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character, through the strategies outlined in this chapter, was arguably instrumental in the
way the character was received. Ugo Tognazzi, in fact, received the award of best protagonist
at the 1981 Cannes Festival, recognition that had eluded higher profile actors such as Marion
Brando despite his performance in Last Tango in Paris. The casting of Tognazzi as the film's
protagonist arguably undermines Socci's dismissive contention that the socio-political
perspective in Tragedy was little more than a framing mechanism, and that Primo's
enunciations reflected Bertolucci's desire 'to communicate his indifference towards the years
of terrorism' by stating 'how much better a good meal, a snooze, and vigorous sex are'
(Socci, 1996: 70). It is well documented that Tognazzi belonged to the school of actors who
put into practice their philosophy on life both on and off set. Politically, he was considered
intelligent and uncompromising, notable for supporting the Left but also for articulating
criticism when appropriate. In his private life, he struggled to combine a father's
responsibilities with a lifestyle which was always open to life's pleasures. Therefore his
casting for Tragedy appears intended to transfuse these qualities into a fictional protagonist,
Primo Spaggiari, who himself embodied many of these values, and to elicit an immediate
recognition of Primo's flawed but genuine humanity. These aspects of Tognazzi's personality
had previously been transferred into characters in films by acclaimed, politically committed
directors such as Ettore Scola, Marco Ferreri, and Luigi Comencini.(4)
What Socci interprets as disenchantment or acquired wisdom on Bertolucci's part -
namely the lines Primo utters while carrying the kidnap ransom through a wood ('I used to go
to the wood in search of mushrooms or to make love, now it is completely normal to walk
through the trees with a billion in cash') (Socci, 1996: 70) - is, on the contrary, perhaps
another hint to make viewers reflect on how dramatically things had changed; society had
definitively lost its innocence. Socci also overlooks the film's complexity, as the only
technical input to draw praise is that of Ennio Morricone, since the music 'miraculously
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