Rome, Sept. 1 (LaPresse) – The Minister of Justice, Carlo Nordio, will attend the screening tonight at 9 PM of the first two episodes of the TV series Portobello by Marco Bellocchio, presented out of competition at the 82nd Venice Film Festival.
“By chance, I read a book, Letters to Francesca, written in prison by Enzo Tortora, which had been sent to me by Francesca Scopelliti. It sparked my interest in the character,” Bellocchio said during the press conference, explaining his approach to the story of the presenter (“he wasn’t unlikeable but basically a stranger to me”) and how on June 17, 1983, when TV news reported his arrest, “this man, handcuffed leaving the police station, the insults he suffered… his astonishment surprised me.”
The TV series retraces the judicial case of Enzo Tortora, who at that time was one of the most popular figures on Italian television: the shock of his arrest, his initial 10-year conviction, and finally his full acquittal on appeal, confirmed by the Supreme Court.
The lead role of the presenter is played by Fabrizio Gifuni. The cast also includes Barbora Bobulova, Lino Musella as Giovanni Pandico, Pier Giorgio Bellocchio, and Francesca Romana Maggiora Vergano as Francesca Scopelliti, who, together with Gaia Tortora, will be present at the screening.
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