Italian Cinema

[Aberdeen]

Italians rule when it comes to movies and music. They just remain unknown because of the language barrier, everybody speaks English. I'm yet to see masters of originality and non-conformism like Fellini and Sergio Leone. Spielberg in comparison is a child.

Fellini is or at least was very well known to English speaking audiences. Some of us loved his extravagant and fanciful movies, but some people did not. Some people want to be able to suspend belief, so that they can convince themselves during the movie that the story line is real, and one can't really do that with a movie such as Satyricon. Perhaps that's why Fellini's work seems to have been largely forgotten these days, at least by English speaking audiences.

[kamani]

Fellini is or at least was very well known to English speaking audiences. Some of us loved his extravagant and fanciful movies, but some people did not. Some people want to be able to suspend belief, so that they can convince themselves during the movie that the story line is real, and one can't really do that with a movie such as Satyricon. Perhaps that's why Fellini's work seems to have been largely forgotten these days, at least by English speaking audiences.

Satyricon is one of those movies that is best enjoyed the second time you see it, granted that you really understand it, with all the nuances of the language, Southern-Italian dialects and all. But the people that get it are like:"This guy must have been a superior life-form of some sort".

[Angela]

I have the greatest respect for Maestro Fellini. That said, I am by personal inclination more of a fan of Italian neo-realism, and so, of his films, I prefer La Strada, 8 1/2, La Dolce Vita, Roma, Amarcord. He was capable of playing more than one note.

Also, one thing I've noticed with my foreign friends is that they often miss that his films are comedies in the broader sense in that they are a part of the Italian tradition of portraying the Human Comedy. Not to mention the literally comedic sequences in so many of his movies.

[Sile]

I have the greatest respect for Maestro Fellini. That said, I am by personal inclination more of a fan of Italian neo-realism, and so, of his films, I prefer La Strada, 8 1/2, La Dolce Vita, Roma, Amarcord. He was capable of playing more than one note.

Also, one thing I've noticed with my foreign friends is that they often miss that his films are comedies in the broader sense in that they are a part of the Italian tradition of portraying the Human Comedy. Not to mention the literally comedic sequences in so many of his movies.

Which brings to mind the many wonderful Italian songs that have appeared as part of the score for a movie. One of the most hauntingly beautiful songs I've ever heard, Mi Mancherai, I will miss you, is from the wonderful film Il Postino.

Unfortunately, the only version I could find with English subtitles on the screen is sung by Josh Groban. He has a lovely voice, but...no blood on the sword if you know what I mean. Here it is on youtube. I've also provided a link to a version sung by an Italian that has gorgeous images from the movie.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b0ywiZEv9A

what about wertmuller? or Sergio Corbucci
Lina Wertmüller is an Italian film writer and director.

[Aberdeen]

what about wertmuller? or Sergio Corbucci
Lina Wertmüller is an Italian film writer and director.

Lina Wertmuller is another Italian director who's well known to English speaking audiences. And Carlo Ponti is an Italian producer who's quite famous in the English speaking world. However, the modern Italian cinema doesn't seem to be having as much impact on the English speaking world as the Italian cinema of the 20th century did.

[Angela]

I was surprised to find that there aren't any threads specifically about Swedish films or Italian films.

Italian cinema was discussed briefly on the Italian Songs thread, and I am asking the moderators to move those comments here.

[Angela]

Aberdeen

Lina Wertmuller is another Italian director who's well known to English speaking audiences. And Carlo Ponti is an Italian producer who's quite famous in the English speaking world. However, the modern Italian cinema doesn't seem to be having as much impact on the English speaking world as the Italian cinema of the 20th century did.

I don't think so either. Frankly, there aren't as many truly high caliber Italian films as there once were.

And, like most foreign films, they are people driven, not special effects or plot driven, which is what many audiences world wide have become accustomed to as a result of seeing so many American films, I think.

[julia90]

It seems The Great Beauty of Sorrentino is going to get the Oscar...

[Nobody1]

Bud Spencer & Terence Hill;
watched all their movies at least a dozen times - constant re-run on German TV and the German synchro is awesome;


Not sure who else saw Cannibal Holocaust or Black Sunday - great movies for their time;

[Angela]

It seems The Great Beauty of Sorrentino is going to get the Oscar...

I just saw it last night, and I'm still rather overwhelmed. It's going to take me a while to process it all...

For now, I'll just say that I thought it was stupendous...not only should it win Best Foreign Film at the Oscars, it should win for best film of the year, and I'm joined in my opinion by professional critics.

Just who was the seriously mistaken person who stated that the best days of Italian cinema might be over? Could it possibly have been me? I am properly chastened.

Here is the trailer, for those who are unfamiliar with it, which is very badly done in my opinion, but still...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJfvX6zPAuQ

Gorgeous music accompanying the hauntingly beautiful visuals:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrGblDMuYK4

These print journalists have some interesting comments about it...
http://entertainment.time.com/2013/1...olce-vita-2-0/
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013...zza-great-beau

I forgive this reviewer for saying the messages aren't subtle, (just because he only notices the obvious ones doesn't mean there aren't others) because he also says this:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/g...ty-review.html
"It certainly soars above Sorrentino’s earlier work, a shimmering coup de cinema to make your heart burst, your mind swim and your soul roar. When the credits began to roll at the press screening at the Cannes Film Festival in May, some critics rose to their feet and just stared dumbly at the screen. I’m happy to admit I was among them. "

This youtube commentary by three film makers has some insights, although they haven't dug deep enough yet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8TgT6RuTOQ

For Italian speakers, I found this discussion of the Roma revealed by Sorrentino very interesting...unfortunately the journalist is as clueless as a foreigner about her own capital city. I mean, really, she had never heard of some of these "secret" Roman places? I'm not a Roman either, but I certainly have been to most of them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCwlo05eUv8

I know this isn't necessarily a site for film buffs, so I hesitate to say more for fear of boring other members of the community, but there are so many layers here...sacred vs profane, the weight of history and the past on the present , the search for beauty, how it can grow so familiar that one no longer sees it, how beauty and love are intoxicating but also dangerous, the need for meaning, the perils of too much sophistication and decadence, the dilemmas of modern Italy, the heartbreaking nostalgia for the past which can blind us to the present...and then the cinematography, the obvious nods to Fellini, to La Dolce Vita, to 8 1/2, but also to Rossellini's Roma Aperta, the revisiting of the Stendal syndrome, the dreamy, lush visuals of Rome, the frenetic energy of the decadent high life of Rome...

It's a feast for the eyes, the ears, the mind, the heart and the soul. It's about so much more than the nudity and sexuality, or the travelogue features. I highly recommend it.

Oh, while not the optimal way of seeing it, it's available on Amazon.

[kamani]

The Great Beauty of Sorrentino:
It does have the Fellini feel, with the going back in time, and the nuns, and the prostitutes, and the wandering philosopher that goes through life like an observer, and the subtle bites of depth here and there. I would say, a masterpiece and a gift. Sadly, most people won't ever know what I'm talking about, they're too busy watching robots fight...

[Goga]

Roberto Rossellini and Michelangelo Antonioni are my fav. Italian maestros! Pier Paolo Pasolini is great too.

[Regio X]

Valentina Cortese just left us.

https://www.repubblica.it/spettacoli...ese-230851726/

[Tamakore]

My favourite Italian films:

Roma, citta aperta (1945) - Rossellini
Senso (1954) - Visconti
Mamma Roma (1962) - Pasolini
Il deserto rosso (1964) - Antonioni
Giulietta degli spiriti (1965) - Fellini
Diabolik (1968) - Bava
Il conformista (1970) - Bertolucci

[Angela]

My favourite Italian films:

Roma, citta aperta (1945) - Rossellini
Senso (1954) - Visconti
Mamma Roma (1962) - Pasolini
Il deserto rosso (1964) - Antonioni
Giulietta degli spiriti (1965) - Fellini
Diabolik (1968) - Bava
Il conformista (1970) - Bertolucci

Love them all.

Not L'Ossessione, The Bicycle Thief, Paisa, La Strada, Bicycle Thief?

Or how about more modern ones? Amarcord is very accessible, and Vitelloni. Maybe it's just that they speak to my heart, the Italy of yesterday.

Or how about: Two Women, The Tree of Wooden Clogs, The Sunflowers, A Special Day, 1900, The Leopard, Cinema Paradiso, Il Postino, Mediterraneo, The Best of Youth, even Life is Beautiful. For comedy, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, and Marriage Italian Style can't be beat.

Everyone has different tastes, so you may not have particularly liked them, but if you haven't seen them, give them a try.

Oh, a modern light comedy I really liked is Bread and Tulips, with Bruno Ganz. I think a lot of women would like to do what Rosalba did. :)



In fact, now that I'm reminded of it, I'm going to watch it again tonight. I need to be put into a good mood. :)

[Tamakore]

Yes, my list could have been much longer. I mainly picked films that are stylish and visually striking, that I particularly like, but I didn't even include La Dolce Vita or 8 1/2. The Leopard, La Strada, Amarcord and 1900 are all great films also. I haven't seen many of the other films you listed, so thanks for the recommendations, I'll look for them.