News 2016

Boris, the Italian off series - review

Posted on April 22, 2016 by Stefano Cosentino

Boris is an Italian TV series produced and broadcast from 2007 to 2010. This is composed of three seasons of 14 episode each and a movie, Boris - Il Film (Boris - The Movie), produced in 2011 and that represents the continuation of the series, however having a narrative context unto itself, understandable even by those who have not follow the three seasons of the tv series.

Being an Italian series the doubts, unfortunately legitimate, can come out. With the excellent series available why should you waste time in following one of the many flops of our beloved Italy? Because Boris could prove to be a little jewel of our lands, read the review and you'll understand what I am referring to.

General overview

Who for personal interest, who for mere TV zapping or for coercion by relatives, regular viewers of soap operas, all of us found ourselves, good or bad, to watch one of the many series proposed in mid afternoon or in dinner time, with a disproportionate amount of episodes, characters and situations that, very often, are proposed again in a slightly different sauce.

You can like it, it's clear, although these ones primarily aim for specific categories of viewers. Sometimes the recitation might not be the best as well as, and this happens a lot more often, the script. This, most of the times, restricts itself to proposing agin the same situations in slightly different sauces, giving a deja-vu sensation that might be annoying in the long run. Then, to a trained eye might not like the photography, the costumes of the preparation of the set. The themes perhaps, thorny and "strangely" too connected with events taken place in the real life, reproposed in soap sauce after having heard similar news in the various newscasts.

Boris is a series behind a series, its intention is that of make understand to the viewer what happens in the behind the scenes, perhaps sometimes forcing definitely the hand but, all this, is done with great skill, resulting very pleasant, entertaining and making to think.

To call some valid actors (personally I consider them such, from the first to the last) asking them expressly to play some characters outside from the lines, in a context only too actual, politically incorrect, with the intention of giving a vision from "behind the scenes" to the Italian style that, perhaps, asked itself what bring in the television of Italy certain absurdities. This call has been made and it was born the excellent Boris!

Plot in short

The series Boris, which takes the name of the one of the goldfishes that one of the protagonists always carries with him, tells the stories of the cast of an Italian soap opera, Gli occhi del cuore 2 (The eyes of the heart 2), busy exactly to shoot the episodes of this one, among thousands misadventures, problems on the set and with the extravagant actors, the general discontent at having to curb their own capacities due to the explicit request of the network, to work on a defined product, by the same director of the soap, poor.

I make a quick overview on the major protagonists of the series:

• Renato "René" Ferretti: played by Francesco Pannofino (Nero Wolfe of the series which takes the name, dubber of famous actors as George Clooney, Denzel Washington, Mickey Rourke), in Boris is the director of Occhi del Cuore 2 (Eyes of the heart 2). Returning from many past failures, with absurd actors at the dependencies and forced to shoot, from time to time, scenes bordering on the absurd, he soon finds himself to conquer the heart of the viewers becoming of fact the star of Boris.
• Alessandro: played by Alessandro Tiberi (Distretto di Polizia 6 (Police District 6), R.I.S. 4 - Delitti imperfetti (R.I.S. 4 - Imperfect crimes)), in Boris is the intern, forced to become right from the start the slave of the crew in the hope to learn as much as possible about what concerns the work behind a soap opera, clashing very often with the hypocrisy of the people, incompetence and lack of professionalism.
• Arianna: played by Caterina Guzzanti (Fascisti su Marte (Fascists on Mars), Mai dire Lunedì (Never say Monday), Mai dire Martedì (Never say Tuesday)), in Boris is the first assistant director, one of the few figures who reveals herself competent in everything she does and that she founds herself, unwillingly, having to constantly solve the problems that arise on the set.
• Stanis La Rochelle: played by Pietro Sermonti (Carabinieri (Cops), Un Medico in Famiglia (A Doctor in the Family - Original format: Médico de familia), Nero Wolfe), in Boris is the Star, protagonist of the series Gli Occhi del Cuore 2 (The eyes of the heart 2). Actor, of the series, only too outside the lines, defining the acting "at Italian style" the main reason of the poor quality of the soap. Egomaniac like a few he finds himself very often to clash with the crew and with the same René, one of the few able to stand up to him with some tricks aimed to enhance his professionalism.
• Duccio: played by Ninni Bruschetta (Quo Vado? (Where I go?), Don Matteo (Father Matteo), Distretto di Polizia (Police District), La Squadra (Police squad)), in Boris is the Director of photography. A particular figure, conscious of the few capabilities expressed in the soap he limits himself to make the bare minimum, passing the rest of the working day or resting or sniffing cocaine.
• Biascica: played by Paolo Calabresi (Il Talento di Mr. Ripley (The Talented Mr. Ripley), Amore 14 (Love 14), the show Le Iene), in Boris is the chief electrician, directly employed by Duccio, with whom he has a friendly relationship. Foul-mouthed character, by poor intelligence and by the strong desire to have a good slave in his employment, he proves to be the vulgar side of the troupe.
• Corinna: played by Carolina Crescentini (La Squadra 4 ((Police squad 5)), Carabinieri - Sotto copertura (Cops - Undercover), Notte prima degli esami - Oggi (Night Before Exams - Today)), in Boris is the Star, protagonist of Gli Occhi del Cuore 2 (The Eyes of the Heart 2) together with Stanis. Bad actress who tends to consider herself excellent, due to hers limited capacities and hers great pretentions is almost hated by the whole crew.
• Sergio: played by Alberto Di Stasio, in Boris is the Director of Production, man of a thousand resources and terribly shady, with a deep attachment to the money.
• Lorenzo: played by Carlo De Ruggeri (Tutto per Bruno (All for Bruno), Camera Cafè (Original format: Caméra Café)), in Boris is the mute intern, the favorite slave of Biascica.
• Lopez: played by Antonio Catania (L'amore è eterno finché dura (Love is eternal while it lasts), La leggenda di Al, John & Jack (The legend of Al, John & Jack)), in Boris is the Delegate of Network, point of contact between the network and the crew. Figure that is seen, on the set, with extreme fear.
• Itala: played by Roberta Fiorentini; in Boris is the Script Supervisor. Figure very little unprofessional, she limits herself to stay close to the director during the shootings, drinking when she has nothing to do.
• Boris: the goldfish, lucky charm of René Ferretti. Always present on the set, its name comes from a famous tennis player, Boris Becker. It hasn't an active role in the series besides the fact to be always present during the shootings.

Final considerations

Boris is, de facto, an excellent Italian product. It gives a pleasant vision of the world of the behind the scenes of a soap opera, all this is done in an extremely explicit way. Politically incorrect, it makes us reflect on the present conditions of the Italian television, influenced by the course of the events, from the current policy, "forced" to work to please a wide audience, even if this had to go to expense of the quality. Excellent actors, excellent the general quality as well as the acting, deliberately outside from the lines. It looks like a very nice product, which I highly recommend to retrieve if you want, somehow, to understand how in broad terms the world of the Italian television works.