“Before him, all of Rome trembled!” The Times and Places of "Tosca"

CYCLE: Open Doors. Rome through the centuries, at the center of the world.
SPEAKER: Massimo Fusillo
DATE: Thursday 25 January, 6 p.m.

The historical drama of Victorien Sardou, Tosca, and the famous opera adapted by Giacomo Puccini, present a close connection between the tight timing of the action, worthy of a detective novel, and the three locations where the story takes place, which are iconic places in Rome: the Basilica of St. Andrea della Valle, Palazzo Farnese, and Castel Sant'Angelo. The historical references are vivid and effective, in an unusual way for Puccini’s production: the fall of the Roman Republic, the restoration of the Papal States, revolutionary echoes from France, the Battle of Marengo. The talk will particularly focus on some productions that highlight this intertwining of history and melodrama: the film Before Him, All of Rome Trembled (1945) by Carmine Gallone, starring Anna Magnani; Jonathan Miller’s 1986 production at the Maggio Musicale in Florence, set in Nazi-occupied Rome; and Tosca in the settings and times of Giuseppe Patroni Griffi (1992).

Massimo Fusillo is a Professor of Comparative Literature at the Scuola Normale in Pisa. His books include Empatia negativa. Il punto di vista del male (Negative Empathy: The Perspective of Evil), co-authored with S. Ercolino, published by Bompiani, and Eroi dell'Amore e Feticci (Heroes of Love and Fetishes), published by Il Mulino, the latter also published in English and French.

Free admission subject to availability.

Reservations at the link.