Is Italian cinema dead? Not by a long shot. Yes, current Italian filmmakers have been facing this incredible challenge of reinventing Italian cinema in the face of its grand history. No matter how you slice it, it could definitely be tough surpassing the Fellinis or the De Sicas of the world. Yet, different times with… Continue reading Remember Me My Love – Ricordati di me (Gabriele Muccino – 2003)
Whoever Says the Truth Shall Die (Philo Bregstein – 1981)
A lot has been written about Italy’s prominent, yet controversial film director, poet and journalist Pier Paolo Pasolini. This documentary film by Philo Bregstein offers a rare glimpse into the tumultuous life of Pasolini until his still unresolved murder circumstances in 1975. Rare, because the film was made six years after Pasolini’s death and so… Continue reading Whoever Says the Truth Shall Die (Philo Bregstein – 1981)
Rome Free City – Roma Città Libera (Marcello Pagliero – 1946)
Where have you been during winter 1946? Since some of us would likely say – nowhere, here is a time capsule from that period in Rome, right after WW2 is over. The American GI’s are still in town and the people wake up into the rough realities of making a living in a battered economy.… Continue reading Rome Free City – Roma Città Libera (Marcello Pagliero – 1946)
Nights of Cabiria – Le Notti di Cabiria (Federico Fellini – 1957)
This is the last film of Fellini’s second triliogy that started with La Strada (1954) and Il Bidone (1955). A trilogy dedicated to themes of people living on the margins of society (street dancer, swindler and a prostitute) that despite their rough lives eventually experience radical life change, call it redemption. In this film, Fellini… Continue reading Nights of Cabiria – Le Notti di Cabiria (Federico Fellini – 1957)
From Cinemasud San Diego: Ballo a tre passi – The three steps dance (Salvatore Mereu 2003)
I have been waiting for this and the following movie for months. I am thrilled. This is my own root region (partially) and I have the privilege to be in and out of the scene. Sardinia, where its crystal waters are seen with suspects, and its dark remote caves are a shelter. A land of… Continue reading From Cinemasud San Diego: Ballo a tre passi – The three steps dance (Salvatore Mereu 2003)