Wide eyed and snub nosed, actress Giuletta Masina was no great beauty. But her face held an innocence and compelling wistfulness that could reach out from the cinema screen and touch the hardest of hearts.
Masina was married to Federico Fellini, and he saw in her a Chaplinesque charm irresistible to a director. He set about crafting a story for her that would evoke emotion in all who saw it.
Scarlet Diva stars Asia Argento. She also wrote and directed the film. Asia doesn't deny that this is a self-serving piece and even says, quite dramatically, in the opening segment that it "saved my life." Asia plays Anna Battista, an Italian film actress. The film is somewhat disjointed, blatantly sexual and a bit melodramatic at times. Of course, it has a great visual appeal - quite stylized (Considering it was shot with a digital camera that's quite an accomplishment!) and an impressive alt-rock soundtrack.
Suspiria is, to many, Dario Argento's masterpiece. The film, which was penned in large part by Daria Nicolodi, his partner and muse of many years, is visually breath-taking. At times, it feels more like fluff than substance. I loved the film, don't get me wrong; but, I wanted more. A little more story, a bit more explanation. I felt ungrounded. I felt uneasy. I know that was part of the director's intent; but, I don't like it.
Profondo Rosso, which is also known as Deep Red: The Hatchet Murders, is, to many, Dario Argento's seminal work. The film, which was released in 1975, contains many elements that the slasher film fanatic can - and will - appreciate. It is innovative for its time and still worth a look-see.
The movie begins with a murder in flashback. A young child is witnessing the murder of a family member. There's a Christmas tree and other holiday decorations around. It's a hatchet murder.
Pane e Tulipani (Bread and Tulips) is such a sweet film. It's a romantic comedy starring Licia Maglietta as Rosalba Maresanto Barletta. She was married young to a plumbing supplier. Now, in her 40s with two teenage sons, Rosalba is unhappy. She is on a family vacation and gets left behind at a rest stop. She had to go to the ladies' room. Her husband calls to yell at her and tell her to wait for them. She doesn't.
Ma Che Colpa Abbiamo Noi (It's Not Our Fault) is a comedy that pokes fun of our mundane tragedies. Written and directed by Carlo Verdone, the film puts the characters and society under the microscope. It makes us laugh, tear up and squirm, at times. The film focuses on a group of seven individuals who are in group therapy together. After the death of their therapist, during one of the group's sessions, the group struggles to remain together.
Alberto Colombo, played by the 'Italian Woody Allen', Maurizio Nichetti, is a man with a boring life. He's an engineer for an Italian corporation that wants its employees to speak in English. He is married to a beautiful woman, Margherita, played by Portuguese actress Maria de Medeiros. She wants to move ahead in her career and is trying to speak English at home too. He wants children; but, she doesn't want sex. Alberto, a character that Nichetti first introduced in his 1979 film, Ratataplan, wants some excitement, some adventure. He asks his wife if she'd like to go to Honolulu with him. She doesn't.
Roberto Benigni is best known in the United States for his Academy Award winning masterpiece Life is Beautiful (La Vita e' Bella). Benigni's comedy is probably best-described as the kind you'd see if Robin Williams and Peter Sellers had a child. It's intelligent, silly, frenetic and very, very physical. Benigni is also the master of facial expressions, a la Jim Carrey. The man is funny and tragic at the same time.
Some people say that this 2000 film, written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore (Cinema Paradiso), is over-rated. Personally, I don't think that the film gets enough credit. This film is excellent. It's partly comedy, partly drama. It's a microcosm of life. This film does so much in a short time. Malena deals with so many topics; the film gives one a sense about fascist Italy, World War II, coming of age and a woman's struggle to overcome gossip and jealousy to make an honest life for herself despite great hardship.
This is a film featuring fascinating pieces of magic! It is classified as theatrical, and was put into black and white film by Eduardo de Filippo in 1954. The production of "The Ghosts" leads its players to stumble into illusional games both large and small - they are conjured in all different ways, and get tossed together in a comedy that is among the most beloved and fortunate of Eduardo de Filippo. The film attained an international success only a few years after its first debut, with stage production by Giorgio Strehler.
Demons (Demoni), which was released in 1985, is a rip-roaring good horror movie for those of us who like blood, gore and not a whole lot more. Lamberto Bava, the son of famed horror film director, Mario Bava, directed co-wrote this film along with Dario Argento, another giallo superstar. Dario also produced Demoni. In the film, Hannah, played by Dario's daughter, Fiore - who is a shoe designer these days - receives a free pass to a film. She gets the pass from a weird guy dressed in black and wearing some sort of metallic mask.
We are now building an Italian Movie review. This section will be limited to the Italian movies availble in DVD that will have English as one of the choice languages or English subtitles. At least for the moment we will limited then to a very small sub-set of the Italian classic and comedy movies.
The Best Italian Movies, and Best Italian Comedies:
Most people consider as Italian movies only films like 'Ladri di biciclette' ( Bicycle Thieves) or 'The garden of the Finzi Contini', 'La dolce vita' as well as movies from the Taviani Brothers, Visconti, Antonioni and of course Fellini. These are movies that only few Italians actually end up watching - While most Italians will not have any idea of who Visconti is, they all will know Sordi, Manfredi, Verdone, Gasmann, Pieraccioni, etc...
Pane e Tulipani (Bread and Tulips) is such a sweet film. It's a romantic comedy starring Licia Maglietta as Rosalba Maresanto Barletta. She was married young to a plumbing supplier. Now, in her 40s with two teenage sons, Rosalba is unhappy. She is on a family vacation and gets left behind at a rest stop. She had to go to the ladies' room. Her husband calls to yell at her and tell her to wait for them. She doesn't.
