquinas
said: “Take away prostitutes from the world and you will fill it with
sodomy”.
“… In Italy”, wrote Indro Montanelli when the Merlin law
approved the shut-down of brothels, “a stroke of the pickaxe upon
the brothels and the entire building comes crumbling down since it is
based on three fundamental pillars:
the Catholic faith, the
Homeland and the Family. Because it was inside these so-called
brothels that these three institutions found their safest haven…”
During the first months of the World War I, behind the enemy
lines, some military brothels were established. These were often
located on caravans that advanced or retreated according to the
movements of the troops. Brothels for soldiers and those for pettyofficers were countermarked by red lights, while officers could attend
the ones with the blue lights. A sergeant from the Health Unit stood
on guard at the entrance, checking out handbooks and certificates,
distributing medicine and prophylactic ointments, collecting the
money on behalf of the madam. During peak times, every man had
10 minutes at his disposal before the sergeant shouted “Next!”.
5|Page
12
“We are glad to give you an insight”, recites the Artemis
(Berlin) website in English, “to our nude sauna-club. ARTEMIS is a
perfectly styled club, one of the most beautiful and largest wellness
brothel establishments in Germany – an oasis of well-being”.
Just a few months ago in Girona, close to Barcelona, the
Paradise Brothel opened shop thanks to a law of the Catalan state;
according to “El Pais”, with its 80 rooms it is one of the largest
brothels in Europe.
But a “brothel” is not only a real place, but also an imaginary
one:
it is Plato’s cave where the film “Singing Behind Screens”
directed by Ermanno Olmi, begins; the reverse brothel described by
Pupi Avati in “Bordella”, where a group of men are hired by rich
women; or, again, just to mention a few, there’s the brothel in
“Roma” directed by Federico Fellini, with its elevators going up and
down continuously, sometimes empty, sometimes brimming over
with faces and bodies. It’s the transfigured whorehouse depicted by
Toulouse Lautrec; it’s a place of literature: from Vitaliano Brancati to
Gianni Brera, Guy de Maupassant, Gabriele D’Annunzio and many,
many others; it is an institution that seems present, in its various
forms, in every place and in every time.
The documentary also intends to be a journey through time
and space, through the parlours and rooms of what are still called
whorehouses, brothels, houses of pleasure. We are accompanied
13
through this journey by documents from the past and recollections
from the present.
From contemporary images of places like the
Artemis brothel in Berlin, to literary and artistic recollections from
other periods, from archaeological finds to interviews with prominent
figures (be they movie directors, writers, actors) who have
something to say in this respect.
The documentary film is therefore made up of interviews and
film footage that have been especially shot in significant places such
as presently operating brothels, archaeological sites, museums, but
also film clips that have touched upon the subject, or various archive
material, or images of fiction.
6| P a g e
Excerpts from the letters written by prostitutes to MP Merlin (in the
documentary they are read by Piera Degli Esposti and Mariangela
D'Abbraccio)
“Dear Mrs. MP Lina Merlin,
I’d like to describe our life in these places to you. The brothelowners continue to collect exorbitant amounts of money, that vary
according to the rates, from 100 to 150,000 Lire a day net, that is
half of the income. You must consider that many brothel-owners
have one, two or even three houses, so you can imagine the
amounts of money they tally up. It’s true that the young ladies keep
14
half, but there are 10, 15, 20 of us and therefore our 50% has to be
divided by 10, 15 or 20…
“The young ladies also have to pay for disinfectants, medical
expenses and all of us have to eat.”
“Travelling clothes salesmen cannot enter to show their wares
to the young ladies unless they offer the brothel-owners some
clothes free of charge. Subsequently these salesmen have to take
these poor wretches by the throat and make them pay much higher
prices. The same holds true for perfume salesmen, who have to
offer their products free of charge otherwise they won’t be let in.
The same goes for the seamstress. And for the hairdresser. And
who bears the brunt of all this? The same poor wretches. They’re
the ones who have to pay for everything… The staff working in
these places is paid very low wages by the brothel-owners. This
staff also lives on the daily expenses of the young ladies, therefore
their bills are nearly doubled. And to top it all off, every fifteen days
the young ladies are obliged to offer big tips to all the staff otherwise
they won’t be working in that brothel any longer. It seems neither
more or less like a livestock market. Some masters take a bath in
the morning and pour one litre of cologne into the water – that’s
about three or four thousand Lire a day just for their baths. While so
many people are dying of hunger. Young ladies and staff have their
food rationed out to them.”
15
“How much can a brothel-owner earn? Some important ones
even earn as much as 100,000 Lire a day. But that’s nothing. In
Milan, the owner of the ….. brothel obliges the young ladies to give
him a 15,000 Lire tip every fortnight: the girls who refuse cannot set
foot in his brothel again. Do you think the girls have a chance to set
aside some money? Absolutely not. Exploitation is at its peak in the
big cities: let’s say a young lady earns about 10,000 Lire a day, she
has to give the owner 5,000 Lire a day, then 2,500 Lire for room and
board, but she’s not left with 2,500 Lire as one would expect. She
has to use this money to pay for tips, heating and electricity, medical
fees and extra charges…”
“These days millions and millions are spent in propaganda
against your measures. They’ve even summoned some priests in
Milan to keep the houses open. I know all about this and about the
fact that more than one MP has offered us 5-million Lire, just as
many lawyers have earned millions to file a claim in the House with
reasons for not closing down the brothels. Certain lawyers are at
risk of losing millions of Lire a year, since they are also involved in
these brothels; they are ruthless lawyers who exploit wretched
women like ourselves.
Irresponsible mercenaries who only care
about money, riches, diamonds, villas and luxurious apartments built
with our sacrifices.”
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16
“Honourable Mrs. Merlin:
We are a group of ladies who
honestly earn their living in the well-known and famed brothel
belonging to Mrs…. located in Via…. We have served Humanity
well by initiating young men to the most difficult sexual problems.
Should you be our guest, we would happily allow you to attend our
very original and attractive sessions that have nothing to envy the
House where you are presently employed with your fruitful work.
Allow us therefore to work in peace. For 150 Lire we offer perfect
happiness to a valid and robust man. Do not object to our strong will
to work and please bow to our professional skills.
With best
regards…”
“Beauty wasn’t enough if you wanted to enter a top-rate
brothel.
You also had to possess good manners, a certain
refinement, professional skills that were certainly not possessed by
young girls with no experience.
You also needed a letter of
recommendation that warranted the reliability of the young lady.
When you arrived, the madam made you strip naked and examined
your body to check whether you were up to standards or not. I had
green eyes and a mass of long black curly hair. Some depraved
men used to pay me just to comb my hair”.
[From the book: “Lettere dalle case chiuse”, edited by Lina Merlin
and Carla Barberis, 1955]
8|Page
17
Combo Produzioni of Flavia
rewarded a “Special Mention in
Parnasi
the
Documentary
Film
Category” during the Nastri
Flavia
Parnasi,
a
Roman
d’Argento event.
entrepreneur in the field of real
2010
estate,
Combo
founded
“Combo
Produzioni,
Produzioni Srl” film productions
association
in 2009 as a result of her
Studios
passion for the audiovisual
produces
sector.
Production
2009
recounts the life and career of
The first co-production was “La
the Oscar-winning set designer
Maglietta
a
who is an icon in the field of
documentary film directed by
Italian and international cinema.
Mimmo Calopresti with the
The
participation of Paolo Villaggio.
presented
It describes the final match in
Venice
the Davis Cup event that took
Festival, when Dante Ferretti
place on 18 December 1976
was
between Italy and Chile, when
Bianchi prize by the Sindacato
Adriano Panatta and Paolo
Nazionale
Bertolucci took the field to play
Cinematografici
the men’s doubles wearing red
with the Globo D’Oro. It went
T-shirts. The documentary film
on to win the Nastro d’Argento
was
award as Best Documentary
Rossa”,
presented
during
the
with
in
Cinecittà
and
Nicomax,
“Dante
Ferretti
Designer”
documentary
during
the
International
awarded
the
–
that
was
67th
Film
Pietro
Giornalisti
Italiani
Rome Film Festival; in 2010
on motion-pictures.
the producer and director were
2011
and
18
Combo Produzioni is presently
Academy Award winner Nicola
in the post-production stage of
Piovani.
the film “Benur” (temporary
Flavia Parnasi’s future plans
title). The three actors are the
involve
same who performed in the
Massimo
very successful play “Ben Hur”.
stories,
Producer Flavia Parnasi fell in
Produzioni has acquired the
love with the play, so she
rights to.
decided to make a film out of it;
9|Page
she chose Massimo Andrei to
Filippo Soldi
direct
it
(winner
of
a
film
based
Carlotti’s
on
detective
which
Combo
many
awards with his debut movie
He seriously wanted to attend
“Mater Natura”). The leading
the VGIK (Gerasimov Institute
characters in “Benur” are a
of Cinematography in Moscow)
brother,
an
but instead obtained a degree
immigrant. Three lives without
at the Statale di Milano (1993)
colour, but with many comical
and graduated at the “Paolo
pains.
Grassi” School of Dramatic
a
sister
and
The screenplay is by
Giovanni
Clementi
winning
photography
(award-
Arts (1995), in Milan.
playwright),
He worked for the theatre and
Vittorio
for the screen as assistant-
by
Omodei Zorini (nominated at
director
to
the 2011 David di Donatello
Werner
Schroeter,
awards for “Venti Sigarette”),
Grimaldi,
set-design
Pino
by
Massimiliano
Nocente, costumes by Isabella
Rizza
and
music
by
Luca
Lino
Ronconi,
Aurelio
Capolicchio,
Quartullo,
Diego
Ronsisvalle and others.
the
19
Has
conducted
workshops,
directed
theatre
broadcast on the RAI television
theatre
network
and
distributed
in
plays where actors such as
movie theatres.
Lucilla Piagnoni and Caterina
minuti” was one of the five
Verteva performed.
finalists
He also
for
“Solo cinque
the
David
di
shot documentary films such
Donatello award. It went on to
as “Cremona – il sapore di una
win
città” and “Mantova – il sapore
Festival, the Festival Storie di
di una città” with Laura Curino.
Cinema and was selected for
For
wrote
different Italian and foreign film
“Bakhita”, a mini-series in two
festivals. “In tram”, his first 35
episodes for Titania, directed
mm short movie starring Piera
by Giacomo Campitoti, starring
Degli Esposti and Gigio Alberti,
Stefania
won
Salvi,
RAIUNO
Rocca,
Sonia
he
Francesco
the
2007
the
NICE
2003 NICE
USA
USA
Bergamasco,
Festival as a result of ballots
Ludovico
cast by the public in New York
Ettore
Bassi,
Fremont,
Fabio Sartor
and
and San Francisco.
Fatou Kine Boye.
“Mio figlio”, starring Claudio
He filmed documentaries for
Santamaria
the
Rohrwacher, was presented at
Telethon
programme.
television
For RaiCinema
and
Alba
the 2008 Rome Film Festival.
he directed short films such as
“Esserci”, with Ileana Argentin
and Raz Degan; “Storia di
Mario”, with Ricky Memphis;
and “Solo cinque minuti”, with
Valeria
Golino
that
were
20