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'
Angels of Evil (2010)
Director: Michele Placido
Starring: Moritz Bleibtreu, Paz Vega, Kim Rossi Stuart, Valeria Solarino, Filippo Timi, Fr...
A.k.a. "Angel of Evil". Michele Placido's ("Romanzo Criminale") bio-pic of Renato Vallanzasca plays out like an Italian "Mesrine", charting the rise a... Read more
Siberian Education (2013)
Director: Gabriele Salvatores
Starring: John Malkovich, Peter Stormare, Eleanor Tomlinson, Vilius Tumalavicius, Jonas Tr...
Based on the autobiographic novel with the same name written by Nicolai Lilin, Siberian Education (A.k.a. "Educazione siberiana", "Deadly Code".) is s... Read more
Italian Film Festival 2007 (2006)
Director: Gabriele Salvatores, Nanni Moretti, Sergio Rubini, Roberto Faenza, Carlo Verdone, Kim Rossi Stuart, Antonio Capuano, Cristina Comencini, Sabina Guzzanti, Mario Canale, Annarosa Morri, Michele Placido
Starring: Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Margherita Buy, Valeria Golino, Stefano Accorsi, Giovanna...
Mamma mia! Have your own mini-festival at home with this bumper collection of 11 films and documentaries that featured in the 12th Italian Film Festiv... Read more
The Wolf's Mouth (2009)
Director: Pietro Marcello
" La Bocco del lupa". A touching tale of an enduring love found in the most improbable of places, Pietro Marcello's award winning docufiction hybrid c... Read more
Golden Door (2007)
6.9/10
Director: Emanuele Crialese
Starring: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Vincenzo Amato
This lavish, epic romantic drama is set at the dawn of the 20th century where an Italian widower (Vincenzo Amato) makes the momentous decision to upro... Read more
La Notte ( The Night ) (1961)
8/10
Director: Michelangelo Antonioni
Starring: Marcello Mastroianni, Jeanne Moreau, Monica Vitti, Bernhard Wicki
Michelangelo Antonioni's stunning follow-up to 'L'Avventura' explores similar themes of relationship dysfunction and the search for unattainable passi... Read more
De Sica Collection: Bicycle Thieves / Miracle in Milan / The Roof (1948)
Director: Vittorio De Sica
Starring: Lamberto Maggiorani, Enzo Staiola, Lianella Carell, Emma Gramatica, Paolo Stoppa
The father of Italian neorealism, master director Vittorio de Sica won three Best Foreign Language Film Oscars for his compelling portraits of working... Read more
Our Country (2006)
6.2/10
Director: Francesca Comencini
Starring: Valeria Golino, Luca Zingaretti
Explores the manner in which money dictates the lives of people in Milan at the dawn of the 21st century. Ugo (Luca Zingaretti) is a crooked banker wi... Read more
Like Crazy (2016)
7.3/10
Director: Paolo Virzi
Starring: Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, Micaela Ramazzotti, Valentina Carnelutti
Donatella and Beatrice reside in a psychiatric facility in Tuscany. They have very different life stories, but a chance to escape brings them together... Read more
Shoeshine ( Sciuscia ) (1947)
8/10
Director: Vittorio De Sica
Starring: Franco Interlenghi, Rinaldo Smordini, Annielo Mele, Bruno Ortenzi, Emilio Cigoli
An early must-see example of Italian neo-realist cinema from Vittorio De Sica, ranking with such other classics as his 'Bicycle Thieves' (1948), 'Umbe... Read more