Title: Benvenuto Cellini

Overall Rating 8

Written By: Oleg Nasobin

Prepared for:

Analyst: Michael Haddad

1-4 Pass 5–7 Consider

8-10 Read

Genre: Drama

Circa: 1500s

Target Audience: all quadrants, with an emphasis on 30+.

Log Line

The story of the artist Benvenuto Cellini, a contemporary of Michelangelo’s, whose sharp tongue and combative manner continually bred enemies who prevented him from achieving the greatness he felt he deserved.

Recommendation

Property: A well-written film that captures the essence of the period and effectively casts an interesting character study against a compelling and believable backdrop of court intrigue. The characters are well delineated and sympathetic, and the milieu of artistic achievement contemporaneous with that of Michelangelo makes a memorable setting.

Writer: Very strong. Has a feel for dialogue and pacing. Plot unfolds gradually and never lags, and characters seem believable.

Budget Level

No special effects, stunts or CG, so this could be done on a minimal budget. Period sets and costumes will add to the cost, but there are no battle or crowd scenes and locations are fairly minimal. Script could be done on a television movie budget if need be.

Appeal

Benvenuto carries the film and the role should go to a name. Role’s iconoclastic behavior and irascible manner will appeal to A-list talent, combined with the fact that this is the kind of role that wins awards, a top list name may be within reach even on a limited budget. Roles of the Duke and Duchess, Francois I, Madame D’Etampes, Pier Luigi, Cardinal Ferrara, and Dorothea are well-written and will appeal strongly to talent. Other characters are rendered well and should attract lesser names.

Execution of Key elements

Rating Comment

Concept 8 Engaging story, good ending

Story 7 Well-paced and constantly evolving

Characterization 9 Benvenuto is the kind of scoundrel moviegoers love

Dialogue 8 Believable and nuanced, rings true to period

Commercial Viability 7 May not capture a teenage audience, but could do well with an older, more discerning audience

Primary Characters

Benvenuto Cellini 37, a highly successful, and somewhat flamboyant, goldsmith to the Pope, often in repeated scrapes with the authorities, usually able to talk his way out of trouble due to his widely recognized artistic talent. Arrogant about his abilities, he rubs many the wrong way which he further exacerbates by being blunt to the point of being rude.

Dorothea 18, pretty, Benvenuto’s amply-bosomed housemaid with whom he’s been enjoying romantic liaisons, she protects his treasure while he’s incarcerated, but her interest in Benvenuto extends beyond that of a faithful servant. She is something of a psychic and she foresees a life of devotion to the mercurial Benvenuto.

Pier Luigi Enigmatic figure who attends Benvenuto’s trial, having given the judges the information that will condemn him. He is the son of the current Pope Paul, and is still resentful of Benvenuto for having killed Paul’s goldsmith Pompeo, with whom Pier Luigi was having a homosexual affair.

Francois I 45, King of France, eventually brings Benvenuto to his court to see what the arrogant young goldsmith can do.

Madame D’Etampes Beautiful mistress of Francois I, she has heard of Benvenuto and works with Cardinal Ferrara to convince Francois I to engage his services, but when Benvenuto appropriates the castle of her confidante she angrily begins to work in earnest against him.

Cardinal Ferrara He sings the praises of Benvenuto to Francois I, but he too is often incensed by Benvenuto’s abrupt and insensitive manner.

Other Characters

Bargello Chief Constable, leads a team of soldiers to arrest Benvenuto, quietly reasons with him so that he’ll give himself up peacefully as Bargello does not want to face Benvenuto’s capable sword.

Da Cagli One of the judges who pass sentence on Benvenuto, accuses him of absconding with 80,000 crowns worth of precious gems from the Vatican treasures.

Conversini Another judge, relishes the comeuppance they deliver to Benvenuto, whom he decries as a brutal, prideful lout and killer.

Pope Clement VII Seen in flashback, he recognizes Benvenuto’s abilities and entreats him to help save his Papacy by helping him remove the Papal jewels before they are overrun.

Cavalierino One of Clement VII’s confidantes, he recommends Benvenuto’s talents as a goldsmith to the Pope. As Benvenuto removes the jewels from the Papal treasures, Cavalierino sews them into the Pope’s robes.

Pagolo 15, one of Benvenuto’s apprentices, entreats Dorothea to tell them where the treasure is located, but to no avail. He accompanies his master as he relocates to France to make his name.

Asconio 15, one of Benvenuto’s apprentices, entreats Dorothea to tell them where the treasure is located, but to no avail. He accompanies his master as he relocates to France to make his name.

Pope Paul The current Pope, father of illegitimate son Pier Luigi, who imprisons Benvenuto but knows the reason Pier is so passionate about avenging Pompeo’s death is because Pier was sexually involved with him. He warns Pier to stop having relations with men as the Protestants will use it against them.

Pallavicini 61, Protestant, the kindly but wily monk who shares the cell with Benvenuto. After hearing of Francois I’s interest in Benvenuto, he urges his friend to escape before they kill him, and he aids him in this endeavor. He is later assassinated by Pier Luigi’s henchman, Oracio.

Giovanni Strapping young son of Pallavicini, also protestant, is the one who kills Pier Luigi to avenge Pallavicini’s murder.

Count of St. Paul He tells Francois and Madame D’Etampes that Cardinal Ferrara is only helping out as he wants Francois’ support in the next election of Pope.

Oracio Soldier present at the sack of Rome and now working in concert with Pier Luigi, goes after Benvenuto and his apprentices with an eye for murder. They escape his clutches, but he succeeds in killing Pallavicini.

King of Navarre Accompanies Francois I and his entourage in viewing the uncompleted statue of Mars in Benvenuto’s workshop

Francoisco Primaticcio An artist in competition with Benvenuto. Benvenuto challenges him and though he tries to be strong, Benvenuto is more the man than he. Still, with the aid of Madame D’Etampes, who is now Benvenuto’s sworn enemy, he earns the King’s favor and wins commissions over Benvenuto.

Matteo A friend of Benvenuto’s from the old days in Italy.

Duke & Duchess Benvenuto humbly entreats them to give him the commission he so lusts after, an opportunity to work in sculpture on a grand scale ala Michelangelo’s “David”.

Bandinello Court sculptor to the Duke and Duchess. He enjoys Benvenuto’s fall from grace, but Benvenuto’s abrupt manner leads to an embarrassing airing out of Bandinello’s shortcomings in front of his patrons.

Property Viability

Movies such as Quills come to mind in seeking a comparison to this film, as it too was about an irascible historical character destined for greatness. Benvenuto’s story has one thing lacking, that is his own lack of historical significance, at least in our eyes, but that also works to the story’s advantage in some ways. It’s easier to sympathize with a protagonist living in the shadow of greatness that one destined for greatness, and in this case we’re following a sculptor living during the time of the greatest sculptor in the history of man. It’d be like following a playwright’s efforts to get produced while Shakespeare was alive and kicking. It instantly makes Benvenuto an underdog which is ironic in the face of his arrogance and unshakeable self-confidence.

The many scenes of court intrigue and people both working for Benvenuto and against him add a delicious layer of gossip and politics to the story, and it helps anchor the film in its setting as we realize the extent to which anyone’s ascendancy back then was tied to the whims of royalty. Benvenuto’s life was a rollercoaster of ups and downs and of course this lends drama to the proceedings throughout; we come to see him as his own worst enemy but of course that’s something all of us can relate to. The fact that he really can deliver works of artistic genius makes him noble in the end and allows us to forgive him for his passionate self-centeredness.

This is a film unlikely to draw a young audience, but as Julie & Julia has proven, it can be quite profitable to pursue an older audience with the right kind of product. While Quills had an intensely salacious storyline, this is a more conventional outing and will have to attract its audience the old-fashioned way. Casting will be all-important, and a great deal of thought should be devoted to finding the right name to play Benvenuto. It’s a role that will appeal to any A-list talent, as the character is a multi-faceted scoundrel that carries the film and chews on the scenery while he’s doing it, so top draws like should be considered.

Most likely venue for production is going to be in Europe with the support of American film companies who have the financial power and relationships to draw a big name. A British actor who is a star in America such as Gerald Butler or Clive Owen might be a fit as he often works in Europe and has shown interest in riskier material, yet is well-known enough in the U.S. to pull in an audience looking for something different.

– Short Format – Critique/Script notes

Characterization

Characters are established quickly and economically. We know the basic set-up by Page 10 and understand whose story it is well before then. There is no antagonist, though Pier Luigi and Oracio come closest. It’s not really that kind of story, however, as it’s more of a character study of Benvenuto and several characters serve as interchangeable antagonists. It seems most people, in fact, have an axe to grind with Benvenuto and writer does a good job of juggling the multiple sources of enmity that work against him. As the writer recognizes the heart of the story is Benvenuto’s sincere desire to create a truly beautiful work of art, he focuses his story on Benvenuto’s struggles and we come to sympathize with him. It’s an effective and less obvious way to construct the story, and it lends an air of freshness to the outing.

Story

Story handles the basics well and the artistic thruline is an excellent motif that helps underscore the central character’s desire and growing frustration with the fact that no one will take him seriously as a sculptor. The conflict is set up at the end of Act 1, and we’re on Benvenuto’s side for the duration once we recognize that his ambition truly arises out of a hunger to create lasting beauty rather than pure self-aggrandizement.

Dialogue

Extremely strong. In setting this milieu, writer has done an exemplary job of rendering the period through speech and telling detail in a way that rings true and adds a dynamic element to the story’s theme. Characters emerge as real and fitting in with their time and place, and this goes a long way towards establishing the story’s all-important setting.

General

The story is unpredictable and engaging, the protagonist a wily, flawed, antagonistic but ultimately hugely-talented iconoclast, and the mystical aura that is gradually developed around Dorothea’s connection to him creates the critical focal point of Benvenuto’s journey. With proper casting, story will appeal strongly to an over-30 audience and may resonate particularly well with the American movie-going public, as Benvenuto’s unapologetic brashness has shades of the classic American archetype. Story wraps up nicely and revelation that Dorothea is possibly, and may have secretly been all along, Benvenuto’s guiding light is an intriguing development that gives the story a spiritual connotation at the same time as it possibly opens it up more to female moviegoers. Box office potential is very good.