Director
Marco Bellocchio
Composer
Fabio Massimo Capogrosso
Cast
Barbara Ronchi, Fabrizio Gifuni, Filippo Timi
Edition 2023
125'
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2023
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Drama
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Dialogue:
Italian
Marco Bellocchio (Il traditore, 2019) tells the unlikely story of a six-year-old Jewish boy who was kidnapped at the behest of Pius IX in the 19th century. His parents fought a hellish battle to get him back.
In 1858, six-year-old Jewish boy Edgardo Mortara was kidnapped in Bologna by order of Pius IX. Mortara had allegedly been baptised in secret several years earlier by a housekeeper who believed the boy would die. In what was then the State of the Church (part of present-day Italy), members of another faith were forbidden to raise Catholic children. Saving Mortara from the papal clutches proved much more difficult than thought. Spielberg (a Jew) tried to film the story a few years ago (with Mark Rylance as the pope), but it didn't work out. Now, Marco Bellocchio (a Catholic who gave up on his belief) brings this cause célèbre to the big screen. Rapito, Italian for "kidnapped", is a fascinating biopic with some typically 'bellocchian' scenes, such as a Christ coming back to life.
"A project that was started and then abandoned by Spielberg, Rapito is the story of the abduction of a Jewish child who was torn away from his birth family in Bologna in 1858 and raised as a Catholic under the custody of Pope Pius IX. Director Bellocchio explores this irreparable injustice." - Cineuropa
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Credits
Directors
Marco Bellocchio
Composers
Fabio Massimo Capogrosso
Cast
Barbara Ronchi, Fabrizio Gifuni, Filippo Timi
Scenario
Marco Bellocchio, Susanna Nicchiarelli, Edoardo Albinati, Daniela Ceselli
Director of Photography
Francesco Di Giacomo
Editors
Francesca Calvelli, Stefano Mariotti
Producers
Beppe Caschetto, Simone Gattoni
Distributor
Cherry Pickers
More info
Dialogue
Italian
Countries of production
Italy, Germany, France
Year
2023
Filmography
Marco Bellocchio
Culpability and Punishment (short, 1961), Down with Uncle (short, 1962), Ginepro Became a Man (1962), Fists in the Pocket (1965), China Is Near (1967), Amore e rabbia (1969), Il popolo calabrese ha rialzato la testa (1969), Viva il primo maggio rosso e proletario (short, 1969), In the Name of the Father (1971), Slap the Monster on Page One (1972), Fit to Be Untied (1975), Victory March (1976), The Seagull (1977), A Leap in the Dark (1980), Vacation in Val Trebbia (1980), The Eyes, the Mouth (1982), Henry IV (1984), Devil in the Flesh (1986), The Witches' Sabbath (1988), The Conviction (1991), Il sogno della farfalla (1994), Roma dodici novembre 1994 (short, 1995), The Prince of Homburg (1997), Elena (short, 1997), The Nanny (1999), Nina (short, 1999), Un filo di passione (short, 2000), L'affresco (short, 2000), Il maestro di coro (short, 2001), My Mother's Smile (2002), Farewell to the Past (2002), Appunti per un film su Zio Vania (short, 2002), Oggi è una bella giornata (short, 2002), Good Morning, Night (2003), The Wedding Director (2006), Sorelle (2006), Vincere (2009), Sorelle mai (2010), Dormant Beauty (2012), Blood of My Blood (2015), Sweet Dreams (2016), Pagliacci (short, 2016), Per una rosa (short, 2017), The Fight (short, 2018), The Traitor (2019), Marx Can Wait (2021), Se posso permettermi (short, 2021), Rapito (2023)
