Rossi_ A Cock and Bull Story.pdf - The Tristram Shandy Web | IULM
Rossi_ A Cock and Bull Story.pdf - The Tristram Shandy Web | IULM
Rossi_ A Cock and Bull Story.pdf - The Tristram Shandy Web | IULM
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down. <strong>The</strong> rivalry between Coogan <strong>and</strong> Brydon for top billing in the film makes fun<br />
of what could be a genuine rivalry in the real world» (5).<br />
Mentre sullo schermo scorrono i titoli di testa, la macchina da presa si<br />
concentra su Steve Coogan che, avanz<strong>and</strong>o a passo svelto e con lo sguardo in<br />
macchina, si rivolge direttamente allo spettatore - «Groucho Marx once said that<br />
the trouble with writing a book about yourself is you can’t fool around. Why not?<br />
People fool around with themselves at all time. (Coogan si muove seguito<br />
dall’obiettivo) I’m <strong>Tristram</strong> Sh<strong>and</strong>y, the main character in this story. (ironico) <strong>The</strong><br />
Leading role» - permettendo l’insorgere di un’ulteriore concatenazione simbolica<br />
tra letteratura e cinema; se Sterne si rivolgeva al lettore continu<strong>and</strong>o a chiederne<br />
la partecipazione, così Winterbottom si rivolge allo spettatore che, seppur al di<br />
fuori della pellicola, ne viene drammatizzato e coinvolto al suo interno. Infatti,<br />
come nota Patrick Wildgust, «A <strong>Cock</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Bull</strong> <strong>Story</strong> introduces the audience (You,<br />
Cinemagoer!) to the idea of what making a film is about. Life is real, film is not. Or<br />
isn’t it? We know these comedians as real comedians, don’t we? In A <strong>Cock</strong> <strong>and</strong><br />
<strong>Bull</strong> <strong>Story</strong> comedian/actors are employed to impersonate themselves<br />
impersonating people impersonating characters in a book. We think we know these<br />
actors. We have seen them interviewed on television as real people but here they<br />
are as characters in a film! What is their real identity? Identities slip in <strong>and</strong> out of<br />
focus <strong>and</strong> the identity of the ‘lead’ (Steve Coogan) is particularly slippery. Coogan is<br />
playing four characters in the film: Steve Coogan, Walter Sh<strong>and</strong>y, <strong>Tristram</strong> Sh<strong>and</strong>y<br />
<strong>and</strong>, because Sterne’s identity cannot be divorced from the book - the writer<br />
himself» (6).<br />
Proseguendo con la rielaborazione dell’opera dissacratoria di Sterne, il film<br />
procede altern<strong>and</strong>o alle immagini di <strong>Tristram</strong> che si allontana all’interno del<br />
paesaggio bucolico di Sh<strong>and</strong>y Hall, quelle in flashback di Lady Elizabeth, mamma<br />
di <strong>Tristram</strong>, che – sul punto di partorire – chiama in suo soccorso la cameriera<br />
Susannah.<br />
Dopo un intenso primo piano del protagonista che, ridendo, ci informa del<br />
fatto che «there are those who say this a cock <strong>and</strong> bull story. That’s the bull. My<br />
father’s bull. And, I’ll show you the cock in a minute,» <strong>Tristram</strong> passa poi alla<br />
presentazione dello zio paterno Toby che, aiutato dal Caporale Trim, è impegnato<br />
a ricreare le fortificazioni militari della battaglia di Namur. Continu<strong>and</strong>o a giocare<br />
con lo spettatore, Winterbottom sovrappone alle immagini del modellino quelle del<br />
4