From the stage to the screen The mask in the Italian-style commedy

Abstract

The mask is an omnipresent and meaningful element of the Italian, as well as European culture. It was used to fulfill disparate roles. In the theater the mask was used to depict the caricatures of gods, heroes or popular types and with the passage of time it became established on the theatrical scene of the Renaissance, commedia dell'arte or Goldoni's. With such a profound and strong tradition, it's not a surprise that the phenomenon of mask has passed to the cinema.

The present contribution proposes to analyze briefly the most significant moments of the mask on the Italian stages of the past and then to pay attention to the use of the mask or its elements in the cinema. The most interest will be dedicated to the films of Italian-style comedy, the genre born in the late Fifties, when Italy was about to live the Italian economic miracle, and its characters which seem to be the new version of the mask. The author will concentrate on four the most popular types which clearly recall masks of the past, as well as reflect some new tendencies.