Roberto Benigni's Venice Masterclass: Cinema, Comedy, and Bertolucci

At the 78th Venice Film Festival, Roberto Benigni, fresh from receiving the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, held a masterclass in the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema. During the session, moderated by critic Gianni Canova, Benigni delivered a monologue-like reflection on his career and the nature of cinema. He credited director Bernardo Bertolucci as his greatest influence, stating, "He taught me everything. I owe him everything, including this Golden Lion." Benigni and Bertolucci debuted together in 1977 with the film "Berlinguer ti voglio bene," which launched both their careers. Benigni traced his cinematic awakening to childhood viewing of Charlie Chaplin's "The Gold Rush," calling Chaplin a spiritual master alongside Buster Keaton. He also criticized contemporary viewing habits, lamenting that "the eye has been ravaged by images" due to smartphones, making everything smaller. Reflecting on aging, Benigni noted that while he once thought about cinema all day, now time governs his creativity: "I start and then stop, start and stop again." He described himself as evolving from the "Piccolo Diavolo" of his early years to a sage devoted to Dante's "Comedy," which he studies as a sacred text. If not an actor, he said he might have become "a country priest." The masterclass was part of the Venice78 program.