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'
An early masterpiece from then documentary-maker director Michelangelo Antonioni, said to be one of Martin Scorsese's favourite films. Setting the to... Read more
A prostitute has to use all her wits to get a client of long standing to take the plunge and marry her when he announces his forthcoming marriage to a... Read more
Taking place over 20 years and across two continents, this epic miniseries adaptation of Nino Ricci's coming-of-age saga chronicles how a young man de... Read more
From the Director of 'Death in Venice' and 'The Leopard' comes this extravagantly romantic story about the tempestuous affair between an Italian count... Read more
A charming, bittersweet tribute to the power of movies which won 1989's Best Foreign Film Academy Award. A filmmaker returns to his Sicilian hometown... Read more
From Matteo Garrone, acclaimed director of the award winning "Gomorrah", "Reality" is a darkly comic look at Luciano (Aniello Arena), a charming and a... Read more
Aka "Non Ho Sonno". Dario Argento's shocking "giallo" detective story sees a series of grisly murders match the work of a serial murderer who appeared... Read more
Nazi-Fascist Northern Italy, 1943-44. Four senior members of government, aided by henchmen and Nazi soldiers, kidnap a group of young men and women. T... Read more
4 classic terror tales from the Godfather of Italian Horror Cinema! Mario Bava dazzled audiences with his vivid visual style, setting the standard for... Read more
Italy's favourite comic son, Toto, stars as Salvatore Loicano, a convict who has just been released from prison after 22 years behind bars. The former... Read more