TV Italian Style
The ‘TV Italian Style’ podcast is an A-Z of the golden age of Italian television of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s from the perspective of the ever popular varietà and the famous faces who would host and guest star on these shows. It’s a bilingual podcast, in English and Italian, with conversations with experts on Italian TV and culture alongside clips from all the best shows and performances. Visit the accompanying website https://tvitalianstyle.wordpress.com/ to download translated transcriptions for each episode to support your listening.
TV Italian Style
D: Directors - going behind the camera of the varietà
Antonello Falqui and Vito Molinari are the two directors who are main focus of this episode that goes behind the camera of the varietà. We find out more about Falqui's inspiration and influences, looking at how his work in television drew on his love of theatre, cinema, and the American musical. His significant varietà included Il musichiere, Studio Uno, Teatro 10, and Milleluci, and these shows would help establish the popularity of some very famous faces of Italian television, including Mario Riva, the Kessler twins, and Mina.
Vito Molinari then shares some stories about his experiences directing shows during the 1950s and 1960s. His significant varietà included Un, due, tre, Canzonissima, L'amico del giaguaro, and Il tappabuchi. But Molinari would also direct more than 500 caroselli - segments of the show Carosello that brought television advertising to Italy but that would also teach Italians about consumer culture and contemporary lifestyles.
But these male directors aren't the only two directors we'll talk about. There are also five female directors who, whilst not as well-known as Falqui and Molinari, made important contributions to the history of varietà as well as Italian television more broadly.
With grateful thanks to Giorgia Faraoni and Nicolò Salmaso for providing the Italian voices.