''Tano da morire'' (internationally released as ''To Die for Tano'') is a 1997 Italian

musical comedy film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as break ...

written and directed by

Roberta Torre Roberta Torre (born 21 September 1962) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. In 1997 she won the Nastro d'argento for best new director with her first film, ''Tano da morire'' ("To Die for Tano"). The film entered the 54th Venice Intern ...

. It is loosely inspired by actual life events of Tano Guarrasi, a butcher and a jealous brother of four sisters who was also a little mafia boss and who was killed in his shop in September 1990.

Plot

Tano Guarrasi is a butcher in the Vucciria market in

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

as a cover for the fact that he is also an important member of the mafia. At the beginning of the film we witness his murder, and then retrace the steps that led him to join the mafia, as well as exploring his relationships with his family. This is represented by flashbacks with comic musical numbers. Tano is welcomed into the family with a dance in the style of

Saturday Night Fever ''Saturday Night Fever'' is a 1977 American Dance in film, dance Drama (film and television), drama film directed by John Badham and produced by Robert Stigwood. It stars John Travolta as Tony Manero, a young Italian Americans, Italian-America ...

, accompanied by the song "Simme a' mafia". Then, the family mourns his death in a rap style, with the song "'O rap 'e Tano". Some scenes are filmed on location in the Vucciria market, and in others the market is recreated in the studio by set designer Fabrizio Lupo, who in collaboration with director of photography Daniele Ciprì successfully recreates the atmosphere of a neighbourhood theatre.

Awards

It entered the

54th Venice International Film Festival The 54th annual Venice International Film Festival was held between 27 August to 6 September 1997. New Zealand filmmaker Jane Campion was the Jury President of the Main Competition. The opening film was Woody Allen's ''Deconstructing Harry'', w ...

, in which it won the FEDIC Award, the Kodak Award and the Luigi De Laurentiis Award for best directorial debut film. The film also won two

David di Donatello The David di Donatello Awards, named after Donatello's ''David (Donatello, bronze), David'', a symbolic statue of the Italian Renaissance, are film awards given out each year by the ''Accademia del Cinema Italiano'' (the Academy of Italian Cin ...

(for best score and best new director) and three

Nastro d'Argento The (plural: ''Nastri d'Argento''; English: Silver Ribbon) is an Italian film award, held since 1946 by the ''Sindacato Nazionale Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani'' (Italian National Union of Film Journalists). Awards are given annually in ...

(best score, best new director and best supporting role, an award given to the entire female cast).

Cast

* Ciccio Guarino: Tano Guarrasi * Mimma de Rosalia: Franca Guarrasi, sister of Tano * Adele Liotta: sister of Tano * Mariella Aliotta: sister of Tano * Annamaria Gonfalone: sister of Tano * Francesca Di Cesare: Anna * Antonina Uzzo: Concetta

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0120277 1997 films 1990s musical comedy films Italian musical comedy films 1990s Italian-language films Films set in Palermo Mafia films Italian films based on actual events 1997 directorial debut films 1997 comedy films 1990s Italian films 1997 musical films