MOMO
Italy, Germany, 2001, 35mm, color, 80’
CONCORSO ULIVO D'ORO
Lungometraggi Europei
➔ 21 NOV / ORE 21:00 / SALA 3
Direction: Enzo d’Alò
Screenplay: Enzo d’Alò, Umberto Marino from the novel by Michael Ende
Character design: Walter Cavazzuti
Editing: Simona Paggi
Set design: Michel Fuzellier
Music: Gianna Nannini
Voice Cast: Erica Necci (Momo), Giancarlo Giannini (President of the Grey Men), Diego Abatantuono (Master Hora), Sergio Rubini (Vice-President of the Grey Men), Neri Marcoré ( The Grey-Pink Man), Riccardo Rossi (Osvaldo Fusi)
Producer: Vittorio Cecchi Gori
Production: Cecchi Gori Fin. Ma. Vi Spa, Taurus Produktion GmbH
Wrapped in an oversized coat, Momo is an orphaned girl with a gentle and empathetic heart. She lives in an abandoned amphitheater,furnished for her by the children of the city, with whom she quickly becomes friends. The arrival of the mysterious and supernatural Grey Men, however, disrupts the peace of the community. Identical in appearance, with ever-present cigars in their mouths and overbearing manners, the Grey Men persuade the citizens to surrender their spare time outside of work, which they steal and store in a special “Time Bank,” allowing them to live as parasites. Only Momo, through her empathy, is able to uncover their weaknesses and expose their deceptions, thus breaking their spells. In her endeavors, she finds invaluable help from Master Hora, the keeper of time.
“The work undertaken by D’Alò and Umberto Marino was to distill the spirit of [Michael Ende’s] book (...) The creation of the characters was entrusted, as usual, to Walter Cavazzuti, who had also collaborated with D’Alò on his previous films, as well as to Michel Fuzellier, who was responsible for creating the settings and the artistic direction of the set designs. This was an exceptionally rich undertaking, reaching its high point in the creation of Master Hora’s world (...) which seems to have emerged from a fusion of the work of Escher—another artist who, like Ende, was very fond of Italy—and Magritte.”
(Fabrizio Liberti, Cineforum 412, March 2002)
2002 Silver Ribbons - Best Original Song