ROME:  23rd September '04 --  The new 'Don Bosco' mini-series had its first appearance on Italian TV screens on the evening of 22nd September and will continue on 23rd.  But 'Don Bosco' will not be restricted to Italian TV obviously, not with Blue Star Movies (UK) involved, and names like Sam Beazley, Ry Michael Finerty, Daniel Tschirley, Jonathan Ross Latham in the list of stars.  Having said that, the roles of Don Bosco and his mother, to name two of the major players, are well-known to Italian audiences; Flavio Insinna of Don Matteo fame, and Lina Sastri.  Director is Lodovico Gasparini.  Scenes were shot in Turin, Rome, Viterbo.  The dubbing is noticeable, nevertheless.

Prepare for some interesting viewing.  The overall impression so far is of something rather more lively and a touch more dramatic than the Ben Gazzara version.  Both begin with a 'tottering' Don Bosco, but the latest Raiuno production has Don Bosco tottering from immediate over-activity.  Old age is to be left to later.  This is a vibrant Bosco who clearly and quickly announces that it is all about love, God's love, love for the young, letting them know they are loved - and we see it in action.

Moving indeed are the scenes given over to the relationship between Bosco and Calosso; it rings true.  Less true is the Bosco-Cafasso link: less true in that despite a line earlier on that many may miss (I'll leave everything in his hands) he, Don Bosco doesn't really.  There is no doubt who is calling the shots in this film.  But certainly Cafasso's constant presence is there.

Gasparini may have been talking to Mel Gibson at some stage - his Mamma Margaret is not, obviously, the Mother of Jesus, but she has something of that depiction of quiet dignity that we have seen in the other film, and certainly one looks forward to seeing this character develop in the second episode.  Speaking of women, the Marchioness Barolo is one very smart member of the social set!  A good-looker, in language that would not befit the set.  Her girls are too, and there is more than a hint that this is causing Don Bosco's boys a problem - or may, and becomes the real reason why he and they have to move on.

And all the while the counterpoint of 'Ottocento' Italian politics, represented chiefly through the city's prefect Cavour, a dour figure for whom Don Bosco is mostly a match.  Don Bosco smiles graciously when he wins - and there are moments of the 'other' Bosco showing through when he doesn't.  In fact, one thing that so far attracts one to this tele-version are the small, true moments; the lines carefully chosen from the real Don Bosco that home in on the essential message, the little act of kindness by Calosso to a sick lad, quickly followed by the boy Bosco's 'I'll be like that when I grow up'.  We are given an early careful study of Rua the boy - it will be interesting to watch that one develop too.

The annoyingly prolongated romance (recall the camera's gyrations round the loving couple?) in the Gazzara version is avoided this time by killing off 'Enrico' early.  We have to wait for the second showing to see if Don Bosco has any further interest in helping the girl, of course.  There's just enough similarity in the two versions to suspect they will meet again before the end.  In fact, it's the similarity, not in essentials, but in occasional cine-interpretation that some viewers may find annoying.  Is the only way to suggest that Don Bosco was unwell (almost to death) by him having coughing fits? 

Whatever the annoyances, the first day's showing certainly invites one to return to the second.  Hopefully it is not too long before many of austraLasia's readers can see it on their own screens.  And if there HAD to be a number of austraLasia to run this review, then #888, in the absence of #1888, is as good as any.  It's at least 'Ottocento'!