FERRANTE FEVER
Italy, 2017, 74 minutes, Colour.
Directed by Giacomo Durzi.
Elena Ferrante is an Italian novelist, letter writer, column writer, essayist. Her first novel was published in 1992. She has been translated into almost 50 languages.
This film opens with the testimony by Hillary Clinton about her compulsive reading of the four Neapolitan novels and having to ration her time. An arresting comment moving into an arresting documentary.
On the one hand, there are quite a number of testimonies from writers and critics and film makers praising the novels. On the other hand, there is the mystery concerning her identity which has been kept secret for many decades.
Jonathan Franzen leads the commentaries by fellow-writers. For those who enjoy analyses of novels and the perspectives of writers, there is much to enjoy in this film, quite some in-depth discussion of the books, the characters, the nature of the writing, the explorations of human nature, relationships. Two Italian directors explaining their adaptations of Ferrante’s novels, one of them, Mario Martone, explaining the notes that the author made for his screenplay.
Since this documentary came out in 2017, actress turned writer-director, Maggie Gyllenhaal, adapted the novel The Lost Daughter for the screen. And, since 2018, HBO have created for miniseries on the Neapolitan quartet.
Significant in the discussion about the novels and their meanings of the contributions by the translator, Anna Goldstein.
There is quite a lot of discussion about the identity of the writer, a great deal of comment about the privacy, its protection for decades, some sensationalist speculation. While the author does not appear in public, there is verbal correspondence, letters, and the publication of her columns and essays, explorations of novel writing and literature.
The documentary is definitely on the side of the author, some viewers complaining about the lack of negative perspectives.
However, as a documentary exploring literature, writers, commentary, in 74 minutes, it is quite intriguing.
