An exciting journey into Italian TV of the 1950s and today to revisit stories, events, and key figures of the twentieth century through the interviews and testimonies of Italy's most famous journalist. A treasure trove of images and words still little known, collected by that small screen which Montanelli frequented for years as a commentator and polemicist, as interviewer and interviewee. His very long career leads to the revocation in this first DVD of his experiences as a war correspondent, his conception of journalism, the relationship with readers and colleagues. An unusual Montanelli on TV who even in front of the cameras confirms his strong vocation as a reporter at the service of the public.
How important are mentors? Who was Leo Longanesi, and what was the relationship between Montanelli and the other two most famous journalists of his generation? In an important interview, at times ironic and irreverent, Montanelli recalls his beginnings in the world of print and the teachings of a giant of journalism. And then Enzo Biagi and Giorgio Bocca: different from each other, different from Montanelli, but in constant dialogue with him and with his way of understanding the profession of a reporter. Television programs, starting from the 1960s, give us back those comparisons between worlds and antithetical styles, never stingy, however, with food for thought and significant testimonies on the facts of Italy and the world.
The role it has played, in the recent history of our country, the dialectic between Right and Left, the years of terrorism, fascism and the Resistance; life in prison; the responsibility of the press in the darkest years of our history; in conversation with distinguished colleagues, Indro Montanelli recalls his private and professional experience against the backdrop of the great political events of the twentieth century. With contributions mainly from the broadcast "Eppur si muove" by Beniamino Placido ("A Moment of Television", Aldo Grasso), the great journalist explains the meaning of being "right" or "left" in the political and cultural field, without disregarding the precise historical and social context of Italy.
After directing Il Giornale for nearly twenty years, in 1994 Montanelli comes into conflict with his publisher, Silvio Berlusconi, who is opposed to his decision to enter politics by creating a new party. This leads to his resignation due to disagreements on the newspaper's editorial line and the decision to undertake, at 85 years old, La Voce, a newspaper that was destined to have a short life, however. The tensions and controversies of these weeks are relived through the contributions of news programs and political analysis shows, to reconstruct the current relevance of an affair that triggered a heated debate on press freedom.
Italians and their flaws, contradictions, bursts of generosity, the remarkable ability to adapt in any situation, the inclination towards compromise: vices and virtues of a people stigmatized by a Montanelli as incisive and insightful as ever, an "anti-Italian" who criticizes and lashes out at his country precisely because he loves it. These exceptional documents show him in the unusual role of "commentator reporter" in the early sixties, when a cast of great stars - including Paolo Ferrari, Nino Manfredi, Raffaele Pisu, Franca Rame - animated an interesting satire show on customs, Italians Are Made Like This. A smart television, open to intellectuals, that still appears to us today in all its disruptive modernity.
Venice, Florence, Portofino: three very different realities, three symbolic places of our country, three cities with specific problems but equally pressing urgencies. With these reports made between 1969 and 1972, Montanelli takes on the role of documentary filmmaker to denounce the degradation, neglect, and responsibilities of local administrators in managing our naturalistic, cultural, artistic heritage; but also to warn against the dangers of illegal building and remind us all how the protection of the landscape is a duty that no one, citizens and rulers alike, can evade. Great investigative journalism marries civic commitment.
