Achille Lauro's Sanremo spectacle: a festival of anxiety and rebirth

Clara Tosi Pamphili reviews the 2021 Sanremo Music Festival, focusing on Achille Lauro's performances. She compares the festival to Stanley Kubrick's 'The Shining,' describing it as an anxious spectacle where performers are like corpses at a party. Lauro is portrayed as both Jack Nicholson's character and Noah, leading a diverse cast of singers, musicians, and politicians onto the stage. The author notes the absence of a live audience and the need to reinvent theater. She also draws parallels to Federico Fellini's 'Ginger e Fred,' seeing a carnivalesque mix of characters. Tosi Pamphili criticizes the lack of a unified vision and the dominance of stylists and brands. She defends Lauro's originality against comparisons to David Bowie or Renato Zero, highlighting his collaboration with Alessandro Michele and Gucci. The festival is seen as a test of resilience and cultural defense.