Lets talk about Italian Films! We all love them, don’t we? Since the title of this blog is Italian Dreams, (which I seem at times to stray from) lets share some dreamy Italian movies! One clarification: True devotees of Italian cinema are well aware of the films from Italy’s post-war Neo Realist period. My intention here is to share the ones that I have loved since I became an adult (since the 80s) and that I feel would be most useful for my audience.
Chandi’s favorite contemporary Italian films
(Either Italian made, or filmed in Italy)
2003 — The Best of Youth (La Meglio Gioventù) —An Italian epic that follows the lives of two brothers, from the 1960s to the 2000s. I adore this 6-hour movie! Woven into the film are all the important Italian historical events from the 60s to the 90s. As a history nut I love that aspect of it. But the romance and the heart-ache parts of it are wonderful too.
2003) — Facing Windows (La Finestra di Fronte) —A gem of a film. Giovanna Mezzogiorno is great as usual. The camera loves her face and the viewer can’t help but love it too. A transformative story about an ordinary mother who finds out how to live her passion.
2003 — I’m not Scared (Io non Ho Paura) —The cinematography in this movie completely blew my mind. I’ve seen it twice due to the cinematography alone. Set during Italy’s anni di piombo (1970s kidnapping & terrorism) it’s the most beautiful depiction of the countryside of summer and the imagination of children—and this is set against the evil world of kidnapping and the disturbed world of adults. I find it to be absolutely fabulous.
2001 — Bread and Tulips (Pane e Tulipani) — A married woman rediscovers herself. Stars off slowly, but becomes totally charming. Takes place in Venice. I love it, and have seen it a few times.
1996 — Stealing Beauty — Liv Tyler plays Lucy, an American girl in Tuscany in this artist and visually lush movie. I love Bertolucci’s sensuous and alluring way of filming this movie, but I will say that Lucy isn’t some one we really come to know, she’s more of an idealization of beauty, like Botticelli’s Venus. I recommend it if you want to vicariously experience a sybaritic Tuscan summer.
1996 — The English Patient — This achingly romantic movie won 9 academy awards. The abbey of Sant’Anna in Camprena near Pienza was used for scenes where Hannah takes care of the English patient—a location on the Tuscany retreats I lead. Definitely one of my top two my favorite movies along with Room with a View—and it has a stronger theme, that of unrequited love, making it more powerful than Room with a View. Here’s a reason why the English Patient is my favorite and something I’ll see over and over again: It values history, literature, eloquence, and travel to far flung places, and it values living deeply and loving passionately.
1994 — The Postman (Il Postino) — nominated for Best Picture Oscar. How can you not love a movie that is about Neruda’s poetry? I walked the beach on the island of Salina where it was filmed.
1992 — Enchanted April — Lonely British women rent a castle on the Ligurian coast and as the magic of Italy works its spell, they discover what matters, and become more loving. Filmed in beautiful Portofino.
1991 — Mediterraneo — It is 1941 and a small group of undisciplined Italian soldiers is dispatched to a tiny Greek island. This charming movie is filmed on the totally untouristed Greek isle of Kastelorizo, off the southern Turkish coast where I spent time in 1989 while going around the world. Oscar winner Best Foreign Language Film.
1988 — Cinema Paradiso — What can I say about how good this movie is? A classic. Do NOT see the 2002 version! See the ORIGINAL! Giuseppe Tornatore’s Oscar winning Best Foreign Language Film. The most incredible nostalgia is achieved at the end—it gets me every time!
1986 — A Room with a View —Adapted from the E. M. Forster novel by directors and producers Merchant and Ivory, and it’s their best work. Has there ever been a movie with that many strong actors all at once? Helena Bonham Carter, Maggie Smith, Denholm Elliott, Julian Sands, Daniel Day Lewis, and Rubert Graves are all utterly wonderful. A classic and the best “Brits in Italy” film!
I’m sorry but you’re neglecting the real Golden Age of Italian cinema. Have a look at de Sica’s Bicycle Thieves (1948) or Visconti’s The Leopard (1963). A couple of nights ago Mary and I watched La Strada directed by Fellini in 1954, starring his wife Giulietta Massina and Anthony Quinn. All these films are superlative!
Julian
I agree with Julian 100% – old doesn’t constitute bad in Italian film terms, quite the contrary.
Bicycle Thieves is heart breaking & so real. It shows an Italy as it was before industry & money started to pep the country up in the 60′s.
Martin Scorsese cites The Leopard as one of the most formative influences on his film making career. Burt Lancaster gives a quiet, totally understated performance that somehow makes the film 3 dimensional. It’s a winner, absolutely – the photgraphy is all hot sultry Sicily & so many of the frames look like paintings. Please see it, Chandi! Think but not sure that it won an Oscar for best foreign film…
Amacord & Roma by Fellini are double wows.
As to modern, I recently saw 9 with Dan Day Lewis & Judy Dench which was pretty damn good too – have I got the title right???
The writer Roberto Saviano has to live out of Italy coz his life is endangered by the film he made called Gomorrah about 4 years ago. It shows the hinterland of Naples now & the criminal Commorra that runs all aspects of daily life there – it’s brilliant but brutal.
Ciao Julian and Mary,
A clarification that these are my favorites from the 80s onward. I have definitely viewed those oldies & goodies at Italian festivals and on college campuses, many times over the years. I loved Bicycle Thief. Regarding Fellini; while I understand intellectually what he was doing, I can’t say that his films are my favorites to watch. My intention wasn’t to list what OTHERS believe to the best, but rather, the ones I’ve truly enjoyed. Additionally I wanted to start with the 80s, sharing ones from my adult era that I’ve loved, and that I feel would be most useful for my audience.
You’ve included some of my favorites here and reminded me of others I’ve wanted to see so I’m inspired!
Have seen all of them, also you should add Padre, Padrone-Night of the Shooting Stars, Stanno Tutto Bene-was La Vita e Bella on your list? hmmm, know i am missing some.
Hey Janice,
Yes, I did actually think of adding Night of the shooting Stars, Stanno Tutti Bene and La Vita e’ Bella. Partly I didn’t want the list to get too long and partly they didn’t stand out as much to me. I know La Vita e’ Bella got all kinds of accolades, and I do think Roberto Benigni was wonderful & it’s a powerful story but it didn’t pull on my heart strings like others I listed do.
Mediterraneo, my favourite!
I adore Enchanted April and have it on my shelf. Whenever I feel blue, I watch it and rediscover the magic that Italy can work upon the soul! I haven’t seen Room With A View in a while, but it was one of my favorites. And I’ve put a number of your other recommendations in my Netflix queue.
How lovely to experience Italy through film!
I have to add my favorite: La Strada
Ok, Chandi, I’ve now read all of the comments and your responses and I do understand that this is ‘your’ list of ‘your’ favorites. I think we can all agree that there are an awful lot of wonderful Italian flicks out there for all of us to enjoy. I didn’t realize you were concentrating on the 80′s onward, which certainly narrows it down.
Hi Ann, no problem! I’m very happy to have to you add what your favorite is. I felt a need to narrow it down because other wise the list would be too long for a single blog post! Thanks for stopping by!