Best Italian 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...

I, like most Italians, like comedies and I am really into 'Commedia all' Italiana' - Before telling you, however, which Italian movies I like - here is a sample of American movies ( comedies only ) that I like so you can see if we are on the same line or not - the following movies are in no particular order:

US / English comedies:

• Love actually (2003)
• Four weddings and a funeral
• Some Like It Hot (1959)
• Tootsie (1982)
• Blazing Saddles (1974)
• MASH (1970)
• It Happened One Night (1934)
• Airplane!
• The Producers (1968)
• Young Frankenstein
• Singin' in the Rain
• The Odd Couple
• The Apartment (1960)
• A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
• When Harry Met Sally
• This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
• Groundhog Day (1993)
• The Great Dictator (1940)
• My Man Godfrey (1936)
• A Shot in the Dark (1964)
• How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)
• Strictly Ballroom (1992)
• Australian - City Slickers (1991)
• The Jerk (1979)
• Silver Streak (1976)
• Plane trains and Automobiles (1987)
• Office space (1999)
• Zoolander (2001)
• The Big chill
• Lost in translation (2003)
• Shrek
• Toy Story

Looney Toons Classics - And here I have a question: How is it possible that Mel Blanc Never received an Oscar ? with 700 + Cartoons double he surely should have had more than one...

French Comedies:

• La chevre
• The closet
• The dinner game
• Le Comperes

German:

• In July

Here are some of the best Italian Comedies:

• La Grande Guerra ( Sordi / Gassman ) - About the first world war, as a comedy
• Il Ciclone ( Pieraccioni ) - One of the Best selling Italian movies of all time
• Ricomincio da Tre (Troisi)
• Cosi' e' la Vita ( Aldo Giovanni e Giacomo )
• Febbre da Cavallo ( a light comedy )
• Amici Miei ( An Italian classic )
• Il medico della mutua (Sordi)
• Il Professor Guido Tersilli ( Il medico della mutua) Sordi
• Maledetto il giorno che ti ho incontrato ( Verdone / Buy )
• La marcia su Roma
• Pane Amore e Fantasia - A masterpiece in this field
• Bello Onesto immigrato Australia sposerebbe compaesana illibata
• Toto' Truffa '62
• L' armata Brancaleone ( V Gassman )
• C'eravano Tanto Amati - Gassman, Manfredi, Stefani Sandrelli, available at Amazon
• Brancaleone alle Crociate ( V Gassman )
• La Scuola (1995) - ( Silvio Orlando)
• Non ci Resta che Piangere (1984) - Massimo Troisi, Roberto Benigni
• Manuale D' Amore
• I complessi ( Sordi, Manfredi )
• I Mostri

You can find the following Italian film titles in the US:

• I Soliti Ignoti - big deal on Madonna street : A classic
• Johnny Stecchino - Benigni
• Il Mostro - Benigni slapstick but funny
• La vita e' bella - Benigni comedy / drama
• Mediterraneo - Diego Abbanantuomo
• il Postino -(Massimo Troisi)
• Pane e Tulipani / Bread and Tulips (2000)
• Le Fate Ignoranti - not quite a comedy but quite good
• Mad About Opera / Follie per l'Opera (1950)

If you have a region free DVD you can find several decent Italian comedies with English subtitles like:

• Ma che colpa abbiamo noi - Verdone
• Tre Uomini e una gamba - Aldo Giovanni e Giacomo
• La leggenda di Al, John, and Jack - Aldo Giovanni e Giacomo
• Honolulubaby - Nichetti
• Le Tre Mogli

Also you can rent on Netflix and if you belong to Netflix please ask them to expand their international selection! It would help bring more Italian movies to the masses here in the USA:

• Mostly Martha - German but with Sergio Castelito, quite good

Italian for Beginners:

• Under the Tuscan Sun - American, not a masterpiece but pleasant, about life around Cortona between Tuscany and Umbria.

I am selling now my Comedy Collection in VHS PAL System since I am upgrading to DVD- About 1000 movies ( more or less ) - Anybody interested can call me at 301-738-6827 - Or fill up the Contact us form - Paolo

Please use for suggestions The contact form.