New Italian Film Series At Lincoln Center

[Chris Knipp]

I expect to be reviewing a majority of the dozen presentations June 6-13, 2007 in the Festival Coverage section. (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/editpost.php?s=&action=editpost&postid=17995)

[Chris Knipp]

SIRK MEETS CRONENBERG?


GIUSEPPE TORNATORE: THE UNKNOWN WOMAN (2006) (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=18017#post18017)

[Chris Knipp]

A LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE



EUGENIO CAPPUCCIO: ONE OUT OF TWO (2006)
(http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=18019#post18019)

[Chris Knipp]

ALESSIO BONI PLAYS CARAVAGGIO IN A BIG NEW BIO-PIC


ANGELO LONGONI: CARAVAGGIO (2006) (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=18023#post18023)

[Chris Knipp]

HE'S EVERYBODY'S CREEPY FRIEND. . .AND HE'LL LEND YOU MONEY


PAOLO SORRENTINO: THE FRIEND OF THE FAMILY (2006) (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=18026#post18026)

[Chris Knipp]

A SENEGALESE DESIGNER IN ROME WITH LOVE TROUBLES--MUSCARDIN BLENDS DOCMENTARY REALISM AND ROMANTIC COMEDY



LAURA MUSCARDIN: BILLO (2006) (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=18028#post18028)

[Chris Knipp]

SEE NAPLES AND GET MUGGED OR SHOT?



ENRICO CARIA: SEE NAPLES AND DIE (2007) (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=18030#post18030)

[Chris Knipp]

PUZZLE PICTURE OF THE ITALIAN SERIES: MEDITATION AND DESPERATION AT A COUNTRY VILLA


GIOVANNI DAVIDE MADERNA: SCHOPENHAUER (2006) (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=18033#post18033)

[Chris Knipp]

ENGROSSING AND STYLISH STUDY OF A SPIRITUAL QUEST (A SERIES HIGHLIGHT BY A NEW DIRECTOR TO WATCH)


SAVERIO COSTANZO: IN MEMORY OF ME (2007) (http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=18042#post18042)

[oscar jubis]

Italian films of the past decade have invariably disappointed me. One of the very few to rate better than merely "worth a look", in my opinion, was Costanzo's Private. I remember it got some extra press when our Academy disqualified it as Italy's Oscar submission because the film is not in Italian. Anyway, it was an interesting allegorical film that gave me some hope about the future of Italian cinema and I want to watch Costanzo's follow-up.

[Chris Knipp]

I have not seen it. Is it available on DVD I wonder. Muscardin and Capuccio also had interesting offerings this time. I assume you are not a fan of Gianni Amelio or Nanni Moretti or Gabriele Muccino, or Marco Bellocchio or Bernardo Bertolucci.

[oscar jubis]

Yes, Private is available on dvd.
Not a fan of Muccino or Bellocchio.
Fan of Bertolucci, Amelio, Moretti, and Pupi Avati too.
In the past decade, each of them has released one single film I consider better than merely "worth watching". They are: Besieged, The Best Man, The Son's Room and The Keys to the House. Amelio's Lamerica (1994), which we've discussed before, is the last great Italian film I've seen.

[Chris Knipp]

Agreed, I forgot Avati, also two Marco's Marco Tullio Giordano and Marco Ponti, a few other younger ones. Overall this series was n't bad at all, though I have to agree that obviously the Italian cinema is somewhat weak these days compared to the past. Bellocchio's work is spotty but Good Morning, Night was good. As for Muccino, he is a very skillful filmmaker, and very expressive of his generation, for good or ill. My favorite is Il come te nessuno mai, his first. Bertolucci is another director who is uneven but not dead yet, and I love The Sheltering Sky and The Dreamers.

[oscar jubis]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Chris Knipp
I forgot Avati
We have an Italian series here every December and they've shown several recent films from this very prolific director. Lamentably, La Rivincita di Natale (2004) wasn't among them. It's the sequel to one of Avati's best, Regalo di Natale (1986). which I watched at the Miami IFF and will never forget.

Marco Tullio Giordano
Giordana's The Best of Youth was quite enjoyable.

Overall this series wasn't bad at all, though I have to agree that obviously the Italian cinema is somewhat weak these days compared to the past.
Italian cinema has been weak for a long time. I've seen lots of decent, well-made films from Italy but very few memorable ones in the past 10 to 15 years. German cinema has experienced a renaissance in the past decade. It's got to be Italy's turn sometime, right? What Italy needs is a talented, iconoclastic rebel willing to ruffle feathers and energize the scene.

Bellocchio's work is spotty but Good Morning, Night was good.
I have my reservations but it was good.

As for Muccino, My favorite is Il come te nessuno mai, his first.
I don't remember exactly why I avoided it. Perhaps because of Dennis Lim calling it a "horny-Italian-teen frolic". It's on dvd and it's short so now that I know you like it I'll check it out.

Bertolucci is another director who is uneven but not dead yet, and I love The Sheltering Sky and The Dreamers.
I've seen everything he's done and I'm not about to stop. But I didn't love The Dreamers, in fact, I liked it less the second time around and I think it has to do with the limited performances by the beautiful-looking young trio.

[Chris Knipp]

I know Regalo di Natale, all his stuff is dinctincive but that may be one of the best.

I think the problem with Italian cinema is a culture-wide weakness. Did you know half their besteellers are American translations? They are inundated with American culture, their tv (also heavily US-influenced) sucks, and they do not promote their own cinema. Their best films are hard tp see in Italy itself. France is in contrast. The money, the talent, and the audience seem to be more available there, as well as the culture's passion for film and filmmaking and confidence in their own cultural validity. They have guarded and protected their cinema better than Italy. I was not aware that German film had had a renaissance. There are some good films but I hadn't noticed a whole wave of them.

Don't trust American evaluations of things like Io come te nessuno mai. I admire Dennis Lim, though. Wonder where he is now. L'ultimo bacio is also, when you watch it carefully, brilliantly made, it has a rhythm, and it puts its finger on the pulse of that generation.

I won't argue with you on The Dreamers, you're with the American manstream on that, and the hipper French journals were unexcited too. It sets itself wide open for damning criticisms. I like Louis Garrel in both that and Regular Lovers, which connect.

[oscar jubis]

You liked The Last Kiss more than I did.

Interesting comments about contemporary Italian culture.

After the Voice fired the great, highly respected music critic Robert Christgau, nothing that happens at that weekly could surprise me. Including the firing of Dennis Lim. Indiewire hired him to edit the 2006 Alternative Critics Poll. He writes for the NY Times once in a while. The last piece he wrote for that paper was a review of Guy Maddin's Brand Upon the Brain! about a month ago.

I'll be checking out Nuovomondo and hopefully, Moretti's Il Caimano later this year.

[Chris Knipp]

I'll be checking out Nuovomondo and hopefully, Moretti's Il Caimano later this year.

Others that I just saw were frankly more interesting than those, and Alolng the Ridge by Kim Rossi Stewart at the SFIFF.

[oscar jubis]

Do you know if the ones you found to be more interesting have distribution?

[Chris Knipp]

Too soon. Caravaggio, which would be worth watching, hasn't even been released in Italy.

By the way when I first watched The Last Kiss I didn't like it at all really, but on carefully studying it I came to admire the craftsmanship as well as the content much more.