Cinema Paradiso
(1988)
Arguably the most successful foreign-language
film of all time the story of a young Italian boy and his friendship with movie
projectionist (Philippe Noiret) in a postwar Italian village went on to win the
Grand Prix at Cannes and the Best Foreign Film Oscar for 1989. (155 mins.)
Director: Giuseppe
Tornatore
Stars: Philippe
Noiret, Enzo Cannavale, Antonella Attili, Isa Danieli
The official trailer: www.youtube.com
We All Loved Each Other So Much (1974)
Gianni, Nicola and Antonio become close friends
in 1944 while fighting the Nazis, united in their desire for the liberation of
Italy. When the war ends, each go their separate ways but are inevitably linked
through their shared affection for a beautiful would-be actress. The film
traces the characters over a period of thirty years.
Director: Ettore
Scola
Stars: Nino
Manfredi, Vittorio Gassman, Stefania Sandrelli, Stefano Satta Flores
Official trailer:
www.youtube.com
Scent of a Woman (1974)
Screen legend Vittorio Gassman plays a feisty,
blind ex-army captain on a week-long trip from Turin to Naples. Accompanied by
a young army cadet as his 'eyes', the duo travel to Naples in search of love
with the resourceful captain attempting to seduce beautiful women with his
enhanced sense of smell. The award-winning film was later remade in 1992 in the
United States with Al Pacino in the starring role.
Director: Dino Risi
Stars: Vittorio
Gassman, Alessandro Momo, Agostina Belli, Moira Orfei
Official trailer:
www.youtube.com
Life Is Beautiful (1997)
Set in 1930's Italy, a carefree Jewish librarian (Guido) and his son become victims of the Holocaust. In an attempt to help his son survive the horrors of a Jewish Concentration Camp Guido imagines that the Holocaust is a game using a combination of humor and imagination. (116 mins.) Guido played by Roberto Benigni, also directed and co-wrote the film. At the 71st Academy Awards in 1999, Benigni won the Academy Award for Best Actor. The film also won both the Academy Award for Best Original Dramatic Score and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Director: Roberto
Benigni
Stars: Roberto
Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giorgio Cantarini, Giustino Durano
Official trailer:
www.youtube.com
La Dolce Vita (1960)
Whilst it may have raised the ire of the the Vatican, Frederico Fellini's 1960°Controversial masterpiece firmly established Italian cinema on the world map. Starring Marcello Mastroianni as journalist and philanderer Marcello Rubini, this is a tale of hedonistic excess that follows a wannabe playboy's life in Rome. It was recently included in Empire magazine's list of '100 Best Films of World Cinema'. Winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1960, 'La Dolce Vit'a was also nominated for four Academy Awards, ultimately winning the Best Costume Design for a Black and White Film.
Director: Frederico
Fellini
Stars: Marcello Mastroianni, Anita Ekberg and Anouk
Aimée
Trailer:
www.youtube.com
Image: scanned Original Movie Poster of Life is Beautiful -wikipedia.org