Directors

& Filmography

Mario Bava was born on July 31, 1914 in San Remo, Italy. His birth occurred only one day after Germany declared war on France and Russia after the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria; thus, beginning World War I. His father, Eugenio Bava, was a cinematographer and technician during for silent films. Mario originally studied to be a painter; but, the lure of the film industry was very magnetic. He began his career during the 1930s and assisted his father much like his son would later do for him.

Dario Argento

Dario Argento - The Hitchcock of Giallo Part II

By 1985, the Dario/Daria relationship was winding down. That year saw the release of Phenomena (US Title - Creepers). This was the debut film of the young, future Oscar-winner, Jennifer Connelly. She played a girl named Jennifer who is the daughter of a Hollywood heavyweight. She is sent to a Swiss boarding school in which mysterious murders are taking place. She must use her intuitive ties to insects and an entomologist to solve the mystery before more people die a gruesome death.

Dario Argento

Dario Argento - The Hitchcock of Giallo Part I

Dario Argento was born on September 7, 1940 in Rome, Italy. His father was the film producer, Salvatore Argento, and his mother was a fashion model named Elda Luxardo. Although many people may believe otherwise due to Dario's stance as the disputed master of Italian horror films, it appears that his childhood was normal. Young Dario did seem to take an interest in the dark literary works of Edgar Allen Poe and the Brothers' Grimm, however.

Fellini - The Italian Cinematic Master

The Filmography of Federico Fellini - The Italian Cinematic Master

Luci del varieta
Variety Lights
1950

Fellini's debut film (co-directed with Alberto Lattuada) tells the story of a lovely young lady who talks her way into a job dancing with a bawdy music hall dance troupe. She quickly becomes the star of the show and embarks on a romance with the troupe's aging manager.

Lo sceicco bianco
The White Sheik
1952

Sergio Leone

Italy's Gift to World Cinema

Sergio Leone is in many ways the least typical of Italian film directors. Leone was born in Rome in 1929, and began his career doing biblical-era epics.

Bruno Bozzetto

Biography & Filmography of Bruno Bozzetto

(Author Note: You can check out Bruno's classic cartoon, Europeans & Italians at this site. Here's the link: See the cartoon )

Bruno Bozzetto was born in Milan, Italy in 1938. He created his first animated short in 1958, when he was only 20 years old. It was called Tapum! La storia dell armi (Tapum! The History of Weapons). It deals with the history of weapons from the caveman's club to the 20th century's nuclear bomb.

Sofia's Spectacular Career

The Story of Sofia Coppola

Sofia Coppola pretended not to care when audiences booed her last movie, Marie Antoinette (2006) at the Cannes Film Festival, arguing that it 'was better than a mediocre response'. Bad reviews from critics didn't prevent the film becoming surprisingly successful in France and certainly hasn't stopped the once acclaimed director and fashion icon in her tracks.