American Cinematographer - March 2009 - (Page 18) Production Slate Italian Crime and Japanese “Face” Two young gangsters in Gomorrah, Ciro (Ciro Petrone) and Marco (Marco Macor), try to emulate Scarface’s Tony Montana in all that they do. Demythologizing the Mafia by Patricia Thomson When most people hear “Mafia,” they think of Sicily’s Casa Nostra, but far more powerful is the Camorra in Naples. Responsible for 4,000 deaths, the Camorra network reaches deep into the European economy, earning $200 billion through illegal activity and profiting from legitimate enterprises such as construction, fashion and tourism. But it wasn’t until Neapolitan writer Roberto Saviano wrote the exposé Gomorrah, in 2006, that the public took notice. More than a million copies of the book were sold in Italy, and it has since been translated into 33 languages. Thrust into this unwelcome spotlight, the Camorra responded with a death threat against Saviano, who now lives under full-time protection. 18 March 2009 When Italian director and cameraman Matteo Garrone read Gomorrah, he saw it as “an important, powerful book [that was] full of strong images,” he says. “I’m a visual director; I used to be a painter. So when I read the book, I thought there was the possibility of making a Mafia movie different from those I’d seen before.” Shot in the periphery of Naples, the movie makes use of practical locations, non-professional actors, realitybased storylines and a spare cinematic language that Garrone devised with cinematographer Marco Onorato, AIC, a frequent collaborator. Onorato earned David di Donatello Award nominations for his work on Garrone’s The Embalmer (2002) and First Love (2004), and he has shot seven of the director’s eight fictional features. (The exception was Roman Summer. “I was occupied with another project,” Onorato says. “I’m sorry about that, because it’s a film I love.”) As it happens, Onorato is Garrone’s stepfather. When Garrone started out in the film business, Onorato hired him as camera assistant. When Garrone began directing, he, in turn, hired Onorato as director of photography. “We work well together,” says Garrone. “He’s a great director of photography, and we share the same ideas about cinema.” On Garrone’s films, the duo discuss all aspects of cinematography but divide the work; Onorato handles lighting and Garrone operates the camera, which is typically handheld. Onorato observes, “I think a cameraman is an executor, whereas a director who also operates camera is a creator. So it’s Gomorrah photos by Mario Spada, courtesy of IFC Films.
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