Ninetto Diavoli
"The Eternal Boy"
Ninetto Davoli “The Eternal Boy”
Born in San Pietro a Maida in 1948, Ninetto Davoli arrived as a child in Rome’s Prenestina district, that world of poverty, hope and friendship that Pier Paolo Pasolini would immortalize in Italian cinema. Discovered at sixteen by the poet-director, Davoli debuted in The Gospel According to St. Matthew and became co-star alongside Totò in Hawks and Sparrows, beginning an artistic and personal bond that would span nine films until Arabian Nights. In this documentary, the actor tells Donatella Baglivo about his unique journey: from Totò’s teachings (“Stay true to yourself”) to his collaboration with Sergio Citti, including the famous Saiwa crackers Carosello commercial. With testimonies from Alberto Moravia, Franco and Sergio Citti, Giuseppe Rotunno, Tonino Delli Colli and Marco Tullio Giordana, a portrait emerges of an artist who still meets Pasolini in his dreams: “For me, only his body died, not his soul.”
(Restored and re-edited in 2025 with previously unreleased materials)
Trailer
Written, scripted and directed by: Donatella Baglivo. Editing: Mario Chiari, Alberto Paonessa. Assistant director: Antonella Valeriani. Executive producer: Jonathan Zonin. Directors of photography: Elio Bisignani, Edmondo Pisani, Roberto Romei. Camera operators: Gianni Maitan, Alfonso Feliziani. Camera assistant: Antonio Lalli. Sound engineers: François Mazzonna, Paolo Panno, Stefano Provenzani, Roberto Vairano. Sound mixing: Dominik Pohl, Pier Luigi Puddu. Titles: Dominik Pohl. Research and documentation: Giada Moavro. Editing assistant: Riccardo Cremona. Original music: Rosario Di Bella, Paolo Degli Atti (Goblin). Opening theme: Pietro Grignani. Foreign film research: Jonathan Eugenio Zonin. Head of historical archive: Kemal Tugal. Post-production: CIAK 2000 S.r.l. Music publishing: CIAK 2000 S.r.l.
With the participation of:
- Alberto Moravia
- Franco Citti
- Giorgio Ferrara
- Giuseppe Rotunno
- Marco Tullio Giordana
- Sergio Citti
- Tonino Delli Colli
A CIAK 2000 S.r.l. production © 2014. Restored and re-edited in 2025 with previously unreleased materials and images.