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AURORA FILM and RAI CINEMA
present
BAR SPORT
Directed by
Massimo Martelli
Based on
BAR SPORT
by STEFANO BENNI
Published by Giangiacomo Feltrinelli
Produced by
A U R O R A
In collaboration with
RAI CINEMA
Distributed by
01 DISTRIBUTION
DEPARTMENT OF RAI CINEMA SPA
Running time: 93 minutes
Release date: 21 October 2011
www.barsportilfilm.it
PRINT MATERIALS AVAILABLE AT THE SITE:
www.01distribution.it
Press Office 01 DISTRIBUTION
Annalisa Paolicchi
a.paolicchi@raicinema.it
Cristiana Trotta
c.trotta@raicinema.it
Rebecca Roviglioni
1

3409172947 r.roviglioni@raicinema.it
2

CAST
DIRECTED BY MASSIMO MARTELLI
BASED ON THE BOOK with the same name by STEFANO BENNI
(published by Giangiacomo
Feltrinelli Editore Srl)
ANIMATION DIRECTED BY GIUSEPPE LAGANA’
STORY BY NICOLA ALVAU, MASSIMO MARTELLI,
GIANNANDREA PECORELLI
SCREENPLAY BY NICOLA ALVAU, MASSIMO MARTELLI,
GIANNANDREA PECORELLI, MICHELE
PELLEGRINI
CINEMATOGRAPHY ROBERTO CIMATTI
SET DESIGN STEFANO GIAMBANCO
COSTUMES LUIGI BONANNO
EDITED BY GIANANDREA TINTORI
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER RICCARDO CARDARELLI
SOUND MARCO FIUMARA
MUSIC BY GATTO CILIEGIA CONTRO IL GRANDE
FREDDO
DIGITAL EFFECTS BY PAOLA TRISOGLIO, STEFANO
MARINONI/VISUALOGIE
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PRODUCTION BY AURORA FILM
IN COLLABORATION WITH RAI CINEMA
PRODUCED BY GIANNANDREA PECORELLI
DISTRIBUTED BY 01 DISTRIBUTION
SCHEDULED RELEASE DATE 21 OCTOBER 2011
RUNNING TIME 93 MINUTES
4

CAST OF CHARACTERS
MR KNOWALL CLAUDIO BISIO
THE BARMAN GIUSEPPE BATTISTON
MUZZI ANTONIO CATANIA
ANGELA ANGELA FINOCCHIARO
LUNETTA LUNETTA SAVINO
COCOSECCO BOB MESSINI
SURVEYOR BUZZI VITO
THE CASHIER – CLARA AURA ROLENZETTI
BOVINELLI ANTONIO CORNACCHIONE
PINOTTI GIANLUCA IMPASTATO
POLUZZI ALESSANDRO SAMPAOLI
ELVIRA THREE THOUSAND LIRAS ROBERTA LENA
MRS BUZZI CRISTINA RAMELLA
STAMBAZZINI CRISTIANO PASCA
FORNARA DANIELE PILLI
GRANDPA ERMANNO BONATTI
CINNO MICHAEL GALLUZZI
THE DI BELLA BROTHERS ANTONIO & MICHELE
THE SALESMAN CLAUDIO AMENDOLA
THE PLAYBOY TEO TEOCOLI
….AND OF COURSE, THE LUISONA!
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CAST
CLAUDIO BISIO is MR KNOWALL
The bar expert, the “knowall” is the hinge of every bar debate,
its soul, blood and oxygen.
GIUSEPPE BATTISTON is THE BARMAN
The owner of the bar, Antonio, called Onassis. He prepares coffee
with the mix for special occasions; he’s handsome, warm and
concentrated, as though he was going to take a penalty kick.
ANTONIO CATANIA is MUZZI
Muzzi is better. He took the tree. He sawed it at the Council
gardens in the night…
BOB MESSINI is COCOSECCO
Good billiards are perfectly useless for a bar, if it’s not
provided with a good bar idiot.
ANTONIO CORNACCHIONE is BOVINELLI
Bovinelli handyman is his business card, and that’s true:
Bovinelli can do anything.
ANGELA FINOCCHIARO is ANGELA
LUNETTA SAVINO is LUNETTA
These ladies are sitting in a recess, at a corner table. They are
wearing worn stoles of fox, staring at you with their glass eyes
wide open. The ladies are talking about disgraces.
TEO TEOCOLI is THE PLAYBOY
The playboy goes to the bar every other evening. In this way,
every time he can tell his friends what he has done in the evening
before. Of course, he tells fibs. However, if his style is good,
everybody will appreciate them anyway.
6

CLAUDIO AMENDOLA is THE SALESMAN
He opens the display case and…
AURA ROLENZETTI is CLARA THE CASHIER
When she gives the change she often lets a coin fall into her
décolleté, taking it back with a titter.
GIANLUCA IMPASTATO is PINOTTI
Wearing trunks and black glasses, inside an old Fiat 500 with
welded doors, full of water, up to the dashboard.
ALESSANDRO SAMPAOLI is POLUZZI
The sweetheart. He is speaking with his face against the wall,
holding the handset tightly.
VITO BICOCCHI is SURVEYOR BUZZI
He stays on the roof because he cannot stand the noise of
clattering skis.
ROBERTA LENA is ELVIRA THREE THOUSAND LIRAS
Elvira three thousand liras, eating a Mottarello (ice cream) just
to keep in shape.
7

CRISTINA RAMELLA is MRS BUZZI
We have totally undressed Mrs Buzzi who’s facetiously playing
along and going on asking us where her husband is.
DANIELE PILLI is FORNARA
CRISTIANO PASCA is STAMBAZZINI
Fornara has forgiven Stambazzini a play with an ace of cups for
which he didn’t talk to him since 1968.
MICHAEL GALLUZZI is IL CINNO
A beautiful rosy face bombed with pimples; he lives in symbiosis
with his bicycle, Cinno’s bicycle.
ERMANNO BONATTI is THE BAR GRANDPA
The grandpa of the bar; he is always back to the entrance,
watching TV.
ANTONIO & MICHELE are THE DI BELLA BROTHERS
Two Neapolitan brothers, Agip petrol station attendants.
THE GREAT POZZI
In that year, the Great Pozzi won almost everything, that is, he
had no more opponents.
PIVA
Amedeo Piva is the sixth of sixty-two brothers, all of them very
poor.
THE LUISONA is THE LUISONA!
The doyen of cakes, in the display case since 1959.
8

AND
ERALDO TURRA
The waiter is a big man with moustaches slamming his fists on the
table.
TITA RUGGERI
The cashier with mascara ingot and boulder smiles.
ANDREA SANTONASTASO
The doorman tearing up the tickets and tangling up in a chewing
gum line.
LUCIANO MANZALINI
Mechanic Rougeon sitting on the border of the street and waiting
for another nine years.
DAMIANO VERROCCHI
Here is Sergio, the new baker.
LEO MANTOVANI
Lawyer Della Lana, notorious jinx.
FEDERICO POGGIPOLLINI
The driver takes out a violin and starts playing a gypsy tune.
ERMANNO CASARI
The head physician, distinguished and grey-haired, wearing a white
coat; with typical head physician’s suntan.
MARCO MAZZARINI
Former pimp, former night club manager, former saxophonist,
smuggler of cigarettes and watches, professional billiards player.
9

LUCIANO GOLINUCCI
Polypheme Quadrani, one-eyed, first waiter of Restaurant Da Pippo.
ALEXANDER STUART
Formaggino (Little Cheese), the owner of a food transport firm.
PIETRO BIAGINI
The professor is highly appreciated as expert of women’s behinds.
RICCARDO SIGHINOLFI
He has repeated the third year six times; he uses to tell
wonderful erotic stories.
ALICE MARTELLI and LUCA PECORELLI
Free meal at the Rotary Club for poor children.
CLELIA SEDDA - ROBERTO ABBATI – GIORGIO COMASCHI- FILIPPO GEROLAMO
SANTI -GIOVANNI POPPI - REBECCA COSLOVI - MARCO DALLA ROVERE -
CHIARA ROMOLI - ELISA SIERRA - LAURA BERARDI - BENEDETTA LUCIA
TAIANA – FRANCESCA DI MONDA -GIANFRANCO FURLO’ - RITA BALDELLI -
ADELMO MACCHIONI - CLAUDIA VITALI -MARTINA SACCHETTI - LUCIA
BODENIZZA – MABEL PERUGINI - ALESSANDRO GRILLI - MATTEO MILZANI -
RICCARDO MANCO - FILIPPO TUZZATO - NICOLAS RIZZIOLI - GAETANO
RUSSO - ANDREA CAMPAGNI - ANGELA DI IORIO - EMILIANO MACCAFERRI -
NICO SANCINETO - CLAUDIA NICOLETA SOLOT - NOEMI ZAMBELLI The
Forebears: CORRADO CALVO - GUGLIELMO CANTONE PRIANO - CIRO
FIORETTI - ANTONIO GIORDANO - FAUSTO RICCO’ - TOMMASO VILLANI
BAR SPORT JUKEBOX MUSIC
LADY MARMALADE (PATTY LABELLE)
PICCOLA KATY (POOH)
SCHERZO AND TRIO (PENGUIN CAFE' ORCHESTRA)
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70IES BALLROOM DANCING (RAUL CASADEI)
THE PASSENGER (IGGY POP)
NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE (GLORIA GAYNOR)
Love affairs, challenges, cappuccinos, adventures, temporary
transfers, tots of grappa, champions, children, grandpas, sex and
meringues: at the Bar Sport.
The pay phone, the billiards, the pinball machine, the black and
white photos of the beloved team, the Boero prize draw, postcards
from all over the world on the mirror, the juke box, the bulletin
board with temporary transfer ads, the Totocalcio board, the pools
office: at the Bar Sport.
The Luisona, Mr Knowall, the Professor, the sign, the Cinno, the
bar Grandpa, the Great Pozzi, the Cinema Sagittario, the bar
Playboy, Villa Alba, the Lambretta, “I know a niche”, the
temporary transfer, Viva Piva, happy Christmas: at the Bar Sport.
SYNOPSIS
There are lots of bars, but the Bar Sport is much more.
In every city, in every village, there is a Bar Sport, always with
doors facing the main square. Rather than a meeting place or a
point of reference, it is a place of the soul, a melting pot for a
whole world of situations and characters which we have met at
least once, or would like to get acquainted with.
The Bar Sport managed by Antonio the Barman (called also Onassis
for his stinginess) is attended by Mr Knowall, who knows everyone
and everything; the Playboy telling about his improbable
adventures; the bad-hearted little old ladies, looking harmless,
always sitting at the same table in the corner; people constantly
saying they are leaving; the inventor trying to beat the pinball
highest score; the billiard players ready for the endless
challenge with the Bar Moka; those who spend their days playing
cards, involved in epic games; the players of “calciobalilla”
(table football), called “calcetto” in left-hand bars; the
depressed sweetheart melting at the pay phone; simpleton Cocosecco;
Elvira ‘three thousand liras’ with her unmistakable job; the
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‘Cinno’, dreaming about becoming a cycling champion; the little
old man spending his time in front of the TV, spitting on the
ground; the shy Surveyor and his eye-catching wife; the Professor
grading girls:
in front of the eyes of the dreamy and beautiful cashier everyone
falls in love with, while she loses her head for the fascinating
baker.
At the Bar Sport, the deeds of the great sportspersons passing
into legend are handed down: Piva, the football player with a
powerful shot, beloved by his fans; the Great Pozzi, the
invincible cyclist involved in an endless challenge with the
famous Girardoux.
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STEFANO BENNI
Stefano Benni was born in Bologna in 1947. Journalist, writer and
poet, he is currently collaborating with a French newspaper,
Liberation. He was the director and screenplay writer of the film
Musica per vecchi animali (1989). He is a drama writer and has set
up and played in several shows with several musician of jazz or
classical music. He is the inventor of the Imagination
Multiversity. He’s the author of several successful novels
translated and sold in thirty countries.
Bennilogia, an online encyclopaedia wholly and freely made by
Stefano Benni’s readers, is dedicated to him and his literary
world: www.bennilogia.it or www.stefanobenni.it
Bar Sport
By Stefano Benni
Published in the series: Universale Economica Feltrinelli
400,000 copies sold
In short
Typically Italian human comedy taking place amid the walls of an
ideal bar.
BAR SPORT
Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Publishing House, Milan
First edition in the "Universale Economica" in June 1997
Twenty-ninth edition in December 2010
First edition
Arnoldo Mondadori Publishing House, March 1976
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NOTES BY THE DIRECTOR
When I started spreading around that I wanted to make a film from
Bar Sport, the people in front of me would open their eyes wide at
first, pleasantly amazed; then they would knit their brows, making
a shower of questions immediately afterwards. Here is the list of
the most frequent ones:
1. Does Benni know about that?
2. Fantastic! But can you put all that stuff in there?
3. Are you crazy? That is a Bible!
4. I know you, but who’s the crazy one producing it?
5. The characters and the bar OK, but the accounts of Piva and
Pozzi... can you cope with them?
6. Who’s the actress playing Luisona?
7. Who eats the Luisona?
8. If only it were true. But are you sure you can make it?
If you are interested in the answers, you can find them at the end
of these direction notes; however, the real answer for all of them
is love for this book, a love which I have felt in all these years,
to such an extent that I might somewhat say that my choice of
doing this job was an effect of Benni’s book. Moreover, I am sure
that lots of authors and comedians have been influenced, or
infected, exactly by this book published in 1976. It is still in
bookshops, periodically reprinted; therefore, the irony and comedy
in this book go beyond the period in which the text was written,
and are always present-day.
But let’s talk about the film. Bar Sport is a comic film, and a
popular film, in the most positive meaning of this adjective.
Irony and comedy always tend to amaze the spectator by means of
continuous changes of route. Bar Sport is the story of yesterday’s
as well as today’s Italian province; Bar Sport is the story of a
group of friends who would feel alone without the place welcoming
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them; Bar Sport is a place where anything may happen, and anything
is told, real or false things, never mind; but it is important to
be there to listen to them or to tell them. It is not a film about
nostalgia, even though a certain wish for a less chaotic and more
collective life emerges, in a poetic way, we hope.
Reducing a book to a film is always betrayal, but this time we
wanted to betray as little as possible; we are sure that those who
haven’t read the book can enjoy the characters and the stories
told as well. The film is the story of two great friends: Barman
Onassis (Battiston) and Mr Knowall (Bisio), popped up who knows
where from exactly on the opening day. He hasn’t left the place
ever since. “Bad guy” Muzzi (Catania) and Cocosecco (Messini) are
always with the two above. Onassis and Mr Knowall, the inseparable
ones, experience and recount the stories whose stage is a bar in
the Italian province. The bar is a place for narration, where
characters which we have often met are described: Mr Knowall, the
bar grandpa, the child dreaming to become a champion, the playboy
telling fibs, the two little old ladies apparently harmless,
drinking tea and talking about diseases, accidents and disgraces
in general; other characters are the pinball machine, the card
table, the “biliardino” (football table called “calciobalilla” in
right-hand bars), the pay phone, and above all, a special cake,
the Luisona, the "doyen of cakes", the hero of the bar since its
opening day: no-one has ever been as brave as to approach it.
For Onassis, the bar is the dream of his life, a dream come true.
The only shortcoming is the precious neon sign which Bovinelli
(Cornacchione) has never been able to turn on; the arrival of the
new cashier seems to open up new horizons, but it is clear for
everyone, except the Barman, that the beautiful girl doesn’t look
at him as he would like to. At the bar, the usual habitués are
often visited. Two of the most welcome visitors are: the Playboy
(Teocoli), always ready to tell about his love conquests, always
unfulfilled, and Accountant Buzzi (Vito), beloved for his
“generous” wife, above all. All together, they give life to a
human comedy in which, I hope, everybody will find a part of
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oneself, one’s life, letting us somewhat go back for awhile, to
the pleasure of the handed-down story, the one in which
imagination dominates, and everyone can “see” what he/she wants.
For me, Bar Sport meant to work with a group of extraordinary
actors, partners of an adventure amusing us and letting us love
our job as rarely happens. Making a film is a team work in which
everyone must pay its contribution. I really feel, like never
before, that I must thank everyone, from Bisio to the last walk-on,
and the whole troupe, supporting me all the time.
For those who are interested in them, here are the answers to the
previous questions:
1. It was hard, his friends call him the Wolf, but we persuaded
him.
2. It will not be a serial, but the story of a group of friends
living stories and telling them.
3. I also thought so, until the day in which the shooting began.
4. Giannandrea Pecorelli. I know him for a long time; we are good
friends and I will never stop thanking him. The real crazy one is
him, who’s never given up. He has always believed in this film.
Thank you.
5. It’s true: the book includes “absurd” stories and times, over
the top. Not to abandon the tone of the comedy, we used cartoons –
for the accounts of Piva (the football player) and Pozzi (the
cyclist) – as well as innovative digital effects.
6. You won’t believe it, but many people asked me who would play
Luisona. In the heads of some people, the doyen of the cakes was
present to such an extent to become human.
7. Who eats the Luisona? It was everyone’s usual question. Many
wanted to, but I chose him ever since the beginning.
8. Yes, I made it! Hurrah!
Have fun!
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Massimo Martelli

MASSIMO MARTELLI
Director
Appreciated author for TV and theatre, he debuted in the cinema in
1992, with an exemplary medium film Per non dimenticare, a non-
rhetorical and moving reconstruction of the massacre at the
Bologna railway station on 2 August 1980. Moreover, Massimo
Martelli is a successful director of TV serials, constantly
emphasising humour and brilliant tones.
CINEMA
2011 BAR SPORT
2002 IL SEGRETO DEL SUCCESSO starring Antonio Catania, Veronica
and Malandrino.
1999 MUZUNGU starring Giobbe Covatta (Grand Prix du Public -
Festival of Annecy; San Francisco Wine Country Festival Public
Award; Villerupt Festival Young Jury Award; Best Film Grand Prix –
Best Direction Grand Prix – Prix de la Critique – Giobbe Covatta
best actor at the Festival of the Alpe d’Huez, France; AGIS Scuola
2000 Prize)
1996 POLE POLE starring Fabio Fazio (Festival of Venice 1996)
1993 PER NON DIMENTICARE (FIPA Award - Cannes 1994)
TELEVISION
2010 ALL STAR (Italia Uno)
20-episode sit-com starring Fabio De Luigi, Diego Abatantuono,
Gigio Alberti, Bebo Storti and Ambra Angiolini. Produced by
Colorado Film.
17

2008 MEDICI MIEI (Italia Uno)
24-episode sit-com starring Giobbe Covatta and Enzo Iacchetti.
06-07 LOVE BUGS 3 (Italia Uno)
50-episode sit-com starring Giorgia Surina and Emilio Solfrizzi.
Writer together with Maurizio Sangalli and Gennaro Nunziante
2004 LOVE BUGS (Italia Uno)
50-episode sit-com directed by Marco Liberti starring Fabio De
Luigi and Michelle Hunziker. He wrote all the episodes together
with Maurizio Sangalli and Andrea Marchi.
1997 UN GIORNO FORTUNATO (RaiDue)
Short 2-episode series starring Fabio Fazio and Claudio Bisio,
written with Marco Videtta.
1996 IL CASO REDOLI (RaiUno)
TV film from the series “I Grandi processi”.
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GIUSEPPE MAURIZIO LAGANA’
Animation director
Writer and director. Having completed his art studies at the
Accademia, he enters the animation world when he meets Bruno
Bozzetto, with whom he begins a long and fruitful artistic
collaboration; he starts his career as animator for full-length
films. His career culminates as art director for two episodes of
“Allegro non troppo” (Ravel Bolero and Debussy L’après midi d’un
faune).
His films include: “Preghiera della notte” (his debut), based on a
poetic text by Giannalberto Bendazzi; "Om salbadgh", refined story
from the Southern Po Valley; "Pixnocchio"(1981) (first Italian
film entirely made through computer animation); "Tiramolla story“,
short TV series (four 15-minute episodes); and the first important
TV series based on the famous Silver blue wolf, “Alberto the Wolf”
(52 episodes x 6’30”), successfully broadcast and repeated since
January 1998.
Later works include: direction of the second series of “Sandokan”,
already broadcast by RAI with a very good audience, “Alberto the
Wolf II”, and the other series 26 episodes x 26’: “Spaghetti
Family”, made with its creator Bruno Bozzetto; “A doctor in the
family”; “The Last of the Mohicans”; “Farhat, the Prince of the
Desert” (the latest two have been sold in lots of countries all
over the world); and the “Felix” series (13 x 26’) – Italian
German coproduction – from which he got two full-length films
meant for young children: ”Felix, ein hase auf weltreise”, and
“Felix2, der Hase und die verflixte Zeitmaschine”. The first one
of the two was released in Germany in spring 2005, as a real “box-
office buster”, surpassing Disney competitors with much more
remarkable budgets! Recently, he directed the third series of
Sandokan “The Two Tigers” (just over), the pilot film from the
“Moose” series, and “Kim” (26 x 26’ – in progress), based on the
novel by Rudyard Kipling.
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His filmography includes a great number of TV tunes (Mai dire Goal,
Bim-Bum-Bam and more), commercials, industrial films, animated or
with human characters.
Lots of those films have been selected for international festivals
such as Zagreb, Annecy, Toronto, Paris, Hiroshima, Amalfi and
Treviso, and were awarded several prizes; in particular: Treviso
Cartoon 94’ (Best TV Tune); Paris 1995 (Short Film, Art Festival);
Cartoons on the Bay 2005 (Pulcinella d’Oro as the best animated
series), and lots of minor prizes.
20

GIANNANDREA PECORELLI
Producer
He graduated from the “Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia” in
1984, where he’s been teaching for over 15 years.
In the eighties, he took part in the production of several films,
directing also the full-length film Fuga senza fine.
From 1990 he has alternated as film producer, TV executive and
executive producer (in groups such as RCS FILM & TV, RAI, Endemol,
and Mediavivere).
As such, he took part in the production of films such as La Reine
Margot, Law of Courage, Ecco fatto, as well as series or short
series, from La Piovra 5 to Dov’è mia figlia?.
Some of the films coproduced in the last few years are: The Red
Violin by Francois Girard (Oscar Prize for music), Night before
the exams by Fausto Brizzi (writer of the original story), and
Questo piccolo grande amore by Riccardo Donna.
“My dream to be able to see the characters and situations of BAR
SPORT on the screen awoke much before I decided to work in the
cinema world…”
21