New Italian Cinema

[rohmerin]

Mezzogionno's best performance is in her stunning Venice Film Festival awarded "La bestia nel cuore" , know as Don't tell, in US. I loved it. I bought Nuovomondo, and I liked all except the "magic realism". It's not The emigrants, by Troel, thank God, but I prefer the 1st episode of Taviani's Kaos about emigrants to US.

Here in Spain, a group of Italian films have arrived, so, I wait their releases on dvd to buy and see them: Ozpetek's last movie, Saturno contro; the new "alla The best of Youth" My brother is only a child; last Taviani's one with Paz Vega and Angela Molina (the reason for its Spanish released, it's a co-production). Anche libero va bene, Kim Rossi Stuart's directorial debut was in cinemas too. I saw Manuale d'amore 2, and it's awful.

Moretti's The Caiman is a masterpiece (for me) an absolute impressive political and marriage in crises drama plus cinema into cinema. I'm crazy about The Caiman. I own La stella che non cè, last Amelio's one but I've not seen it yet. May be tomorrow. Chi lo sa. I have to search subtitles for last Bellocchio y bajarme la película, que se llama Il regista di matrimoni

[Eligius]

This is a very interesting topic, since indeed the modern Italian is hugely disregarded. Not only in America and the rest of Europe, but also in Italy itself.
Modern Italian cinema has some beautiful jewels amongst it. Most of them are already named here (Agatha e la Tempesta, Caterina va in Città, La Conseguenze dell'Amore, Io non ho Paura), but I would like to ad some more or less unknown films to that list:

Pane e Tulipani (Soldini)
Il Cuore Altrove (Avati)
Primo Amore (Garrone)

I myself, I really dislike the films of Muccino. For me they simply don't work and most of the time I am annoyed by this soap-like drama, being very unbelievable but still not over-the-top enough to show a vast performance. Films as Ricordati di Me and L'Ultimo Baccio should make my bottom list in modern Italian cinema. Especially the latter, from which I found the remake even more interesting, and I am everything but a Braff-fan.

But, the real problem in modern Italian cinema is that it doesn't even gets recognition from the Italian audience. Which is rather logical since the only thing the Italian audience gets to see are really awful christmas and romance films. Films such as Una Moglie Bellissima and Natale in Crociera.
Films who are mostly products of the Berlusconi-tv broadcast and thus only focussed on middle aged men and their pervert obsession with boobs and slapstick humor.
Especially the latter is terrible to sit through. And one must keep in mind that the leading role is played by Christian de Sica. That's right, the son of Vittorio himself. It's a shame how the son of such a great director can do so much bad to that name, since when youthful Italians talk about De Sica, their more likely talking about Christian than Vittorio...

[rohmerin]

I disagree with Bread and Tulips, it was a stupid bad wrtitten comedy and the worst "tribute" to Conferancy of dummes, that I've seen. Il cuore altrove wa pretty good, but I only know that Avati's and Story of boys and girls, better than cuore. I've not seen any Garrone's film, but L'amore molesto is on dvd in UK, is it good? I'm downloading The embalmer.

[david_f]

The most memorable Italian film I've recently seen was Carmine Amoroso's Cover boy: L'ultima rivoluzione at the International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg. It's the story of a friendship between two young men—a Romanian immigrant and an Italian lower-class worker—who struggle to find gainful employment in Western society.

[rohmerin]

I'm Not Scared / Io non ho Paura (Salvatores, 2000)

Is this film cut in America? I can't understand why it runs less than in Europe if we've got PAL system.

I want to buy it and I'm doing my amazon's new order just now. Please, recommend me.

This page doesn't help me

Caterina in the big city (Caterina va in città) is the best recent Italian film I've seen in many time. It's a masterpiece. It's the best portrait of "teenagerhood" that I've ever, ever watched on a screen. It shows the two Italies, with that Caimano Berlusconni again in the power, the film is a must see now. What a great performances! and the social realities that shows. The grandchildren of Dolce Vita aristocracy appear here and in Bellocchio's masterpiece My mother's smile. It was a surprise that this VIRZI, the director, which other movie, My name is Tanino, I didn't like it, has made a real masterpiece.

Quo vadis baby? is a very poor thriller. It's ok, but no good.

Saturno contro, last Ozpetk was very disappointing for me. It looked a tv-movie for gay people. But my husband has liked very much !!!!

I've got more Italian films to see.

[Ovader]

Anyone seen Parlami d'amore by Silvio Muccino (younger brother of Gabriele Muccino)? This is his directorial debut of his own screenplay in which he also stars as the lead. He also acted in his brother's film Ricordati di me.

[rohmerin]

a small update:

Certi bambini is a good violent film about Napolitan poor teens starting little midemeanors. The scene when 12 years old boys goes to screw a girl is so disgusting that I prefer to forget, but it works. It remembered me to Amelio's Stolen children.

Talking about Amelio. His last film, The missing star is GREAT. The plot is a McGuffin for Amelio's gaze for the new China. I suppose this film is banned in China because the reality is very neorealistic. Almost a masterpiece.

Tornatore's The unknown woman is an excellent thriller. All the reviews complain about its tenderness, but most of the critics are MEN, so they haven't felt what the films talks and what women can.

La ragazza del lago is the last all winning awards Italian film. It's another thriller, I've enjoyed.

I'm not scared was a little deception, but there's no doubt it's the best Salvatore's film I've seen.

I'm downloading more and waiting for watching piu filmi. The most promissing is the last Giordana, basen on real facts in the II WW, Sanguepazzo

It's better this French trailer

[portnoy]

Caterina in the big city (Caterina va in città) is the best recent Italian film I've seen in many time. It's a masterpiece. It's the best portrait of "teenagerhood" that I've ever, ever watched on a screen. It shows the two Italies, with that Caimano Berlusconni again in the power, the film is a must see now. What a great performances! and the social realities that shows.

See, I couldn't be more the opposite on this film - I thought it was a ridiculous and schematic political allegory where the 'teenagehood' of the characters was secondary to the director's reductionist understanding of the cleavages in Italian politics. The teenagers aren't characters; they're bullet points on a Wikipedia page.

It's the same complaint I have about a lot of politically-minded Italian cinema of recent memory: My Brother is an Only Child is the same way (despite being written by the team that did The Best of Youth, a film that escapes this sort of problem through sheer length).

[rohmerin]

Muccino has made a sequel to The last kiss. Baciami ancora, this time without Mezzogiorno. I think it's horrible after watching the trailer but I'm dying of anxiety for seeing it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkBffTNsCE4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

But the last Paolo Virzì La prima cosa bella, seems very promessing. He is a very interesting director. Tutta la vita davanti wasn't good, but the story was very interesting (and real) in this Europe full of Univesitarian Doctors working wherever they could.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGBR9nMm5vY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[TMDaines]

http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/feature/49611

A good article from the BFI and Sight and Sound on the current state of Italian cinema. It jogged my memory into remembering how many of the films I really still needed to see!

[Numero Trois]

With the exception of "I'm Not Scared" (which had an amazing opening and gorgeous photography/music, but was just okay overall) and "Best of Youth" (which I haven't seen byt everybody seems pretty split on, with the consensus not liking it), what are some of the better Italian films from 2003-present?

I think Bellocchio still has a lot going for him. As I said in another thread, for my money "Good Morning, Night" is one of the decade's top films.

Has anybody seen: Luce dei miei occhi, Non ti muovere, Gente di Roma, Caterina va in citta, C'eravamo tanto amati, Denti (which sounds very odd!), and Una vita difficile?

I'm quite fond of Giuseppe Piccioni's Luce dei miei occhi. An acutely perceptive portrait of two alienated souls in Rome. Naturalistic yet dreamy, there's something about it that just stays with you. For me that one made Film Movement a company worth paying attention to. Equally as acute was Piccioni's follow up "La vita che vorrei." It has the same two lead actors from "Luce," this time in a more or less straightforward love affair. For years now I've been trying to decide which of these is the better movie. I would say both are on about the same level. "Luce" is available on Netflix instant streaming. The latter film exists in two Italian DVD editions, one with and one without English subs.

Caterina va in citta was ok, as was I'm Not Scared, but that's all. They're certainly not quite as sharp as the two Piccioni films.

[rohmerin]

La doppia ora (I didn't like very much, but friends loved it) has arrived to cinemas in USA this weekend. It stars Filippo Timi, witouth any doubt, the best European actor nowadays. And the Russian girl, the protagonist of Tornatore's The unknown woman, of course has become the best Italian actress for all her roles I've seen.

Two tips and one movie to be avoided.

Olmi's Cento chiodi is the opposite to Da Vinci's code. What a wonderful, interesting, cult, simple and short (83 minutes) film. Starred by an Indian actor and non proffesional actors from Po valley river. I highly recommend it. The best Mesianic character since Borzage's Strange cargo.

Another Po valley river, amazing film is La giusta distanza. I don't want to spoil the plot but it's surprising, well acted, great script, and shows how Italy has change: the wifes are chosen on line from Romania, the cocks and waiters are arabs. Very, very good fim.

The bad recent one I saw is the multi Awarded La nostra vita, with Elio Germano, probably the other best European actor nowadays with the premission of Bardem and Filippo Timi. Very bad TV film, with inmigration subject too.

Noi credevamo has won everythinh this year but I haven't seen yet, neither last year best film L'uomo che verra.

[Numero Trois]

I totally missed that Marco Bellocchio and Storaro were involved in a filmed version of Rigoletto from Mantua. It even made it to US theaters. Definetly not a big opera guy, let alone filmed opera, but the singing is outstanding enough to get over that stumbling block. And Julia Novikova- wow!

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/ ... gram/1156/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Any idea why IMDB credits Bellocchio only in the "other crew" section? Other than its IMDB we're talking about? Every other web site seems to give him lead credits for it.