What happened to Paolo Sorrentino's "Loro"?

After the death of Silvio Berlusconi, public opinion was sharply divided between those who paid tribute to and mourned him, those who took the opportunity to insult him and remember his misdeeds, and those who preferred a respectful silence despite not particularly admiring him. In the mysterious and varied world of TikTok Italy, Berlusconi's death became the pretext to resurface two forgotten films (or dare I say forcibly erased from collective memory) centered around the former Prime Minister: the two chapters of Loro by Paolo Sorrentino. A raw and candid portrait of the entrepreneur's life, masterfully portrayed by Toni Servillo, showcasing his vices and loneliness, corruption and excesses, from his return to politics to his divorce with Veronica Lario. It is not surprising, therefore, that after the death of the former Premier, requests to watch Sorrentino's film have increased, and social media, through tweets, posts, and stories, serve as evidence. However, as of now, the complete Italian version of Loro remains elusive, both in streaming and on DVD.

Loro was released in Italian theaters between late April and early May 2018, divided into two parts. In the first part, surprisingly, Berlusconi appeared only towards the end but was often mentioned in the conversations of Sergio Morra, a Puglian entrepreneur played by Riccardo Scamarcio, who arrived in Rome with the idea of making the "big leap." In the second part, he became the absolute protagonist, dealing with elections, divorce, and the Aquila earthquake. The film divided both public opinion and critics, but was praised by Gianmaria Tammaro of La Stampa, who particularly appreciated Toni Servillo's performance: «He is perfect: a mask, clay in the hands of an artisan; his face transforms, bends, pulls, (...) it is an incredible, all-encompassing work, artistically unprecedented in the Italian panorama. Only Sorrentino, and a few others, can dare such a thing. To be slow when they should be fast. To accelerate when they should stop.» On June 7, 2018, a single version of the two films was announced for the 2019 Oscars, with a runtime of 145 minutes, and was re-released in Italian cinemas from September 13, 2018, as well as at the Toronto International Film Festival, with a total box office of 6.5 million euros. But how did such a critical and box office success disappear into thin air?

In the United Kingdom and other countries, the combined version presented at the Oscars is available in digital and physical copies on major platforms. However, in Italy, there is an issue. According to Dogospia, the rights are not with Universal, which distributed it in cinemas, nor have they returned to the producer, Indigo. They are, instead, with Mediaset. According to Dogospia, there has never been a digital distribution because no platform requested a copy. Several Italian entities, however, have confirmed their clear interest after the international version's theatrical release. The fact that there are neither DVDs nor Blu-rays is undoubtedly indicative. More than the decision made by third parties, one tends to think of Mediaset's intention. They could have aired it on - let's say - Canale 5, yet they didn't.

Furthermore, the censorship surrounding the Berlusconi character was already evident in a joke from How I Met Your Mother in the last episode of the eighth season. Jason Segel's line, "Italy doesn't need something grumpy, red, and incapable of self-control, smelling of alcohol and various drugs. They already have former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi," is missing from the Italian dubbing. As seen in Loro Berlusconi desired absolute consensus, sometimes exceeding the boundaries of democratic free thought, and when it couldn't be bought, it led to censorship. «But what did you expect? To be the richest man in the country, be the Prime Minister, and have everyone love you madly?» asks Fedele Confalonieri. «Yes, I expected exactly that» replies Berlusconi. In life as well as in death.