Pasquale Festa Campanile Biography
Pasquale Festa Campanile was born in Potenza in 1927. He moved to Rome at a very young age, where he began a successful career as a writer and journalist even before graduating in law. From the mid-1940s some of his stories were published in specialized newspapers and from 1947 he collaborated as editor of the literary magazine La Fiera literarya. In the same period he also worked for radio and later for television. His debut in cinema as co-writer of Faddija (The Law of Vengeance, directed by R. Montero) took place in 1949 but remained an isolated event until 1955. In collaboration with M. Franciosa, Festa wrote The Lovers (directed by M. Bolognini ), which won the Nastro d'Argento. Shortly afterwards they collaborated again on the screenplay of the great box office success of the 1956-57 season, Poveri ma belli (directed by D. Risi). This success marked the definitive recognition of one of the most significant and prolific screenwriter couples in Italian cinema, whose partnership would last until the mid-1960s. These two works, among the best examples of popular comedy of the time, presented a cheerful portrait of the youth of Rome, where relationships and love rarely crossed the boundaries of the neighborhood. Despite the economic difficulties, the light-heartedness and cheerfulness compensated and marriage and work were rejected as significant stages to be postponed until adulthood. On the cinematographic front, after having collaborated on the screenplays of some of L. Visconti's masterpieces - such as Rocco ei his brothers (1960), Nastri d'argento for the screenplay, and The Leopard (1963) - and other important works of Italian cinema in the 60s - including The Assassin (directed by E. Petri, 1960), The Four Days of Naples (directed by N. Loy, 1962), A modern story: the queen bee (directed by M. Ferreri, 1963 ) - made his directorial debut in 1963 with A sentimental attempt, co-directed with Franciosa. The film attempts a complicated and unlikely psychological analysis of the existential crisis of a man and a woman, the drama of which appears essentially alien to the author's forces.
During the 1980s, Festa made films characterized by proven schemes and ingredients guaranteed for success, supported by spicy and mischievous scripts, with popular comedian actors, told in a simple and immediately understandable language. The frequent use of the figure of the "different" character stands out, such as the homosexual (Ass shirt, 1981), the transsexual (Nobody is perfect, 1981), and the transvestite (More beautiful than that, 1982), always in a context of caricatural constructions, devoid of satirical depth but rich in imaginative plots. Festa was a cultured and lively author, attentive above all to maintaining contact with the public, whose approval he considered fundamental, sometimes to the detriment of a more in-depth treatment of the themes he addressed. He died in Rome in 1986.
