The Slow Match – La partita lenta (Paolo Sorrentino – 2009)
It’s part of the trio short movies proposed by Per Fiducia, the project already described in the review of Il Premio.
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.
Cinema Paradiso
Several days ago we saw Cinema Paradiso at the House of Italy. Clearly the film centers on the relationship of projectionist Alfredo with Salvatore (Toto), both as child and as adolescent. A question that always comes back to me is why Alfredo insists so forcefully that the adolescent Salvatore leave and never return and never contact him again. Equally critical is the question why does Salvatore listen to Alfredo.
La stanza del figlio – The Son’s Room
I have tried so much to get your picture Victor. Yes Nanni Moretti is perfectly flat as that particular character should be. But there is something missing. Nanni Moretti is flat full stop. Which is different. Nanni Moretti is flat on his own, and his acting is forced, almost theatric, because the actor is not there. His flatness does not reach me. He is desperate yes, looking for his pain. That he can’t find. His pain is all left to the noises.
Days and Clouds – Giorni e nuvole (Silvio Soldini – 2007)
In tune with the tough economic times these days, the film explores the impact of a job loss on a middle class family in Genoa.
White Nights – Le notti bianche (Luchino Visconti – 1957)
Do you believe dreams can come true?
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.
Escape by Night – Era notte a Roma (Roberto Rossellini – 1960)
Known as the father of neorealism in Italian cinema, specifically due to his widely acclaimed masterpiece, Rome Open City - Roma, città aperta (1945), in this film director Roberto Rossellini continues his theme of personal human stories embedded in the rough realities of Italy during WWII.