Beginning with RAI television and radio archives and drawing on texts, a film was made of the steps in the career of Gianni Rodari and the evolution of his poetic thinking, looking above all at the aspects that influenced and continue to influence the contemporary imagination. The idea was to combine biography and opus – journalism, literature, essays and theatre – using solely Rodari’s words. The film is an interweaving of interviews, repertory materials and journeys to “Rodari places”: from Omegna and Gavirate, passing through Milan and arriving in Rome and Manziana on Lake Bracciano. To speeches, interviews and radio and TV programmes are added films documenting the school visits and many workshops through which Rodari transformed children from passive enjoyers to real co-authors of his stories. By means of drawings and animation the film also cites the artists who visually interpreted his texts, from Verdini to Munari, Luzzati and daughter Paola. The extras material contained in the film consists of interviews with critics and writers (De Mauro, Zavattini, Malerba, Eco), artists (Luzzati, Fo) and teachers (Maria Luisa Bigiaretti and representative of the Reggio Emilia schools).
