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Senza lasciare traccia (Leaving No Trace, 2016) by Gianclaudio Cappai
The film is a disturbing noir on a terminally ill man who looks for revenge against the men who abused him as a child. Shot on 16mm and loaded with cinephile references (Altman, Fulci, Avati), this is a rare gem from Italian indie cinema.
The recently released DVD has English subtitles, and bonus features include two short films by Cappai, also with subtitles.
You can find it on Amazon.it.

Major new restoration of De Santis' ITALIANI BRAVA GENTE to be unveiled @ la Festa del cinema di Roma in October...

Domani si balla! (Tomorrow We Dance, 1982) by Maurizio Nichetti

This forgotten film is a sci-fi comedy that predates Cocoon (1985): some aliens (who look exactly like the Méliès ones) are spreading happiness on the Earth, throught a strange hypnotic music. Two unlikely TV journalists investigate about the retirement home where the contagion began.
Maurizio Nichetti is one of the most original Italian comedians, since his style is deeply influenced by Jacques Tati and cartoons (he worked for many years as a gagman for Bruno Bozzetto, also appearing in Allegro non troppo).
First time ever in home video, this DVD features English subtitles and several bonus, including a storyboard comparison and a photogallery.
You can find it on Amazon.it and Amazon.co.uk.

Some screenshots:

This is an automatic buy for me, Nichetti is one of the funniest and most inventive filmmakers of all time.

Nichetti is a great director and comedian, but unfortunately he has been forgotten by the Italian film industry. For anyone curious about his cinema, I would also recommend Ladri di saponette and Ratataplan, since both DVDs are English-friendly (the latter is actually a silent film).

Ladri di saponette, or The Icicle Thief, I think the only film of Nichetti's to have so far been shown on UK television, and the last time must have been in about 1998 or so. Its a very interesting meta piece, with a film very similar to Bicycle Thieves playing on television and ending up almost being overwhelmed by the glossy adverts that start intruding into it, which incenses its director! I seem to remember that it also featured a sequence mixing live action and animation, which was very much en vogue as it was out the same year as Who Framed Roger Rabbit!

Nichetti's Volere volare screened on Channel 4 during the mid-nineties, having been picked up (like The Icicle Thief) for UK distribution by Tartan. Much of its plotting relied heavily on the Roger Rabbit live action-animation blend. NSFW clip.

colinr0380 wrote: Thu Jan 31, 2019 7:12 pm I seem to remember that it also featured a sequence mixing live action and animation, which was very much en vogue as it was out the same year as Who Framed Roger Rabbit!

antnield wrote: Thu Jan 31, 2019 9:08 pmMuch of its plotting relied heavily on the Roger Rabbit live action-animation blend. NSFW clip.

Nichetti is a great fan of Roger Rabbit, but please don't forget that he had been working on mixing live action and animation at least since 1975 (here is a clip from Allegro non troppo). As a matter of fact Tomorrow We Dance was written with animator Guido Manuli, and the original concept was having the Earth invaded by cartoon characters, but the project was deemed too expensive, so in the last they had Méliès aliens instead of cartoons.

Thanks antnield, I was probably getting The Icicle Thief confused with Volere, Volare there! And thanks for the clarification Saimo, as I definitely should not have too quickly assumed that method of combining cartoon and live action was entirely related to Roger Rabbit, although maybe that aspect was something that enabled Nichetti's films around that time to receive greater distribution in the UK.

I am happy to announce that some of the English-friendly discs from our collection are now available in the US through Diabolik DVD.


Senza lasciare traccia (Leaving No Trace)


Domani si balla! (Tomorrow We Dance)


Montedoro


There is also Non contate su di noi (Don't Count on Us, 1978), whose Blu-ray won the Peter von Bagh award at the last Cinema Ritrovato. This is an independent film that tells the story of a young musician and a drug addicted girl, giving way to a love story that intertwines with the drama related to drugs. Shot on Super16, this is a must see for everyone interested in the Italian underground scene from the 1970s. Also available as a limited mediabook

Anyone happen to have Gianni Amelio’s La tenerezza on Blu-ray? My copy is full of jaggies and moire, and can’t believe this shouldn’t have been recalled. I can’t fins any reviews of the disk online though.

Four films by Augusto Genina (Prix de beauté is one) will be available in a 2-dvd set from Cineteca Bologna:
https://festival.ilcinemaritrovato.it/e ... ioni-2020/

Alida (2020) a feature length documentary on actress Alida Valli, featuring plenty of archival materials.
The Italian DVD includes English, French and Spanish subtitles, plus an English-friendly book.
Only 9 euros at Amazon.it

Marco Bellocchio's Kidnapped (2023) has just been released on Blu Ray & 4K with English subtitles. Got the discs today and they are stunning and an accurate replication of the film on the big screen.