Renamed “Revenge of a vampire”, a very unique Neapolitan drama premieres tomorrow, whose original title is “Mimi. “The dark prince”prince of darkness. This is how it was known at the recent Italian Cinema Week, presented by its own author, Brando De Sica. Does the last name come from somewhere? Of course, his grandfather was the famous Vittorio De Sicahis father is the comedian Christian De Sicaand we must also add the costumer sister and the musician uncle.
A highly appreciated family of artists, enhanced by the maternal side, because the mother is Silvia Verdoneactress, daughter of comedy director Mario Verdonewho left long descendants, all artists. And the grandmother, wife of Vittoriowas Maria Mercaderfamous and respected theater and film actress. The only black sheep of that great family was the great uncle Ramon Mercaderfamous for other reasons, which we will talk about later. We dialogue with Brandoon the occasion of his visit to the recent Italian Cinema Week in Buenos Aires.
Brando De Sica: It’s like that, De Sica look, Verdone smile. Some believe that my smile is De Sica because of my perfect teeth, like my father and grandfather. In other things I am totally different.
Q: For example, instead of starting out in Italy, you went to study film in the US.
BDS: I left when I was 19, and I stayed until I was 26. There I met David Lynch, who was my teacher, my mentor, my friend. One of the most beautiful people I have ever met. But not everyone appreciates his cinema. Precious things, not everyone can recognize them. An iconoclast like him does not have an easy life.
Q.: On your return, you were assistant director of Pupi Avati (“A Story of Boys and Girls”, “The Street of Angels”) and Mateo Garrone (“Gomorrah”, “The Embalmer”, “Dogman”), two directors very contrasting. One is soft, lyrical, the other usually paints the ugliest things in people.
BDS: Mateo Garrone, my best friend, who I love so much and who taught me so much! I also assisted him in the preparation of some scripts. For several years I worked as an assistant, while also making video clips, advertisements and short films with dozens of awards, such as “Aria”, where I told the myth of Plato’s cave, a short film dedicated to disseminating the work of scientists who found a remedy. no cortisone for asthma.
Q.: What was “Parlami di me”, tell me about me, with your father?
BDS: That was the record of a show where my father talks about our family. Some reproach him for only making comedies, cinemapanettone (“sweet bread cinema”, comedies that premiere at the end of the year), but, let’s give an example, if one likes to make sliced pizza, and is very good at making sliced pizza , why ask him to do anything else? It’s his character. If my father had wanted to do “Bicycle Thieves”, he would surely have come up with a comedy. Thank God that clowns, humanism, Dadaism exist, this is life and it is beautiful for that reason! Furthermore, the artist wants to reach as many people as possible, because the nature of art is love, and he reaches that way, and the family is extremely happy when one of its members has successes and recognition.
Q.: With “Mimí”, which premieres here as “Revenge of a Vampire”, you have also had recognition.
BDS: For ten years I was chewing on the story of Mimí, a naive, abused boy who meets a gothic girl who tells him that she is a vampire and introduces him to the basements of the Santa María la Nova church in Naples, ten years until A producer saw my shorts, called me and gave me money to polish the script and film it. I know it is something different, a film about the search for identity, for balance, about the importance of dreams and the escape from reality, exposed within the iconography and structure of horror cinema.
Q.: It is no longer the Naples of your grandfather, that of “The Bay of Dreams” or “The Gold of Naples”.
BDS: The city has changed, the cinema has changed, the people have changed. But be careful, the Napoles that I paint is not the criminal one but the esoteric one. It was a very important city after Ancient Egypt, due to all the knowledge that spread throughout the world from there. Many people don’t know that. Italy ignores many things. We have sculptures, walks, more preserved paintings. The seventh wonder, the Roman Colosseum, is poorly preserved. The government seems to care little, it allocates little budget, but money for education and culture is very important, because education and culture make people better.
Q.: “Mimí” or “Revenge of a Vampire”, as they call it, was your first feature film. It was difficult for him to do it. What can you convey to us from that experience?
BDS: Doing something alone is very difficult. Doing it with a team, if you do it with your heart, the first thing is to have respect for yourself, so that others respect you. Then, as captain, head toward the ocean. The director is the medium, the unconscious is in the boat.
Q: Beautiful words. But there is something somewhat ugly that I would like to ask you: what does the family say about your great-uncle Ramón Mercader, Trotsky’s murderer?
BDS: I will tell him. In the family we all agree that we don’t like to kill anyone. We don’t get into politics either. Besides, that was a distant, very distant relative. He lived in Moscow.
Source: Ambito
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
