Be careful, nugget animation on approach! Forbidden by dogs and Italians comes out in physical format, and it's a good opportunity to (re)discover this little film rewarded at Annecy. Coming to Ughettera...
Genealogical trouble?
To go up the intrication of branches of a family tree, to question the existence of these names which are only a drag of ink on a page, while they are the essence of what is. An archive work, slow and laborious, often frustrating as it leads to dark alleys that no more nothing nor anyone will be able to illuminate. Alain Ughetto, French director born in 1950 and already father of Jasmine released in 2013, will bow to exercise, but in a way more exciting. Exist dusty rooms, tons of yellow papers and archives to be cleared: the animation enthusiast will bring with him his puppets, his multiple sets and a family fresco that begins in the 20th century north of Italy. In Ughettera, very precisely.
Life is tough, for Italians... If dreams touch, blown from a providence America where « Dollars grow on trees », for the Ughetto family remains only lean cows, food rationing and quasi-slavagism in the major alpine yards. They will then decide to move, to create their Paradise, a little further on the map. Between the rise of fascism, latent xenophobia and diseases, nothing will be given to the ancestors of Alain Ughetto.
Yet with its Forbidden by dogs and ItaliansHe manages to create his own family fable by articulating through a touching and documented story. A tour de force to succeed in instilling in his project not only a documentary side – What is life/hope/projects at the end of the 20th century? – but also, and above all, the touching history of Luigi, Cesira and their children.
A current movie?
Interdit to dogs and Italians It becomes all the more exciting as it converses with our world, as it tends in mirror to the vices of our societies (ultra consumption, absurd opulence, systemic fear of the other) of the problems already existing more than a century ago. But don't be mistaken! If the topics covered are indeed heavy, the film is never bleak. The humor of situations, accents, expressions or the simple comic gesture or repetition is for many. Moreover, the vigulence of animation, the incrustation of the director's hands in the field, the decorations mixing real textures and paintings, make it a real little aesthetic object exciting.
That is to say, Forbidden by dogs and Italians is a nugget not to be missed, which rises without blushing alongside the touching The Little Nicolas – What do we expect to be happy? and visually stunning The Potty Cat 2 in the excellent vintage of animation 2022. See you again with a physical output!
And for the most curious, making of (20 min) and interviewing the director by the Gan Foundation (5 min) will allow you to extend the stay.
Data sheet
DVD Zone B (France)
Publisher: Blaq Out
Duration: 67 min
Release Date: 04 July 2023
Video format : 576p/25 – 1.78
Soundtrack : French Dolby Digital 5.1 (and 2.0)
Subtitles French
I saw the film at Annecy last year. It was a fine example of modern narrative. A movie to see!
[...] In contrast to the animated feature film that we chronicled some time ago Forbidden to dogs and Italians, Titina is intended for (toy-) little ones... And no doubt history will delight them [...]