“This was always a dream of mine, because I have a very deep relationship with music,” says Italian singer-songwriter, actress and now filmmaker Margherita Vicario. Her debut directorial feature Gloria! premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in February. Now it’s in Australia and was the opening night film of the St Ali Italian Film Festival.
The film is set in a music school for orphaned girls (modelled on the Ospedale della Pieta) in late 18th century Venice. The girls find a piano-forte in the storeroom and “invent” pop music – then fight for their compositions and voices to be heard.
Vicario herself has two hit albums and wanted her first film to shine a light on female composers, too often forgotten by history. “As a songwriter, there’s always [fewer] women [working] than men,” she says. “I love classical music too, and one day I was wondering to myself, why is that I don’t know even one name of a big, famous, female composer in the history of music? And this question just blew my mind, because I thought, how is that possible?”
While researching the history of women in classical music, Vicario discovered the story of the Ospedale della Pieta, which hosted Vivaldi as its resident composer and violin teacher. The convent’s music school inspired the film’s script, which Vicario co-wrote with Anita Rivaroli. The film is set in the religious institute Sant’Ignazio at the turn of the 19th century. It stars Galatea Bellugi as Teresa, the convent’s servant, who is banned from joining the girls’ music lessons.
When a beautiful piano is donated to the institute it’s quickly banished to the basement by Perlina (Paolo Rossi), the convent’s mean-spirited director, who is struggling to write new music ahead of a visit from the Pope. When Teresa discovers the piano she begins composing secretly her own original pop-style symphonies, and is soon joined by four of the school’s students.
The film’s irresistible, toe-tapping soundtrack was composed, written and recorded by Vicario with Davide “Dade” Pavanello, who produced her last album, Bingo, and recent EP, Showtime. “There’s like a chemical [between us], we’re really bonded,” she says of her working relationship with Pavanello. “We spent 31 days, every day, stuck in the studio, but we were playing like children,” says Vicario.
The score is an anachronistic fusion of orchestral music with pop melodies and percussion. “I didn’t want to do a pop opera,” says Vicario. “I wanted the movie aesthetically to really be like a period movie, and then the music be a little bit more modern.”
That aesthetic goal is evident in the set design and costumes, and was also a consideration when casting the leads. “I chose the actresses for their faces, because they seemed like they were out of paintings. I think they’re very 18th century,” she says. Although none of the actresses were trained musicians, they studied with a violin coach prior to filming, which helped them get into character.
Vicario hopes the characters finding their voices will empower and uplift audiences. “It’s built in a way that you can really feel relief for the girls, and you can really feel the freedom and the joy,” she says. “The movie is about friendship, gaining something together, and feeling free.
“I think [the audience] can enjoy this feeling of rebellion. But not rebellion in an angry way – in a joyful way.”
Gloria! is now showing as part of the St Ali Italian Film Festival, taking place at Palace Cinemas in Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Byron Bay and Ballina, as well as Cinema Nova in Melbourne, Palace Nova Cinemas in Adelaide and Luna Palace Cinemas in Perth; dates differ between cities. Browse the full program and book tickets online.
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Palace Cinemas.
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Palace Cinemas.
