La commare secca – The Grim Reaper (Bernardo Bertolucci -1962)

Master Conflict: a prostitute was killed in Paolino park in Rome

Sub-Plots: Police investigation showcases stories of five witnesses that depict how their day started and what they saw when it finishes in Paolino park

Themed Character: Roman rain that drives characters to seek shelter, triggering transitions to portrayal of the prostitute at different stages [...]

Shoeshine – Sciuscià (Vittorio De Sica – 1946)

Ever wondered what started the Oscar for Best Foregin Language Film category? It was Shoeshine, Vittorio De Sica’s fifth film that initially received a Special Academy Award in 1948 and two years later for his masterpiece The Bicycle Thief.
Shoeshine is a special film for many reasons. First, it marks the start of one of the [...]

Sonetaula (Salvatore Mereu – 2008)

From Los Angeles Independent Festival in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles.
Great excitement for this movie which is again from and about Sardinia. The fact that the director was there presenting the film and holding the discussion makes it even more interesting.

Sonetaula is a book by Giuseppe Fiori that he recently re-wrote [...]

Big Deal on Madonna Street – I Soliti Ignoti (Mario Monicelli – 1958)

On one hand you can look at this film and say it’s all about men camaraderie in effort to solve an economical problem, and indeed the relationships among the protagonists run the gamut from support, anger, humor, and compassion.
And yet, this film is known as the first to usher the Italian Comedy (Commedia All’Italiana) genre [...]

Bicycle Thieves – Ladri di biciclette (Vittorio De Sica – 1948)

Stories about the common man emphasizing social issues, scenes shot in actual locations, and the use of non-professional actors – are the key ingredients of the Neorealist film movement in postwar Italy, which this film is one of its prominent expressions.
Directed by Vittorio De Sica and adapted for the screen by Cesare Zavattini based loosely [...]


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