Elsa Morante and the Cinema: "L’Isola di Arturo" by Damiano Damiani

Abstract

Although its intensity and duration, the relation between Elsa Morante and the cinema is less studied by the critics, perhaps because of the scarceness of information. But the discovery of many new documents in these years permitted to know the plots written (but not realized9 by the Author from 1933 till 1952 (there are three different plots: Il diavolo, Miss Italia and Verranno a te sull’aure). It is also possible to have a clear idea of the collaboration with some directors like: Alberto Lattuada, Luchino Visconti, Franco Zeffirelli, Pier Paolo Pasolini. A close analysis of the cinematographic version of the novel L’Isola di Arturo, directed by Damiano Damiani in 1962, permits to determine that the dissatisfaction which Morante expressed in many circumstances derives from a lack of dialogue between her and the director damiano Damiani.