A vibrant community celebrating the prominent achievements of Italian cinema — from Neorealism to the present.
If you think what made Neorealism successful; a genuine blend of non-professional actors, shots on location, themes of social hardships and “objectively” journalistic camera – served to post-war Italian audiences that must have said “yea this is exactly what we’ve gone through!” and then went on garnering a worldwide admiration.
Labeled as the first Italian road trip movie and hallmark of the Italian comedy (Commedia all’italiana) genre, director Dino Risi provides an alarming prophecy for the future of Italy during the prosperous early 60’s of what is typically referred to as the Italian Economic Miracle (Boom Economico). This is Italy after WWII that experienced a rush of economic growth that is characterized by increased consumerism and self-indulgence – a far cry from the agricultural society from which it sprung. An excellent study of opposite facial expressions.
Suso Cecchi D’Amico
This Oscar-winning masterpiece was originally titled “La Bella Confusione” (The Nice Confusion) and was made in six months against the backdrop of the early 60’s Economic Miracle (Boom Economico) in which Italy experienced substantial economic growth. This period of prosperity on one hand also added confusion and identity crisis as Italian society transformed from agricultural to industrial focus with heavy consumerism. Fellini explored this transition from old family values to the shallow modern indulgence three years earlier in another Oscar winner - La Dolce Vita –The Good Life (1960). Luisa Anselmi played by Anouk Aimée.
With a mysteriously enchanting soundtrack by Nicola Piovani and a black raven donned with a chiming bell flying over the timeless medieval villages perched defiantly on the mountains of Girgenti on the southern coast of Sicily – the brothers Taviani weave together five tales based on novels by 1934 Nobel prize in Literature laureate, Luigi Pirandello.
It’s a story told many times of a family that leaves home to find a better life elsewhere. In this masterpiece Visconti overlays this basic premise in Italy of the Economic Boom of early 60’s, the cultural dissonant emerging from a Southern family from Lucania trying to assimilate in big city Milan, and above all the elasticity of the “family unity” concept. Brotherly showdown.
Have you ever been impressed by someone's accomplishment and rationalized it by instinctively pulling out the usual excuses such as oh that most likely took lots of experience, money, contacts and anything else that you can come up with to sooth your ego and inaction?
In-line with Independence Day here in the US, I figured it's a good opportunity to deconstruct the concept of independence and throw it against Italian cinema backdrop. You can never know what you'll find. When we speak of independence you can literally place it in wide range of contexts; from emotional, financial, political, to physical. And I am sure I missed others. Yes, there is a place called Independence in CA.
