#MargheritaDelleStelle is a TV film directed by Giulio Base,with CRISTIANA CAPOTONDI in the role of MARGHERITA HACK, FREELY INSPIRED BY NINE LIVES LIKE CATS (M. HACK; F. TADDIA) published by Rizzoli

“…You will wonder how a girl born in did it 1922 and grew up under the fascist regime to become a scientist? I don't know the answers, but I can tell you my story…”

This is how #MargheritaDelleStelle begins, the Rai biopic dedicated to the astrophysicist Margherita Hack who disappeared in Trieste on 29 June of 2013.

It's an interesting dramaturgical start, polite, tantalizing, despite the use of Capotondi's voice-over, which makes the viewer hope to see a story, a biopic different from the usual Rai "santino"..

Unfortunately, the "faint" hope is immediately extinguished by a narrative development and staging of the life of the well-known scientist, which fall well within the traditional canons of Rai Uno.

That is, we are faced with a vision devoid of incisiveness, barely sketched characters and a consolidated approximation in reconstructing the historical setting and the mentality of the society in which the protagonist moves.

The list of errors present in this biopic would be quite long, from the screenplay to the doubts that arose in the selection of some actors and how unlikely the latter appear in certain passages of the film. But everything would be a useless exercise as well as boring to read.

We leave the overall judgment of the film to the viewer's personal opinion and taste, considering it more interesting to underline the cultural and historical value of this operation by reporting some excerpts from the protagonists during the press conference held today on Rai.

#MargheritaDelleStelle was conceived, says the screenwriter Monica Zappelli “. as if it were a "bildungsroman". A concrete story of the young Hack's formative years which allowed her to become the scientist we all knew and appreciated.

I was interested in writing the most significant passages of the young Margherita: the education received from two unconventional parents (they were both vegetarians) based on freedom and independence of thought. Margherita's love for sport and in particular for athletics of which she was a champion. Competitive sport has taught Hack" to never be ashamed of wanting to win and excel. A mentality that the scientist will adopt when she has to fight and assert herself in the scientific field dominated by a patriarchal mentality. Margherita Hack discovered physics and then astrophysics almost by chance. She wasn't a great student in high school, but once enrolled at university she finds her space and way to demonstrate her talent. And finally I wanted to tell the love story, the protagonist's happy marriage to Aldo De Rosa. Aldo De Rosa maliciously defined as "the wife" by the other men of the time, he wonderfully embodies the figure of a man in love and above all aware of his wife's potential, to the point of taking a step back as well as sharing Margherita's work sacrifices (night work at the observatory).”

The director Giulio Base added “…I accepted sight unseen the offer from Rai and Minerva Pictures to direct a film about Hacking. A trust then repaid by the great writing work done by Monica Zappelli and by the luck of finally being able to work with Cristiana Capotondi. A professional goal that I have been pursuing for some time. Once I accepted the direction, I immersed myself in studying and reading all the books written by Hack, with the exception of those in astrophysics. A study that has increased my esteem for women even before scientists. Margherita Hack was a great popularizer, capable of explaining complicated things in a simple and engaging way. She was a strong woman, independent, direct, ambitious. He built the astrophysics center in Trieste from scratch, making it a place for exchanges between students from all over the world. A story, such a life deserved to be told. I hope I did it as best as I could, celebrating my return to Rai as a director after more 10 years"

Christian Capotondi: “…I was excited, worried about having to wear the shoes of this great woman, scientist. It was a great human as well as acting challenge to bring young Margherita back to life, finding a correct and credible interpretative key. Margherita was a true athletics champion, Compared to him, I am a lover of sport and football, nothing more. The strength and tenacity of the "sports" Hack applied to the study, it's something we women should take as an example of. Margherita broke the glass ceiling with merit and well ahead of her time. The love between Margherita and Aldo is something unique, as intense as it is simple. Aldo experienced Margherita's rise with joy, always supporting her and becoming her pen in writing her books in an even more understandable way. I hope that the film manages to convey all the beauty of Margherita Hack: from a happy childhood to a high school student who was not "aligned" with fashion and finally to the young scholar who found herself in love with the stars..."

#Daisy of the Stars has been written, directed and interpreted having these noble motivations and heartfelt aspirations.

It will be up to the public to find them again and discover others. egistica may be enough to endure and digest 2 hours and 45 minutes of a chaotic story, elongated and excessively symbolic? No, It's my humble opinion.

Vittorio De Agrò (RS)