Music, Generational Change, and Ideology in Italian Actor–Writer–Director Comedy Films of the 1980s

This chapter explores the music in a relatively homogeneous corpus of comedy films by Italian actor–writer–directors of the 1980s, including comedian–directors Roberto Benigni, Alessandro Benvenuti, Massimo Troisi, and Carlo Verdone, and the auteur director Nanni Moretti. My focus is on their use of music as a generational marker and expression of generational change, and as a commentary on political ideology. The comedian–directors’ films considered in this chapter employ some combination of three main strategies: involving Italian rock bands and cantautori, using compilation soundtracks, and collaborating with young film composers from songwriting backgrounds. The chapter analyzes the stylistic and ideological evolution of these directors throughout the decade. Whereas their films of the early 1980s are characterized by the involvement of Italian rock bands and cantautori, their films of the late 1980s generally feature a greater variety of music—such as international popular and rock music and orchestral cues—to match the greater complexity of their plots. Moretti’s evolution is discussed in reference to three films, in which three main musical layers are present on the compilation soundtrack: songs by cantautori of the 1960s, songs by cantautori of the 1980s, and original orchestral music written by specialized film composers.