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'
A Heart Elsewhere (2003)
Director: Pupi Avati
Starring: Neri Marcore, Vanessa Incontrada, Giancarlo Giannini
Aka "Il Cuore Altrove". Nello Balocchi, a 35-year-old teacher of Greek and Latin, shy and reserved by nature, is invited to Bologna by his father Cesa... Read more
La Nostra Vita (2010)
6.7/10
Director: Daniele Luchetti
Starring: Elio Germano, Raoul Bova, Isabella Ragonese, Luca Zingaretti
Claudio works in the suburbs of Rome. He is in love with his wife who is pregnant with their third child. A dramatic event upsets his life. Claudio fi... Read more
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
Marriages (Per tutta la vita) (2021)
5.9/10
Starring: Carolina Crescentini, Claudia Gerini, Filippo Nigro, Fabio Volo
Four married couples find out that their marriage is not valid because celebrated by a man that was not a real priest. The four stories intertwine and... Read more
The Legend Of The Holy Drinker (Blu-ray) (1988)
7.2/10
Director: Ermanno Olmi
Starring: Rutger Hauer, Anthony Quayle, Dominique Pinon
An alcoholic homeless man is given two hundred francs by a stranger, who requests that when he can he will return the money to Saint Therese in the ca... Read more
Probability Zero (1969)
Director: Maurizio Lucidi
Starring: Henry Silva
Europe, WWII. When an Allied Spitfire plane containing important radar equipment is shot down and crashes over Norway, the desperate German forces set... Read more
The Consequences of Love (2004)
7.5/10
Director: Paolo Sorrentino
Starring: Toni Servillo, Adriano Giannini
An introverted man's life changes completely when he finds himself attracted to a young bar-maid. Read more
Paganini (1989)
5.1/10
Director: Klaus Kinski
Starring: Klaus Kinski
A biography of Italian violinist Niccolò Paganini. Read more
The Flowers Of St. Francis (Francesco, giullare di Dio) (1950)
7.5/10
Director: Roberto Rossellini
Starring: Aldo Fabrizi
A series of vignettes depicting the lives of the original Franciscan monks, including their leader and the bumbling Ginepro. Read more
Hatchet for the Honeymoon (1970)
6.4/10
Director: Mario Bava
Starring: Stephen Forsyth, Dagmar Lassander, Laura Betti, Jesus Puente, Femi Benussi
Before you know it, the honeymoon's over! John Harrington (Stephen Forsyth) and his wife, Mildred (Laura Betti), run an exclusive salon devoted to... Read more