Italian Cinema
The history of Italian cinema began with a few seconds footage of Pope Leo XIII blessing the camera. Historical dramas were most popular in these early years before sound. During and after WWI, funds were short and nothing much of interest was made until the 1920s. With the rise of fascism the film industry was encouraged and in 1937 Cinecitta was built on the outskirts of Rome. Literally a 'cinema city', it contained everything a film maker could need or want, including theatres, and even a cinematography school. The slogan on posters at the time read "Cinema is The Most Powerful Weapon". Newsreels and propagandistic documentaries were filmed here but by 1939, feature film productions were underway. Visconti ('Ossessione'), Rossellini (Rome, Open City') and De Sica ('Bicycle Thief') all began their careers here. Post-war, two distinct trends emerged in Italian cinema: on the one hand, the neo-realist films of Rossellini and De Sica, made chiefly on location in the streets of Rome and surrounding towns; and on the other, the American megaproductions, filmed almost entirely on sets constructed in the Cinecitta studios. In 1948, 'Quo Vadis?', 'Roman Holiday (1952), 'Three Coins in a Fountain' (1954), 'Farewell to Arms' (1957), 'Ben Hur' (1958) and 'Cleopatra' (1961), to cite only the most famous. Federico Fellini shot most of his films, at least in part at Cinecitta and to this day the studios are used for television and film productions.
Mention must also be made of Pasolini, Bertolucci, Zeffirelli, Antonioni, Sergio Leone - Italy has given cinema some of its greatest individuals and auteurs.
Pictured: The lost kisses from 'Cinema Paradiso'
The Mafia Kills Only in Summer (2013)
7.1/10
Inspired by real events, this is a black comedy about 20 years of history of Sicily from 1970s to 1990s, mocking Mafia Bosses and restoring the genero... Read more
The Mafia Only Kills in Summer (2013)
Director: Pierfrancesco Diliberto
Starring: Mario Gianani, Lorenzo Mieli
The winner of the 2014 European Film Award for Best European Comedy, this Italian box office hit follows the growing pains of Arturo, a Palermo boy wh... Read more
The Man Who Will Come (2009)
7.5/10
Director: Georgio Diritti
Starring: Maya Sansa, Alba Rohrwacher, Claudio Casadio
A powerful and engrossing drama based on the World War II tragedy known as the Marzabotto Massacre. This film confirms director and co-writer Giorgio... Read more
The Night of the Shooting Stars (1982)
7.5/10
Director: Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani
Starring: Omero Antonutti, Margarita Lozano, Norma Martel
Aka "The Night of San Lorenzo". During the final days of World War II, a small town in Italy finds its residents divided into two factions - those who... Read more
The Roof ( Il Tetto ) (1956)
7.3/10
Director: Vittorio De Sica
Starring: Gabriella Pallotta, Giorgio Listuzzi
De Sica once again returns to poor, post-war Italy to tell the small and unpretentious story of a young newly-wed couple. Having no money, they first... Read more
The Salt of Life (2011)
6.3/10
Director: Gianni Di Gregorio
Starring: Valeria De Franciscis, Gianni Di Gregorio, Alfonso Santagata
House husband Gianni has many things to worry about while his retirement slips by doing boring chores for his wife, mother, daughter and pretty neighb... Read more
The Sicilian Girl (2009)
7/10
Director: Marco Amenta
Starring: Veronica D'Agostino, Gerard Jugnot, Mario Pupella, Carmelo Galati
A gripping based-on-fact drama about 17-year-old Rita Atria, who back in 1991 came forward to denounce the mafia violence that had claimed the lives o... Read more
The Sky is Falling (2000)
6.6/10
Director: Andrea Frazzi, Antonio Frazzi
Starring: Isabella Rossellini, Jeroen Krabbe, Barbara Enrichi, Gianna Giachetti
Based on Lorenza Mazzetti's acclaimed novel inspired by her true life experiences in WWII Tuscany. Two recently orphaned girls come to live with thei... Read more
The Solitude of Prime Numbers (2010)
6.3/10
Director: Saverio Costanzo
Starring: Luca Marinelli, Arianna Nastro, Tommaso Neri, Alba Rohrwacher, Martina Albano
Paolo Giordano's best-selling novel is given a unique screen adaptation in this drama from director Saverio Costanzo. As Giordano notes in his book, p... Read more
The Son's Room (2001)
7.4/10
Director: Nanni Moretti
Starring: Laura Morante, Nanni Moretti
This critically acclaimed family drama from director Nanni Moretti ('Caro Diario') won the Palme d'Or (Best Film) at Cannes. The film looks at how a c... Read more