Tag Archives: Italian cinema

Italian neorealism ends with a big laugh (film: I soliti ignoti – Mario Monicelli, 1958)

Posted on May 7, 2025 by admin

‘I soliti ignoti‘, Mario Monicelli‘s 1958 film, can be considered the healthy laugh with which the period of Italian neorealism ends. In fact, Monicelli had directed almost 15 comedies in the decade preceding this film, more than one per year, … Continue reading →

Posted in movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

two brothers go to Hollywood (film: Good Morning Babilonia – Paolo & Vittorio Taviani)

Posted on April 21, 2025 by admin

The Taviani brothers are no more. First, Vittorio died in 2018, and last year Paolo also left us. They leave behind about 20 feature films and a few more short films and collaborations on collective creations. They also wrote most … Continue reading →

Posted in movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

father and son (film: Che ora è – Ettore Scola, 1989)

Posted on December 21, 2024 by admin

‘Che ora è‘, Ettore Scola‘s 1989 film, is an admirable demonstration of the fact that great films can often be simple and that sophisticated effects or complex plots are not always necessary to reach the hearts of viewers. All one … Continue reading →

Posted in movies | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

the magnificent five (film: I vitelloni – Frederica Fellini, 1953)

Posted on September 28, 2024 by admin

‘I vitelloni‘ is the second feature film directed alone by Federico Fellini, in 1953. It is a combination of neo-realist cinematography, social satire and character comedy, in which Fellini already demonstrates a perfect mastery of the means of expression, of … Continue reading →

Posted in movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

war and love (film: I girasoli – Vittorio De Sica, 1970)

Posted on May 20, 2024 by admin

‘I girasoli‘ (‘Sunflower‘ in the English release), Vittorio De Sica‘s 1970 film, is a film that is impossible to judge outside of its historical context. Actually I should say its historical contexts. The film is a war melodrama, the story … Continue reading →

Posted in movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

the anti Indiana Jones (film: La chimera – Alice Rohrwacher, 2023)

Posted on March 10, 2024 by admin

I had two very good reasons to definitely want to see ‘La Chimera‘ (2023). The first – this is the first feature film of the Italian director Alice Rohrwacher after the unusual and superb ‘Lazzaro felice’ (2018). The second – … Continue reading →

Posted in movies | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

an Italian thriller about the Chinese Mafia (film: ‘L’ultima Notte di Amore’ – Andrea Di Stefano, 2023)

Posted on February 7, 2024 by admin

‘Last Night of Amore‘ (2023 – original title ‘L’ultima notte di Amore‘) is the title of a very good Italian ‘noir’ thriller, written and directed by Andrea Di Stefano. It’s the actor-turned-director’s first feature film made in Italy, but it … Continue reading →

Posted in movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

when Roberto met Ingrid (film: Stromboli – Roberto Rossellini, 1950)

Posted on February 5, 2024 by admin

‘Stromboli‘ (1950) is a movie shrouded in a legend that sometimes seems to overshadow the film itself. Its story begins with a letter that Ingrid Bergman, one of the great Hollywood stars of the 1940s, sent to the Italian director … Continue reading →

Posted in movies | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

neorealism meets hiphop (film: C’è ancora domani – Paola Cortellesi, 2023)

Posted on December 29, 2023 by admin

‘C’è ancora domani‘ (2023 – English title is ‘There Is Still Tomorrow‘) is a directorial debut but it does not look at all like one. It can be said that it is also an author’s film, because the director is … Continue reading →

Posted in movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

testing the limits (film: La dernière femme – Marco Ferreri, 1976)

Posted on September 22, 2023 by admin

Before Lars von Trier (the ‘bad’ one – the one who directed ‘Antichrist’ and ‘Nymphomaniac’) there was Marco Ferreri. In 1976, when he made ‘La dernière femme‘, the Italian screenwriter and director had wowed bourgeois audiences (and the members of … Continue reading →

Posted in movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment