Gli Anni Ruggenti – Roaring Years (Luigi Zampa – 1962)

I saw this charming Italian comedy the other night on YouTube projected on my big screen and tried to imagine some of the thoughts that ran through audiences’ minds who saw it for the first time in Italian movie theaters in the early 60’s. [youtube width=”615″ height=”470″]http://youtu.be/uxzYEqxrZHE[/youtube] Complete film I guess it reminded me of… Continue reading Gli Anni Ruggenti – Roaring Years (Luigi Zampa – 1962)

Guglielmo il dentone – William “Il Dentone” (Luigi Filippo D’Amico – 1965)

These days YouTube is overflowing with rare cinematic gems like this short film by Luigi Filippo D’Amico Guglielmo il dentone, which is part of a triptych film named I Complessi with the other two shorts directed by Dino Risi and Franco Rossi. I searched for the other two on YouTube, with no luck. That said,… Continue reading Guglielmo il dentone – William “Il Dentone” (Luigi Filippo D’Amico – 1965)

Pane e cioccolata – Bread and Chocolate (Franco Brussati – 1974)

In this film, director Franco Brusati brings to life a common theme in 70’s cinema, packaged in commedia all’italiana film genre ; the struggle to find your own identity in a foreign land. It’s a universal theme we can find in today’s challenges of immigrants. Idyllic park scene where poor Nino eats his sandwich: a bread… Continue reading Pane e cioccolata – Bread and Chocolate (Franco Brussati – 1974)

From 2012 Rome’s International Film Festival: L’insolito ignoto – Vita acrobatica di Tiberio Murgia (Sergio Naitza – 2012)

For my day 2 in Rome’s International Film Festival I picked a documentary film by Sergio Naitza, under the Documentary track out of the competition. We’re all too accustomed to be exposed to the lives of the A-stars like Marcello Mastroianni, and Sophia Loren, I figured the story behind an actor forever in a supporting… Continue reading From 2012 Rome’s International Film Festival: L’insolito ignoto – Vita acrobatica di Tiberio Murgia (Sergio Naitza – 2012)

Seduced and Abandoned – Sedotta e abbandonata (Pietro Germi – 1964)

When you think about what makes a film a masterpiece, beyond the usual suspects like clever script, believable acting or memorable soundtrack – what I believe worked extremely well for post-war Italian cinema is the historical context. For the neorealism genre it supplied ample stories of hardships told by non-professional actors in actual locations with… Continue reading Seduced and Abandoned – Sedotta e abbandonata (Pietro Germi – 1964)