Film review: Gloria!

Canberra Italian Film Festival

Gloria! movie

Produced by RAI Cinema

Palace Cinemas screening, September 28

Runs to October 16

Reviewed by Tony Magee

In her directorial debut, Margherita Vivaria presents a plot which takes the utmost pleasure in empowering its female characters as women fed up with the uselessness of certain men in power, enough to then take matters into their own hands.

Director Margherita Vicario. Photo: Dario Caruso / Cineuropa

Some re-publicity for this movie, suggests that Antonio Vivaldi’s massive output of over 600 Concerti Grossi, composed especially for girls living in what were essentially orphanages, conservatories and convents all in one, would be central to the story.

Set in the year 1800, there was clearly going to be no appearance by Vivaldi (1679-1741). It has been 59 years since his death.

The film opens with a chamber performance of the opening sequence from one of Vivaldi’s most famous and beloved works, the Gloria in D Major, RV 589, conducted by the elderly Kapellmeister Romeo, essentially a charlatan with a mostly tenuous grasp of music and composition (played well in a stern, but appropriately indifferent manner by Elio Germano). 

Originally scored for Baroque chamber orchestra, oboe, harpsichord, organ, a large massed adult choir and four operatic soloists - soprano, alto, tenor and bass, this version sees about 15 young girls, of varying talent on strings and a choir of just six girls, performing in the chapel of the Sant’Ignazio Institute in Venice where they live.

Even so, it is a creditable amateur performance and hints that there may be a great deal more of Vivaldi’s music, particularly some of the 600 concerti Grossi (which of course includes The Four Seasons, part of a larger set of 12 pieces in the same style - The Contest Between Harmony and Invention).

Alas, this is not to be, save for a short excerpt in the middle of the film of a professional recording, as underscore, of his Concerto Grosso in A minor, probably played by I Musici.

Vivaldi actually composed two Glorias, the other being RV 588, both written about 1715 and are sublime. Both are in D Major.

A still from Gloria! Five of the girls central to the plot: Lucia (Carlotta Gamba), Prudenza (Sara Mafodda), 

Teresa (Galatéa Bellugi - centre), Bettina (Veronica Lucchesi) and Marietta (Maria Vittoria Dallasta). Courtesy RAI.

After Vivaldi’s death, his music faded and this is clearly evident in the setting of the year 1800 we see in this film, save for the Gloria RV 589.

The same thing happened to Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). It wasn’t until brother and sister Felix 

and Fanny Mendelssohn decided that a performance of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion was in order, in 1829, which started the Bach revival which has grown and grown, continuing to the present day.

The Vivaldi revival came, astonishingly, as late as the mid 20th century and his music, particularly the Concerti Grossi and the two Glorias, are now considered Baroque music masterpieces and have been performed and recorded by all the finest 20th and 21st century chamber orchestras and choirs.

Antonio Vivaldi (1679-1741), colloquially known as “The Red Priest”. Courtesy, Britannica.

But back to the movie: A brand new Stein grand piano has been purchased by the orphanage, and secreted away in a dungeon-like room in the bowels of the building, covered up, and definitely not intended for use by the young girls.

Stein was a real piano manufacturer, founded by Johann Stein around 1780 and the first to produce a hammer action with escapement, preceding what became “the big three” - Steinway, Bechstein and Bluthner - by over 70 years. In 1790, the factory was taken over by his daughter Nannette Stein.

Inquisitive and keen on exploring her surroundings, one young girl, Teresa (beautifully portrayed by Galatéa Bellugi), chances upon the instrument, at first puzzled by the strange, large shaped object in front of her, with a thick layer of fabric covering it.

She doesn’t know what it is. On removing the fabric cover she discovers a large and beautiful Burr Walnut furniture-style piece. There is what appears to be a lid. Does it open? Yes it does! Upon doing so, all is revealed - a large piano keyboard of black and white notes.

Slowly, almost frighted of what might happen if she presses a key, she summons up the courage to do just that, pressing one note in the bass register. That single note from the Stein is rich, full of depth and glorious.

Talented at the art of improvisation, the youngster begins to experiment with chords and melodic phrases over the next several weeks, mostly sneaking down at night.

As her confidence increases, the playing becomes louder - loud enough to be faintly heard by the other girls in the dormitory high above. Overcome by curiosity, they follow the sound, down, down they go into the very depths of the building, opening a creaky door, and there is Teresa, playing with intense concentration, her improvised music on the wondrous instrument.

Everyone wants to have a go and over the next several weeks a contest evolves between one young girl, who is skilled in performing the classical music of the day, reading from music, and Teresa. 

We are now right at the height of the classical era. Mozart had only died nine years previously, and Papa Haydn and Beethoven are continuing to champion the era and its music. Beethoven incidentally, almost single handedly paved the way from Classicism into Romanticism with his Symphony No. 9 and the late String Quartets.

Teresa fires back with her increasingly bizarre improvisations, straight from the heart, and bordering on 1960s rock, pop and jazz, including blues scales.

Here, I found myself almost laughing at the implausibility of this scenario.

But there is a real-life comparison to this. Don Carlo Gesualdo (1566-1613), whose lifespan encompassed the late Italian Renaissance and early Baroque periods, composed Madrigals with such oblique harmonies, they could easily be mistaken for the harmonic structures of some avant-guard 20th century composers.

He once discovered his wife in bed with another man and hacked them both to death with an axe. But that’s a gruesome story for another time.

In a sub-plot, a professional singer, the young and very handsome Cristiano (played convincingly by Vincenzo Crea), approaches the elderly Kapellmeister Romeo, begging for money. His career has almost evaporated - he is rarely invited to perform anymore, having once been the young operatic golden boy of Venice. 

“I’ll do anything for you, absolutely anything” the beautiful young man begs, holding out his hand, gently touching that of Romeo. The encounter stops just short of him being engaged as a male prostitute. The hint is clearly there, although nothing actually happens on-screen, but the audience is left wondering if the two engaged in sexual encounters for the exchange of money. Later in the movie, Cristiano is seen collapsed on some stairs outside a building, weeping and in despair.

Vincenzo Crea (Cristiano) at the Gloria premier in Italy, April 11, 2024. 

Photo: Sebastian Reuter / Getty Images

There is a great deal more to this movie than what I have described so far, particularly in view of my opening paragraph and director Margherita Vivaria's intentions. Any more plot summary would constitute significant spoilers, so I’ll leave it at that.

In summary, whilst there are some creditable acting performances, particularly from Elio Germano, Vincenzo Crea and Galatéa Bellugi as Teresa, the film as a whole disappoints. Elizabeth St Clare Long and I were bored for most of it, found it quite perplexing and at times implausible, bordering on the absurd, particularly the pop and jazz improvisations of Teresa. Don’t forget, the year is 1800.

Picture a typical audience reaction to a great film that everyone loves: excited conversation, happy faces - the theatre is electric and on fire with enthusiasm.

As the final credits rolled for Gloria!, there was mostly silence from the 60 or so people in the cinema. Everyone just stood up and made their way out slowly with blank expressions on their faces, almost like zombies.

In the interests of balance however, we met a charming lady named Gabriella in the foyer afterwards, engaging in intense and animated conversation with her about our thoughts on the film. We ended up shedding new light on aspects of the film with each other and our dialogue was interesting and fascinating.

Gloria! is an Italian-Swiss movie staged by Tempesta and RAI Cinema in co-production with Zurich-based tellfilm. RAI Cinema also handles world sales for the film.