11 Nov “PIRANDELLO’S WIFE” by Lynn Eliott
“Pirandello’s Wife” is a magnificent screenplay, which reminded us of an old way of telling stories, which has almost disappeared. In Lynn Elliott’s work we find the epic and poetic sense of immense stories, capable of crossing the centuries and national borders. The screenplay tells of the troubled relationship between the famous Italian writer Luigi Pirandello and his wife, who was locked up in a mental hospital for 25 years. A complex story therefore, which confirms Elliott’s courageous ambitions when it comes to writing a screenplay. And in fact Elliott does not spare himself. What catches the eye is the minutiae, the attention to detail, which seem to evoke distant spaces and worlds with the power of words alone. The titanic effort of the screenwriter is already very clear, when one perceives the attention to historical reconstruction and Italian culture. But “Pirandello’s Wife” is not just a virtuous and sterile demonstration of precision. Within this suggestive world recreated by the wise pen of Elliott, exquisitely human issues are stirred up, capable of shaking the minds of us readers and, we are sure, capable of surprising future viewers of this film.
The screenplay is promising, well constructed and with a strong predisposition to film adaptation. In fact, from a technical point of view the work is obviously professional. What fascinates us is the skill with which, within a technically impeccable narrative structure, Elliott has managed to place universal feelings and events, deeply connected to any human soul. After all, this is always what makes the difference between the technician and the poet: sensitivity. And certainly Lynn Elliott is a writer of rare sensitivity.