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'
The Great Beauty (2013)
7.8/10
Director: Paolo Sorrentino
Starring: Sabrina Ferilli, Carlo Verdone, Toni Servillo
For decades, journalist Jep Gambardella has charmed and seduced his way through the glittering nightlife of Rome. Since the legendary success of his o... Read more
The Best Offer (2013)
7.8/10
Director: Giuseppe Tornatore
Starring: Dermot Crowley, Donald Sutherland, Geoffrey Rush, Philip Jackson, Jim Sturgess,...
Acclaimed director Giuseppe Tornatore ("Cinema Paradiso") reunites with renowned composer Ennio Morricone for this dramatic mystery set in the high-st... Read more
The Best Offer ( Blu-ray ) (2013)
7.8/10
Director: Giuseppe Tornatore
Starring: Dermot Crowley, Donald Sutherland, Geoffrey Rush, Philip Jackson, Jim Sturgess,...
Acclaimed director Giuseppe Tornatore (Cinema Paradiso) reunites with renowned composer Ennio Morricone for this dramatic mystery set in the high-stak... Read more
We Have a Pope ( Habemus Papam ) (2012)
6.7/10
Director: Nanni Moretti
Starring: Margherita Buy, Michel Piccoli, Nanni Moretti, Jerzy Stuhr
At the Vatican, following the demise of the Pope, the conclave to elect his successor settles on Cardinal Melville. But the faithful gathered in St Pe... Read more
Reality (2012)
6.8/10
Director: Matteo Garrone
Starring: Aniello Arena, Loredana Simioli, Nando Paone, Nunzia Schiano, Nello Iorio, Giuse...
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
Twice Born (2012)
7.4/10
Director: Sergio Castellitto
Starring: Penelope Cruz, Emile Hirsch
A.k.a. "Venuto al mondo". Gemma visits Sarajevo with her son, Pietro. 16 years earlier, they escaped the war-torn city while Diego, the boy's father,... Read more
Italy: Love It or Leave It (2011)
6.6/10
Director: Luca Ragazzi, Gustav Hofer
The lease on their apartment is up and Gustav Hofer and Luca Ragazzi must decide whether to stay in Italy or leave. Having witnessed the exodus of man... Read more
Ages of Love ( aka Manual of Love 3 ) (2011)
5.9/10
Director: Giovanni Veronesi
Starring: Monica Bellucci, Robert De Niro, Donatella Finocchiaro, Michele Placido, Carlo V...
Sexy, romantic, adventurous and very funny, "Ages of Love" examines three different couples united in their quest for love. The first installment, tit... Read more
The Salt of Life (2011)
6.3/10
Director: Gianni Di Gregorio
Starring: Valeria De Franciscis, Gianni Di Gregorio, Alfonso Santagata
House husband Gianni has many things to worry about while his retirement slips by doing boring chores for his wife, mother, daughter and pretty neighb... 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