ITALY/FRANCE, 35MM, 1.37:1, COLOR DTS (RECORDED IN MONO), 123′
[Opening credits, black text on white, in French]
– Operai, contadini | Ouvriers, paysans | Arbeiter, Bauern
– Characters, constellations and text by Elio Vittorini[White text on black]
– Film by Danièle Huillet and Jean-Marie Straub
– [Image] Renato Berta, Jean-Paul Toraille [Marion Befve]
– [Sound] Jean-Pierre Duret, Dimitri Haulet
– [Assistants] Romano Guelfi, Jean-Charles Fitoussi, Arnaud Maillet
[End credits, white text on black]
– [Actors] Angela Nugara [Widow Biliotti], Giacinto Di Pascoli [Cattarin], Giampaolo Cassarino [Pompeo Manera]
– Enrico Achilli [Cataldo Chiesa], Angela Durantini [Elvira La Farina], Martina Gionfriddo [Carmela Graziadei]
– Andrea Balducci [Fischio], Gabriella Taddei [Giralda Adorno], Vittorio Vigneri [Spine]
– Aldo Fruttuosi [Ventura, “Faccia Cattiva”], Rosalba Curatola [Siracusa], Enrico Pelosini [Toma]
– “Il Seracino” (Marcello Landi)
– Production: Straub-Huillet
– Martine Marignac, Pierre Grise Productions; Charlotte Vincent, Capricci Films
– Teatro Comunale Francesco di Bartolo (Buti), Studio National des Arts Contemporains (Le Fresnoy)
– Saarländischer Rundfunk, Südwestrundfunk, Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Werner Dütsch
[Black text on white]
– Mix: Jean-Pierre Laforce, Jackson, DTS Stereo [sound recorded in mono]
– Color Timing: Marcel Mazoyer, LTC Saint Cloud There are three versions of this film, first version subtitled in English.
TEXT: Elio Vittorini, Le donne di Messina, 1st edition published in 1949, 2nd edition, partially re-written, in 1964. The film uses almost the entirety of chapters XLIV to XLVII from the novel. Performed at the Teatro Francesco di Bartolo, Buti, Italy in June 2000.
MUSIC: Johann Sebastian Bach, Cantata BWV 125, Aria (Duetto).
PRODUCTION DATE AND LOCATION Summer 2000, Buti.
FIRST SCREENING: 2001 Cannes Film Festival, Director’s Fortnight (May); released in France, September 2001.
