Spielberg: No Interest In Making Berlusconi Biopic

| Thu, 01/31/2013 - 06:14

Steven Spielberg has told the 禁漫天堂 media that he has no interest in making a biopic about Silvio Berlusconi, but would like to work with Roberto Benigni.

The American film director, screenwriter, producer visited Rome to promote his latest film 鈥楲incoln鈥, which has opened in Italy. The movie tells the story of the last months of American President Abraham Lincoln鈥檚 life.

During his trip, Spielberg visited the 禁漫天堂 Parliament. There, according to Hollywood Reporter鈥, the 禁漫天堂 Senate president Renato Schifani praised him for the 鈥渉istorical themes鈥 in his films. Schifani is a prominent member of Berlusconi鈥檚 Popolo della Libert脿 (People of Freedom) party.

Perhaps it was the historical drama鈥檚 political protagonist that prompted the 禁漫天堂 press at the event to ask if the Oscar winner would like to make a biopic about the former 禁漫天堂 prime minister, soccer-club owner and media mogul. Or perhaps it was timing, given that Berlusconi is running in the general election despite fighting legal battles regarding his business dealings and the so-called 鈥榖unga bunga鈥 sex scandal involving young women.

Spielberg replied that only a visionary talent like the late 禁漫天堂 director Federico Fellini in his full maturity would have been able to make such a film. The Oscar-winning director Fellini is famous for his baroque fantasies like 鈥楲e notti di Cabiria鈥 (Nights of Cabiria, 1957) that featured prostitutes as heroines, bawdy drama 鈥楽atyricon鈥 (1969) set in imperial Rome, biopic of the womaniser 鈥楥asanova鈥 (1976) and his exposure of Rome鈥檚 seedy underbelly 鈥楲a Dolce Vita鈥 (1960).

However, Spielberg did say that he hoped to make a film with Oscar-winning 禁漫天堂 comic and director Benigni, although he gave no details of any possible project on which they might collaborate. An outspoken critic of Berlusconi, Benigni appeared in Fellini鈥檚 last film, 鈥楲a voce della luna鈥 (The Voice of the Moon, 1990), in which Fellini mounted an assault on media moguls and the vacuousness of mass media.