L' infinita Fabbrica del Duomo

The Milanese have a saying about anything which takes a long time: “Lungh ’me la fabrica del domm” or “as long as building the Duomo”, a reference to the city’s vast cathedral whose construction spanned half a millennium. But while the landmark—familiar to cinephiles from Luchino Visconti’s ROCCO E I SUOI FRATELLI (1960) and Luca Guadagnino’s IO SONO L’AMORE (2009)—may have been officially completed in 1965, such an edifice is always a work in progress: “building” is after all as much verb as noun. Granted seemingly all-areas access, Massimo D’Anolfi and Martina Parenti assemble an austere, visually striking and informative documentary. A paean to collective human persistence, this reverently, celebratory enterprise focuses on the marble statuary crowning the Duomo’s 135 wind-blown spires. The ravages of the elements mean that each saintly figure requires regular attention from skilled artisans; a small army, representatives of an unbroken lineage of know-how stretching back centuries, are observed going about their labours with near-wordless concentration. The counterpoint to the bygone grandeur of the expressive stonework is Massimo Mariani’s sparing electronic score, elegantly bridging the ancient and the contemporary. (Neil Young)

In the presence of Massimo D’Anolfi & Martina Parenti.

Massimo D’Anolfi, Martina Parenti (selection): I PROMESSI SPOSI (2007), GRANDI SPERANZE (2009), IL CASTELLO (2011), MATERIA OSCURA (2013), L’INFINITA FABBRICA DEL DUOMO (2015), SPIRA MIRABILIS (2016), BLU (2018, K), GUERRA E PACE (2020), UNA GIORNATA NELL’ARCHIVIO DI PIERO BOTTONI (2022, K), BESTIARI, ERBARI, LAPIDARI (2024)