It’s that great excitement you get when you come across a truly rewarding film by a director you have never seen much of his work when everything seems to work exactly how you’d want it to be. And Mafioso by Neorealist director, Alberto Lattuada is simply that perfectly fun film. It’s the same sad story,… Continue reading Mafioso (Alberto Lattuada – 1962)
The Outcry – Il Grido (Michelangelo Antonioni – 1957)
Rejection, alienation, and total abandonment staged in a bleak winter in the Poe valley with constant use of gray landscapes, barren trees, foggish rain and lots of mud all the actors negotiate their way in – provide an apt juxtaposition between the emotional and the physical realities in this masterpiece by Antonioni. The film tells… Continue reading The Outcry – Il Grido (Michelangelo Antonioni – 1957)
Mediterraneo (Gabriele Salvatores – 1991)
In tempi come questi, la fuga è l’unico mezzo che rimane per mantenersi vìvi e continuare a sognare. In times like these, escape is the only mean available for keeping alive and continue dreaming. – Henry Laborit This film opens up with this quote to set the stage for a simple truth; sometimes we need… Continue reading Mediterraneo (Gabriele Salvatores – 1991)
Light of My Eyes – Luce dei miei occhi (Giuseppe Piccioni – 2001)
Writing about this film, I decided not to talk about the plot, actors, angles, the director personal story-drivers and focus on just one aspect. The Luce dei miei occhi soundtrack. More often than not films’ soundtracks receive minor exposure, like the drummer who is sitting in the back where the lead-singer – in our context… Continue reading Light of My Eyes – Luce dei miei occhi (Giuseppe Piccioni – 2001)
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)… Continue reading Big Deal on Madonna Street – I Soliti Ignoti (Mario Monicelli – 1958)