Paolo Conte, via con me (2020)

Directed by: Giorgio Verdelli | 101 minutes | music, documentary | Starring: Paolo Conte, Roberto Benigni, Luca Zingaretti, Isabella Rossellini, Pupi Avati, Vincenzo Mollica, Jane Birkin, Stefano Bollani, Vinicio Capossela, Caterina Caselli, Francesco De Gregori, Cristiano Godano, Guido Harari, Paolo Jannacci, Jovanotti, Patrice Leconte, Luisa Ranieri, Peppe Servillo, Renzo Arbore

With a good music documentary, it shouldn’t matter whether you as a viewer are a fan of the subject of the film or, in the worst case, have never even heard of it. A filmmaker who knows his trade knows how to convey his enthusiasm to the audience. Of course you do not immediately have to purchase the entire oeuvre of the artist, there is also a middle way. It is nice to broaden your music knowledge in this way.

Paolo Conte has been around for so long that most people must have at least heard of him. Born in 1937, the Italian is a singer, pianist, but also a composer and meritorious lyricist. If you’ve been active for so long and are still selling out venues, it’s not surprising that several documentaries have already been made about you. However, ‘Paolo Conte, via con me (It’s Wonderful)’ is the first full-length documentary and includes the highlights of his long career.

Various well-known and lesser-known compatriots and/or colleagues (Roberto Benigni, Pupi Avati, Isabella Rosselini, just to name a few) tell the camera what Paolo Conte’s music means to them and that occasionally results in fragments. where the talking heads almost trip over the superlatives. This creates resentment, because the comments remain general and on the vague side. Why is Paolo Conte so good? What did he do to become, according to Roberto Benigni, the prince of Italian music? What makes his lyrics so special? If you are not already caught by the Paolo Conte virus, ‘Paolo Conte, via con me’ will not help you with the infection.

What is interesting is the way in which certain fragments are mounted together. With sometimes more than ten years in between, we see how different the songs sound in the seventies and nineties, for example. The documentary also contains many TV fragments and pieces from performances from all over Europe. Of course, the beloved singer himself also speaks, but even then we do not come to any interesting insights. He does tell a few personal anecdotes (about his mother’s reaction when she first heard his song “Azzurro”, for example), but it all remains on the surface. In addition, we only see for the first time after about 50 minutes how the audience reacts to a performance. That’s one of the first moments that the film really comes to life. As a common thread throughout the documentary, we occasionally see a dark red Fiat Topolino driving through the Italian landscape, but these scenes don’t add much. Then the anecdote Benigni tells about when he first met Paolo’s wife is much more valuable.

Conte’s talent, versatility and appeal is undeniable and for fans this documentary by Georgio Verdelli is a must, but if you are not into Paolo Conte’s music, then you can safely skip this one.