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'
Ludwig (1973)
7.7/10
Director: Luchino Visconti
Starring: Helmut Berger, Trevor Howard, Romy Schneider, Silvana Mangano, Helmut Griem
Luchino Visconti directs this opulent costume drama. From his glittering coronation in 1864 as King of Bavaria to his mysterious death in 1886, Ludwig... Read more
Blood Feud (1973)
6/10
Director: Lina Wertmuller
Starring: Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni, Turi Ferro
A torrid story of love and revenge. Sophia Loren is a Neopolitan whose husband is gunned down and is befriended by Marcello Mastroianni, her Lawyer. T... Read more
Lo Scopone Scientifico ( The Scientific Cardplayer ) (1972)
Director: Luigi Comencini
Starring: Alberto Sordi, Bette Davis, Joseph Cotten, Silvana Mangano
Every year, a Countess (Bette Davis) invites a poor Italian family to play in a card game with the Countess' money at stake. She always wins. But one... Read more
The Canterbury Tales (1972)
6.5/10
Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini
Starring: Laura Betti, Ninetto Davoli, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Hugh Griffith, Josephine Chapl...
The second part of Pasolini's 'Trilogy of Life' (beginning with 'The Decameron' and ending with 'Arabian Nights') is based on the 14th century stories... Read more
Fellini's Roma (1972)
Director: Federico Fellini
Starring: Peter Gonzales, Britta Barnes, Pia De Doses
In this filmic salute to his beloved city, Fellini juxtaposes scenes of himself as an adult shooting a movie on the streets of Rome, with childhood me... Read more
In The Eye Of The Hurricane (Blu-ray) (1971)
6.2/10
Director: José María Forqué
Starring: Jean Sorel, Rosanna Yanni
Ruth and Michel separate after Ruth finds another man, Paul. Ruth and Paul go to her sunny, idyllic beach side villa to spend summer. They are having... Read more
The Decameron (1971)
7.1/10
Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini
Starring: Ninetto Davoli, Franco Citti, Angela Luce
The first part of Pasolini's great trilogy, based on the ribald tales of Boccaccio, which deal with human sensuality and artistic creation. Pasolini h... Read more
La moglie più bella/The Most Beautiful Wife (Blu-ray) (1970)
Starring: Ornella Muti
Based on the story of Franca Viola and Filippo Melodia. In Sicily, as a Mafia boss leaves for prison, he advises Vito, a young man who's his potential... 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
The Conformist (1970)
8.1/10
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
Starring: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Stefania Sandrelli, Dominique Sanda, Pierre Clementi
Derived from the novel by Alberto Moravia, acclaimed director Bernardo Bertolucci's visually electrifying masterpiece about sex, politics, repression... Read more