Carlo Levi Stopped Here - ACE243.4

Real landscapes intercut with landscape paintings by Levi. Antonio Cardinale, Levi’s neighbour in Aliano, showing the portrait of himself as a boy that appeared on the front of Levi’s book, and describing how Levi painted it. Photograph of Levi with boys; VO reading Levi’s words on why he used them as models. Antonio Mango and Giuseppe de Luca, more of Levi’s young models, describe their experiences. Paintings of boys. VO reading description of town boys. Townspeople. The children’s brass band playing – intercut with photographs of similar scenes from the 1930s. Paintings. Levi’s words over describing how his exile has brought changes in his subject matter. Pia Vivarelli, art critic, talking about Levi’s growing need for "detachment" from his surroundings. Portraits. Vivarelli says that this detachment didn’t prevent his paintings revealing an affection for his subjects. Elsewhere, particularly in paintings of his housekeeper, Giulia, he captured what he thought of as fundamental aspects of Southern peasant culture. Levi’s words over this portrait. Peasant woman stacking wood; VO continues. Painting of woman and child. Painting of Aliano. Russo (VO continues over shots of local people) describing how local traditions kept the region from developing, but also gave it a sense of social purpose. Paintings; Levi’s words over describing how his earlier life now seemed very "foreign" and that the two worlds could not communicate with each other.