Never Rehabilitated: The Risky Business of Portraying Giordano Bruno in Italian Cinema

This paper focuses on the cinematic portrayal of Nolan philosopher Giordano Bruno in Liliana Cavani’s “Galileo” (1968). In spite of bearing the name of the Pisan scientist, “Galileo” focuses so heavily on the figure of Bruno that an argument can be made for him being the film’s true protagonist. Not only did the director manipulate the story’s timeline in order to include his encounter with Galileo, but she also dedicated a large part of the film to the exploration of his character, ideas, persecution at the hands of the Roman Inquisition and trial on suspicion of heresy. Furthermore, it was the portrayal of his execution that caused the film to be ruled “VM18,” that is, “unsuitable for children,” forcing Cavani cut the sequence rather sensibly. Famously, and unlike Galileo, the historical Giordano Bruno was never rehabilitated, with the Vatican hardly making official comment on the topic. Certain actions have, however, spoken louder than words, such as the canonisation of Cardinal Roberto Bellarmino, a key figure in the persecution of both Bruno and Galileo.  Even when the silence was finally broken, on the occasion of the four-hundredth anniversary of the philosopher’s execution, it was simply to reaffirm the Church’s condemnation of his doctrine. Interestingly, a similar fate awaited Cavani’s film itself, which was not only censored but never actually broadcast on the Italian State Television, despite being commissioned by it. Tracing the journey of “Galileo,” this paper reflects on the danger of portraying controversial figures and theories in a country like Italy, where the lines between religious and secular are inherently blurred, and on the far-reaching implications of such inappropriate overlapping.