This interview with Saviano on The Culture Show (the BBC's, not mine sadly!) really highlights what a sacrifice it was for Saviano to write Gomorrah.
Our study of Gomorrah was the final part of the course on adaptation of literature to film. Gomorrah made a particularly interesting case study because when I first read it, I thought it would be absolutely impossible to turn into a film. To highlight the enormous scale of the Camorra, its all-pervasive power within Naples and the surrounding areas, and its infiltration of Italian politics and global business, the book is bursting with lists, numbers, names and facts. This has a really powerful effect but lists obviously don't work well on screen. Moreover, the aim of the book, and the film, was to counteract the glamorising of the Mafia by Hollywood films, so rather than graphic murders, we have to see the day-to-day, the slums, the toxic waste, and the constant counting of dirty money.
The adaptation cleverly turned the huge cast of characters from the book into a few protagonists who embodied the main themes of Saviano's work. While this made a more watchable film (although as Mark Kermode points out, it's still a difficult watch because there really is no-one to root for), the film had to get creative to still give a sense of the scale of the Camorra. In particular, the scenes of the slums were full of visual metaphors for the Camorra's activity and its effect on people's lives.
The scenes in the Neapolitan mass social-housing make clear just how trapped the local people are. They are constantly shown behind bars which foreshadow the prisons that many of them will end up in if they're not killed first. The use of light and dark is particularly effective, as it's always bright outside, suggesting freedom and a better future, but the people in the slums are stuck in the shadows.
The sound and lighting creates a sense of the 'everyman', as in everyone is involved in the Camorra in one way or another. This is a key element of the book which stresses how the Camorra 'democratised' the drug trade, allowing everyone to become a dealer, even if just to a small group of friends. This point is highlighted in the brief shot of the open air drug market, where heads cannot be seen (notice the bars once again). The scene is shot from above through a child's perspective, suggesting a strong moral judgement on these activities.
We see another slum which is the same but different, suggesting the scale of the deprivation in the area, and how nothing ever changes. The tight central corridor exemplifies the lack of escape options for the residents, as there is no other way out. The slum works as a panopticon: everyone's behaviour is constantly under scrutiny, so people have no choice but to act in the way expected, in this case following the Camorra.
Finally, we see the huge scale of the housing estate which brings home just how wide-spread the problem of the Camorra is. This housing estate might once have been bright white and modern, but it has been ignored and left to decay ever since. This is emblematic of the way the people of Campania see their situation in relation to the official authorities. The government don't care about their struggles so they have to turn to the Camorra for protection and for economic growth. The small area of colour where the children play may at first suggest innocence and a brighter future, but the juxtaposition with the rest of the grey housing estate, and the Camorra guards on duty just above them remind us that their childhood will end quickly and their future is bleak.
The adaptation cleverly turned the huge cast of characters from the book into a few protagonists who embodied the main themes of Saviano's work. While this made a more watchable film (although as Mark Kermode points out, it's still a difficult watch because there really is no-one to root for), the film had to get creative to still give a sense of the scale of the Camorra. In particular, the scenes of the slums were full of visual metaphors for the Camorra's activity and its effect on people's lives.
The scenes in the Neapolitan mass social-housing make clear just how trapped the local people are. They are constantly shown behind bars which foreshadow the prisons that many of them will end up in if they're not killed first. The use of light and dark is particularly effective, as it's always bright outside, suggesting freedom and a better future, but the people in the slums are stuck in the shadows.
In these shadows we often can't see people's faces - we know they're doing some 'shady' deals but its not clear what, just like the Camorra's business activities. This is enhanced in the film by the sound of shouting - we cannot work out what is being said but we know it's angry.
The sound and lighting creates a sense of the 'everyman', as in everyone is involved in the Camorra in one way or another. This is a key element of the book which stresses how the Camorra 'democratised' the drug trade, allowing everyone to become a dealer, even if just to a small group of friends. This point is highlighted in the brief shot of the open air drug market, where heads cannot be seen (notice the bars once again). The scene is shot from above through a child's perspective, suggesting a strong moral judgement on these activities.
We see another slum which is the same but different, suggesting the scale of the deprivation in the area, and how nothing ever changes. The tight central corridor exemplifies the lack of escape options for the residents, as there is no other way out. The slum works as a panopticon: everyone's behaviour is constantly under scrutiny, so people have no choice but to act in the way expected, in this case following the Camorra.
Finally, we see the huge scale of the housing estate which brings home just how wide-spread the problem of the Camorra is. This housing estate might once have been bright white and modern, but it has been ignored and left to decay ever since. This is emblematic of the way the people of Campania see their situation in relation to the official authorities. The government don't care about their struggles so they have to turn to the Camorra for protection and for economic growth. The small area of colour where the children play may at first suggest innocence and a brighter future, but the juxtaposition with the rest of the grey housing estate, and the Camorra guards on duty just above them remind us that their childhood will end quickly and their future is bleak.
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