Tag Archives: Italian cinema

the full Giulietta (film: Giulietta degli spiriti – Frederico Fellini, 1965)

In 1965, the year he filmed and released ‘Giulietta degli spiriti‘, Federico Fellini had long since ended his neorealist period and had made two of his best-known (perhaps even his best) films – ‘La dolce vita’ and ‘8 1/2’. His … Continue reading

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on the ruins of Germany (film: Germania anno zero – Roberto Rossellini, 1948)

‘Germany Year Zero‘, filmed by Roberto Rossellini in 1947 and released in 1948, is one of those films about which entire bookshelves have been written and can still be written. In less than 80 minutes, this film manages to be … Continue reading

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

‘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

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

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

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

‘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

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

‘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

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

‘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

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

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

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

‘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

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

‘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

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