Film

Pier Paolo Pasolini’s 1962 “Mamma Roma” stars Anna Magnani as the title character, a Roman prostitute determined to change her life and give her son the opportunities she never had. She seizes the opportunity to leave her life on the streets behind when her pimp (Franco Citti) gets married and frees her from his control. Mamma then goes to the small provincial town of Guidonia to fetch her son, Ettore (Ettore Garofolo), and bring him to Rome to embark on their new life together. She buys a pushcart, finds an apartment in a nice neighborhood, and uses her connections to …

The Museum of Modern Art in New York hosted a retrospective spanning the nearly 60-year career of composer Ennio Morricone. The film series took place in December and January and featured more than 35 films with 17 new digital restorations plus 35mm archival prints. “This Ennio Morricone retrospective is the largest MoMA has ever devoted to a movie composer,” said Joshua Siegel, curator of the Department of Film at MoMA. Among the films screened were classics like Giuseppe Tornatore’s “Cinema Paradiso,” Sergio Leone’s “A Fistful of Dollars,” and “Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight.” One archival treasure in the lineup was …

Francesco Patierno’s 2016 documentary “Naples ’44” was adapted from the book of the same name by Norman Lewis, a British intelligence officer stationed there during World War II. It is narrated by British film and TV star Benedict Cumberbatch. The documentary is a strong dose of reality that intermixes archival footage, old cinema clips, dramatizations and the recollections of an officer who witnessed unfathomable atrocities. Patierno’s film is informative, riveting, and at times shocking. “The inspiration to make this film came from my father,” Patierno said in a 2018 interview with Fra Noi. “One day, he told me about how …

This year’s edition of the New York Film Festival had a strong Italian flavor. The festival opened with Jim Jarmusch’s 1986 cult classic, “Down by Law,” which features a young and captivating Roberto Benigni, and closed with the North American premiere of Michael Mann’s “Ferrari,” starring Adam Driver, which tells the story of auto giant Enzo Ferrari’s legendary 1000-mile race across Italy, the Mille Miglia. In between, there were icons of Italian cinema and filmmakers from the new generation, and the screenings were packed. Marco Bellocchio presented his latest film, “Kidnapped” (Rapito), which is based on a true story. Adapted …

Organizers of the 80th edition of the Venice Film Festival, which ran Aug. 30-Sept. 9, recognized a number of legendary artists. Tributes included a film retrospective dedicated to Gina Lollobrigida, who passed away in January. One very special recognition went to director Liliana Cavani, who was awarded a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. Now 90 years old, Cavani was there to receive her award and later presented her new film, “L’ordine del tempo,” which premiered out of competition. Actress Charlotte Rampling, who starred in Cavani’s 1974 devastating Holocaust drama, “Il portiere di notte” (The Night Porter), presented Cavani with the …

In 2019, we talked with Calabrese actor Fortunato Verduci about his role in the FX series “Trust,” his passion for the Calabrese culture, and keeping alive the region’s traditions of music and dance. He was later featured in the April 2020 issue. Now, Verduci has a new project; an enchanting music video celebrating the land he loves so much. The video is set in the Castello di Santo Niceto, an 11th-century Byzantine castle nestled on a hilltop in Motta San Giovanni in the province of Reggio Calabria. In this haunting setting, Verduci and model Maryame Jafire act out a tale …

A tragic story based on true events, Giuseppe De Santis’ 1952 “Roma ore 11” (Rome 11:00) follows several young women in post-WWII Rome as they answer a single job listing for a typist. When 200 women are in line on one staircase spanning several floors, a crack leads to the collapse of the entire staircase. Dozens were injured, and one person was killed. The tragedy spoke to the poverty and desperation of so many Italians in the early 1950s before the ’58 industrial boom began. The prolific screenwriter Cesare Zavattini contributed to the script, which was based on testimonials. Filmmaker …

An independent short film that follows a musician as he follows in the footsteps of iconic beat poet Jack Kerouac is receiving praise on the national film festival circuit. Produced by songwriter and first-time filmmaker Dru DeCaro, “Destination Angels” rides along with DeCaro’s longtime friend and fellow musician Christopher Mansfield, aka Fences, as he embarks on a journey of self-reflection while paying tribute to his literary hero. The adventure begins when Fences receives a call from Jim Sampas, Kerouac’s nephew and head of his estate. The conversation prompts Fences and DeCaro to head north up California’s Route 1, retracing Kerouac’s …

If your summer travel plans include a trip to the Eternal City, there is one lesser-known place you won’t want to miss. The Biblioteca Nazionale di Roma (National Central Library of Rome) is a treasure trove of information on the most important figures of Italian literature. Many contributed to screenplays and wrote books from which films were adapted. Entering the library, you will see an inviting exhibition area called the Spazi900 museum. Upon entering the space, you will find yourself in a whole different world. The Sala Pasolini (Pasolini Rome) is dedicated to the films Pier Paolo Pasolini made based …

I recently attended a symposium at the Metropolitan Museum of Art focusing on the Met’s stunning exhibit “Chroma: Ancient Sculpture in Color.” The speakers and their presentations were captivating, and then to see the works up close brought the experiencing to a gratifying conclusion. The exhibit featured reconstructions of ancient sculptures painted in vibrant colors as they were created 2,000-plus years ago. Although sculptures created during the Renaissance were as monochromatic when they were created as they are today, that often isn’t the case with ancient sculptures. According exhibit literature, “Greek and Roman sculpture was originally richly embellished with colorful …