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 Inglorious Bastards ( Quel Maledetto Treno Blindato ) (1978)
6.6/10
Director: Enzo G Castellari
Starring: Fred Williamson, Ian Bannen, Peter Hooten, Jackie Basehart, Bo Svenson, Michael...
Inspiration for Quentin Tarantino's 2009 film in name and genre only, this 'macaroni combat' film is set in WWII Europe as a group of American soldier... Read more
The Last Kiss (2001)
7/10
Director: Gabriele Muccino
Starring: Stefano Accorsi, Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Stefania Sandrelli
Aka "L'Ultimo Bacio". Carlo (Stefano Accorsi) and Giulia (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) are a couple in their late twenties who realise they've crossed the fi... 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
The Leopard (1963)
8.1/10
Director: Luchino Visconti
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon, Claudia Cardinale
AKA 'Il Gattopardo'. This magnificent spectacle, and one of the finest 'scope' movies ever made, is set in 1860 Sicily and focuses on an aristocrat wh... Read more
The Leopard (Il Gattopardo) (Blu-Ray) (1963)
8.1/10
Director: Luchino Visconti
Starring: Alain Delon, Burt Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale
As Garibaldi's troops begin the unification of Italy in the 1860s, an aristocratic Sicilian family grudgingly adapts to the sweeping social changes un... 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
The Mafia Only Kills in Summer (2013)
Director: Pierfrancesco Diliberto
Starring: Mario Gianani, Lorenzo Mieli
The winner of the 2014 European Film Award for Best European Comedy, this Italian box office hit follows the growing pains of Arturo, a Palermo boy wh... Read more
The Man Who Will Come (2009)
7.5/10
Director: Georgio Diritti
Starring: Maya Sansa, Alba Rohrwacher, Claudio Casadio
A powerful and engrossing drama based on the World War II tragedy known as the Marzabotto Massacre. This film confirms director and co-writer Giorgio... Read more
The Night of the Shooting Stars (1982)
7.5/10
Director: Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani
Starring: Omero Antonutti, Margarita Lozano, Norma Martel
Aka "The Night of San Lorenzo". During the final days of World War II, a small town in Italy finds its residents divided into two factions - those who... Read more
The Roof ( Il Tetto ) (1956)
7.3/10
Director: Vittorio De Sica
Starring: Gabriella Pallotta, Giorgio Listuzzi
De Sica once again returns to poor, post-war Italy to tell the small and unpretentious story of a young newly-wed couple. Having no money, they first... Read more