Mario Monicelli was a film director who more than anyone else was able to capture on the silver screen the true soul of the Italian comedy, especially in the 1950s and 60s. His movies reflect how things really were, and he created characters whose behavior could have been found in the person next door. In fact, in his films could be found the lifestyle and values that shaped a nation at its birth.
When you are director of films like The Godfather and Apocalypse Now your work and reputation pretty much speak for themselves. Francis Ford Coppola is one of the most famous moviemakers of his time, a man who has been able to keep artistic integrity while creating movies that are also commercially successful. From Coppola's early work--like The Conversation, which brought moviegoers to places they hadn't been taken before--to his masterpiece, The Godfather, a movie he was called in to direct after writing the Oscar-winning script for Patton.
To many it may seem like the Golden Age of Italian cinema has passed, especially if the yardstick by which greatness is measured is participation in and relevance to international projects and markets. The time of actors like Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni and the great directors like Federico Fellini has passed, but the love they receive from Italians and those around the world lives on. Roberto Benigni, Oscar-winner for Life is Beautiful (a statuette presented to him by the ageless Loren) then marked a brief resurgence of international success for Italian movies.
The fingerprints of Italian-Americans can be seen all over Hollywood's greatest modern masterpieces. They are actors, producers, screenwriters and, quite notably, directors. Names like Scorsese, Coppola and Tarantino are often bandied about when speaking about the greatest directors of their generations and all are of Italian heritage. Following in the footsteps of greats like Frank Capra (It's A Wonderful Life) these directors have brought their unique visions and life experiences to the silver screen and enhanced the profiles of Italian-Americans at the same time.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
(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 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.
Luci del varieta 
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.
