Atmosfere acustiche di Napoli in È stata la mano di Dio (Sorrentino 2021) e Nostalgia (Martone 2022)

Abstract

This article investigates the interplay between (nostalgic) visual representations of Naples and their acoustic design in two of the most recent cinematic narratives by Mario Martone and Paolo Sorrentino. Naples, often described as the “città sovraesposta”, an overexposed and media-saturated city (La Porta 2010, 54), is a place that has frequently been shown, yet still holds much to be heard. In Nostalgia (2022) and È stata la mano di Dio (2021), the directors explore the complexities of the Parthenopean city, situating and labelling their films within a framework of postmodern “cinema d’impegno” (cf. Antonello 2012; Antonello/Mussgnug 2009). These films are deeply entwined with the city’s musical traditions and acoustic textures, placing the relationship between memory and imagination, auteur cinema and postmodern reflexivity, as well as image and sound, at the core of their audiovisual compositions.