Antonio Infantino: The Bob Dylan of Basilicata
Well, well, well, if it isn’t Antonio Infantino, the man who was so talented, even his awards threw a tantrum for not getting enough recognition! You see, when you’ve got accolades coming out of your ears, it’s understandable to feel a bit salty when the most prestigious ones are left out of the chat. Infantino didn’t just collect awards in science, literature, and fine arts; he snagged a prize from the prestigious Royal Academy of Belgium back in 1991. Yes, you heard that right – all the way back then! It’s almost like the Nobel Prize for the arts decided, ‘Let’s give this guy a nickname: The Mysterious Maestro of Modern Culture.’
Some have dubbed him the “Bob Dylan of Basilicata” – a title that’s not just a bit of fluff, but more like a feather boa on a peacock! When you glide through music, poetry, art, and theatre like Infantino did, it’s no wonder that the writer Fernanda Pivano described him as a genius. We’re talking about one of the most extraordinary characters in Italian culture since the ’60s. And believe me, after meeting the ’60s, calling something extraordinary isn’t a walk in the park!
The Avant-Garde of Italian Culture
Oh, but it doesn’t stop there! Infantino didn’t just sit there twiddling his thumbs while the world missed his genius. No, he was recognized by a veritable who’s who of Italian music, with contemporaries like Fabrizio De André and Vinicio Capossela giving him rave reviews. Not to mention Eugenio Bennato, Teresa De Sio, and the culinary genius of music Ambrogio Spagna, all singing his praises like he was topping the charts at a family reunion!
Despite his passing in 2018 at the age of 75, his legacy lives on, and in a cinematic twist that would make for a great plot, Infantino’s life was captured in the film “The Fabulous Trickster”. It’s not just another trip down the memory lane; it’s a jaunt from Florence to Tricarico alongside the musician and director Luigi Cinque. Talk about a road trip adventure seeking “essential truths.” And let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a good existential crisis accompanied by live music?
The Philosophical Crow
In this cinematic gem, Infantino, the “little God,” chats away with a crow. Yes, a crow—because why not? It’s like Pasolini had a lightbulb moment and thought, ‘Let’s add a bit of avian wisdom to the mix!’ The good folks behind the camera decided to explore themes of possession and a mysterious origin linked to the age-old tales of the tarantula and its ties to Pythagorean wisdom. Because clearly, nothing says ‘entertainment’ like ancient philosophers and arachnophobia!
Documenting the Journey
And don’t forget about “Viaggiando con Antonio Infantino” a delightful short film by filmmaker Vincenzo Galante. Imagine cruising along and filming a spontaneous conversation between Infantino and guitarist Graziano Accinni. Just two blokes in a car dissecting life and music—typical, or rather *quirky*, Italian escapade!
A Legacy Worth Honoring
The upcoming screening of these films at the “Authorial Fragments” exhibition, crafted meticulously by film critic Mimmo Mastrangelo, has been thrilling cinephiles and music lovers alike. Armed with the endorsement of the Marateale International Festival, and the local Ca.ta.lite Cultural Association that won the “Marateale Autumn 2024 Award”, Infantino’s legacy is more than just a cultural footnote. It’s a full-blown festival of creativity!
So mark your calendars because if there ever was a celebration worthy of both intellect and entertainment, it’s this one. Grab your popcorn, your best seat, and let’s pay homage to a man who wove the musical tapestry of Italian culture with a few chaotic threads and a swift strum of his guitar.
When his many awards were remembered, Antonio Infantino he resented it a little, because punctually no mention was made of what he considered the most important, i.e. the prize in science, literature and fine arts That he was recognized in Brussels in 1991 by the Royal Academy of Belgium.
An honor equivalent to a Nobel Prize in entertainment which placed the “Bob Dylan of Basilicata” among the immortals of culture.
In his long careerAntonio Infantino moved with ease from music to poetry, from art to theatre, so much so that the writer Fernanda Pivano saw in him a genius, one of the most extraordinary characters of Italian culture from the sixties onwards.
Other illustrious personalities – from Fabrizio De André to Vinicio Capossela, from Eugenio Bennato to Teresa De Sio to Ambrogio Spagna, from Toni Esposito to Moni Ovadia to Graziano Accinni from Lucania – have Infantino was recognized as an avant-garde, one of the few Italian artists who reinvented music every time he performed on stage by tapping on the guitar (at a crazy pace) just a single note.
Il father of the “Tarantolati di Tricarico” died in Florence in 2018 at the age of 75 and didn’t have time to see therelease on screens of “The fabulous trickster”, the film shot as the protagonist with the musician and director Luigi Cinque and that it will be screened on October 20th (6.30 pm) in the “N. Ramagli” by Sarconi as part of the review of the new cinemas of the world “Authorial Fragments”.
“The fabulous trincaste” is the trip from Florence to Tricarico that a young journalist and Luigi Cinque himself take together with Infantino to go in the “search for essential truths that refer to the Pythagorean wisdom of the Mediterranean”.
Luigi Cinque says:
“Between live music and life stories, meditation emerges on a certain tarantism outside the preconceived logic of geographical personalisms and ethno-anthropological studies”.
In the film the trickster (“the little God”) Infantino speaks with a crow reminiscent of Pasolini (brilliant idea by the director) and tells of the possession linked to the tarantulaof its intimate heart, of its mysterious origin which is rooted in a wisdom of which we have traces in the 6th century BC, in that Metaponto of Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans which is still a noble part of Lucania today.
In addition to the Luigi Cinque film, the short film “Viaggiando con Antonio Infantino” (2015) by filmmaker Vincenzo Galante will also be screened who, during a car trip, films a discussion between Infantino and the Moliterno guitarist Graziano Accinni.
We would like to remind you that the “Authorial Fragments” exhibition is conceived by the film critic Mimmo Mastrangelo and is promoted by the Marateale International Festival, by the Gal-Cittadella del Sapere and by the local Ca.ta.lite Cultural Association (it was awarded the “Marateale Autumn 2024 Award” for the promotion of new art films in the world).
