RAI productions usually give me the feeling of "Inception" as they reflect on themselves, depending on their own perception and archives when reconstructing such period pieces. That is normal and inescapable of course, but I don't think there are too many examples to such a tradition. On the one hand, RAI refreshes its (and Italy's) own cultural mythos via these productions.
In the case of The Girl Who Didn't Want To Sing:
Based on Nada's own memoir, the focus is how at a very early age she took the stage on Sanremo, to become a beloved singer of the nation.
The movie is like a smooth and balanced documentary on this little piece of musical history. But let me tell you this: "Che Freddo Fa" is really a hell of a song. If international audiences have fallen far from recognizing it today, that's a shame. Nada, in my opinion, deserves a higher level of global fame to date. And if the situation was so, maybe more thought and effort was gonna be put in the only work of fiction about her, maybe expanding to cover her later feats as well.
As is, the most curious thing about this TV movie is how in the end it recreates the moments she shined at the famous Ariston stage of Sanremo:
Strangely, this most crucial part seems not to mimic what we have on record. Tecla, the contemporary young talent who plays Nada, sings the song in her own way. Using her voice more smoothly, less angularly. Keeping a noticable smile on her face as opposed to the rage-like resentfulness Nada had.
I'm pretty sure there is a conscious choice to that, and it was explained on some TV interview or something. But I just am not aware of it, and I wanna give it a shot:
I think Tecla wanted to interpret the song in her own way instead of trying to recreate that unique effect Nada had back in the day. Or maybe they tried a copycat effect first, but went the other way when it looked and sounded funny.
Either way, this strange "non-compliance" with the most memorable part of the movie somehow makes it momorable. Because Nada's Sanremo performance is already out there for everyone to watch. A different take on it elevates this biopic from a 5-6 band to a 6-7.
If you're into music and do not have great cinematic expectations from such productions, this can pass as a fine family movie.
