We are all unique, but some people are more unique than others.
Italian actor Roberto Benigni was in Malta this week to be bestowed with the doctorate of literature (honoris causa) by the University of Malta. And, true to his fame, his public appearances were characterised by funny and hilarious moments, interspersed with others that brought out the intelligence of a man who is inimitable in all that he does.
His reaction when he won the Oscar for the film La Vita e’ Bella (Life is beautiful) is, and will remain, one of the most remembered moments in the history of the cinema. Well, the film itself is one of the best ever to be produced, as the way Benigni plays with the public’s emotions on such a sad subject as World War II is something that can only be described as extraordinary.
Likewise, those who had the chance to be present for Benigni’s performance during the Serata Dantesca held at the University theatre last Wednesday – both in his conversation with Dante expert Professor Robert Hollander and in his monologue afterwards – will treasure those two hours for the rest of their lives.
The man has the ability to make others laugh in whatever he does. Each time he is on stage – and Italian personalities like Pippo Baudo and Raffaella Carra have had their fair share of his stunts – he manages to captivate his audiences with a behaviour that is outside the norm.
Nobody ever knows what Benigni will come up with, although something unexpected always seems to happen when he is around. His facial expressions, the way he plays around with his arms and his body language are all part of a character that always manages to bring about a smile.
Who would have the guts to act the way he did during the graduation ceremony last Tuesday? Who would kneel down in front of President Eddie Fenech Adami and plead for political asylum? Who would then publicly embrace the President the way Benigni did?
But there is another side to Benigni which emerged at the University last Wednesday. And this is the skill of an actor who simplified a complicated work of art such as Dante Alighieri’s Divina Commedia in such a way as to make it more down to earth to those hundreds that gathered inside and outside the Sir Temi Zammit Hall at Tal-Qroqq, before reciting, by heart and from his heart, L’Ultimo Canto in an outstanding performance.
It is no wonder that he was granted a standing ovation by a mesmerised audience.
Literature is often thought to be annoying and boring, but people like Benigni can bring it to life. The way he explained each and every verse could be transposed into images that made Dante’s work so easily understood. No effort needed to be made to literally imagine what Dante wanted to explain through what Benigni was saying.
He was alone on stage, but it was like watching a film.
What was unfortunate is that some of those present did not adhere to the rules as explained before the evening started, and kept on taking photos throughout and left their mobile phones switched on, often disturbing the actor, and this even after they were reprimanded by the ushers.
It was yet another example of how undisciplined we can be, and we must be thankful that Benigni did not just walk off the stage as the cameras kept on flashing and mobile phones kept on
ringing.