The Generosity Of Roberto Benigni

The Generosity Of Roberto Benigni

“It is a sad and beautiful world” – Roberto Benigni in Down By Law

To celebrate the completion of my feature film, Noirish Project, I held a screening of Jim Jarmusch’s Down By Law. It was an important film for me when I was in my teens because it opened up the world of arthouse cinema to me, which I hadn’t even known existed previously. If you don’t know it, it’s a prison break-out movie but not a traditional example of the genre, constructed as it is with Jarmusch’s minimalism and gently absurd wit.

The film stars Tom Waits, John Lurie and Roberto Benigni as the three convicts brought together in the same prison cell by fate. I have seen the film many times over the years but this latest viewing marked a shift in my perception of it. Until now, I had always been compelled more by Waits and Lurie’s characters, they’re cool and knowing whereas Benigni’s character has a buffoonish quality which I found less interesting than the surliness of the others. But that changed. Now I was completely drawn to Benigni and found his every moment on screen to be a joy.

What was I responding to in Benigni’s performance? His generosity. He offers the audience his skill, his talent, his personality and his body freely and abundantly. Throughout his performance we see in him a complete lack of concern for himself, focussing solely as he does on creating joy for the viewer. I don’t mean that he is some genius merely going through his repertoire, no, he’s an actor giving all that he has without condition. He just doesn’t expect anything in return. So many performances these days are simply showcases, where the actor uses the platform he’s been given as an advertisement for potential future employers, or to get an award, or to get praise, or to get something. Benigni is not trying to get anything. And we sense it when we watch him, we sense the freedom and openness of his work.

He is an example to all actors.