The key ingredients of this film include: Academy award winner director Giuseppe Tornatore; international debut of bombshell Monica Belluci; coming of age story of a young boy in a small Sicilian village during World War II; and the timeless music of Maestro Ennio Morricone. Yes, the film may look like an attempt to repurpose Tornatore’s… Continue reading Malèna (Giuseppe Tornatore – 2000)
Author: Shlomi Ron
Visual marketing guy with a penchant for fine Italian cinema.
The Escort – La Scorta (Ricky Tognazzi – 1993)
Ricky Tognazzi’s classic anti-mafia thriller is deeply grounded in reality. The film was made a year after judge Giovanni Falcone was murdered as he was on his way to Palermo airport. The judge, his wife, and three police bodyguards were killed. Interestingly the film is not about the judge or the case, but focuses on… Continue reading The Escort – La Scorta (Ricky Tognazzi – 1993)
The Fiancés – I Fidanzati (Ermanno Olmi – 1963)
Do your memories carry a soundtrack? Ermanno Olmi in a genuine masterpiece believes they sure do. And why not? We all tend to associate old songs to places and people we used to know and this way create more vivid and richer “mini-episodes” in our mind. Olmi skillfully uses a lively tune of a dance… Continue reading The Fiancés – I Fidanzati (Ermanno Olmi – 1963)
Hands over the City – Le Mani Sulla Città (Francesco Rosi – 1963)
The characters and events shown are imaginary The social and environmental context is real Fracesco Rosi‘s outrageously bold social realism film ends with the above condemning statement. The film offers a unique over the shoulder view into the world of political deal making and corruption in Naples of the early 60’s. Rod Steiger effectively plays… Continue reading Hands over the City – Le Mani Sulla Città (Francesco Rosi – 1963)
Miracle in Milan – Miracolo a Milano (Vittorio de Sica – 1951)
Take a close look at the this picture. What do you think is happening? A lot has been written about this neorealist modern fairy tale from Vittorio de Sica – the director of ‘The Bicycle Thief’. If you haven’t seen this masterpiece yet, pick one of your gloomy days (we all have a few) and… Continue reading Miracle in Milan – Miracolo a Milano (Vittorio de Sica – 1951)