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'
Bertolucci's debut feature was written by his friend Pier Paolo Pasolini and bears that filmmaker's mark of realism. When a prostitute is murdered in... Read more
This loose modern retelling of Boccaccio's Decameron is essentially four short films from four of Italy's finest directors. Fellini, Visconti, Monicel... Read more
'Eclipse'. A fascinating drama of alienation about a translator (Monica Vitti) who breaks up with her boyfriend and commences an affair with stockbrok... Read more
Heeding an inner voice, the 'Son of Samson,' a loner from an outlying borough scourges the capital, using his high-caliber muscles to break up the Que... Read more
Michelangelo Antonioni's stunning follow-up to 'L'Avventura' explores similar themes of relationship dysfunction and the search for unattainable passi... Read more
Michelangelo Antonioni's stunning follow-up to 'L'Avventura' explores similar themes of relationship dysfunction and the search for unattainable passi... Read more
'A landmark of cinematic social comment,' wrote one critic about Fellini's journey through a decadent Rome. Banned by the church in many countries, th... 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
'A landmark of cinematic social comment,' wrote one critic about Fellini's journey through a decadent Rome. Banned by the church in many countries, th... Read more
A scathing examination of Italy's aristocratic classes set within the framework of a mystery story, director Michelangelo Antonioni's groundbreaking f... Read more