NEW ITALIAN CINEMA (SFFS 13-20 Nov. 2011)

[Chris Knipp]

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NEW ITALIAN CINEMA (SFFS 13-20 NOV 2011)

The San Francisco Film Society presents this series, which I will be reviewing in the Festival Coverage section (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29) of Filmleaf, a program of a dozen films, with 8 new films in competition for the audience-balloted City of Forence Award. These are::

2 CIGARETTES Aureliano Amadei 2010 94 min (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29&p=27053#post27053)
FATHER AND THE FOREIGNER, THE Ricky Tognazzi 2010 107 min (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29&p=27059#post27059)
FIRST ASSIGNMENT, THE Giorgio Cecere 201 90 min (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29&p=27024#post27024)
JEWEL, THE Andrea Malaoli 2010 110 min (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29&p=27002#post27002)
ONE LIFE, MAYBE TWO Alessandro Arondino 2010 88 min (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29&p=27034#post27034)
QUIET LIFE, A Claudio Cupellini 2010 103 min (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29&p=27001#post27001)
SOME SAY NO Giambattista Avellini 2011 95 min (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29&p=27006#post27006)
WORLD IS FOR YOU, THIS Francesco Falaschi 2011 82 min
(http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29&p=27056#post27056)
In addition the director Daniele Lucchetti is featured with these three films:
OUR LIFE Daniele Lucchetti 2010, 98 min (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29&p=27000#post27000)
(Opening night)
GINGER AND CINNAMON 2003 103 min
IT'S HAPPENING TOMORROW 1987 87 MIN

And the special closing night film will be:
HABEMUS PAPAM ( (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3165-Paris-movie-report-%28oct-2011%29&p=26915#post26915)We Have a Pope) Nanni Moretti 2011 102 min
I already reviewed that one from Paris last month.

The Festival Coverage thread for this series begins HERE (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29).

You can click on the individual titles above to go to the reviews.

[Chris Knipp]

Reviews of Luchetti's OUR LIFE, Cupellini's A QUIET LIFE, Molaioli's THE JEWEL (these two starring the great Toni Servillo) and Avellilni's topical comedy SOME SAY NO are all up in the Festival Coverage section now.


THE JEWEL Andrea Malaoli 2010 110 min (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29&p=27002#post27002)
A QUIET LIFE Claudio Cupellini 2010 103 min (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29&p=27001#post27001)
SOME SAY NO Giambattista Avellini 2011 95 min (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29&p=27006#post27006)
OUR LIFE Daniele Lucchetti 2010, 98 min (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29&p=27000#post27000)
HABEMUS PAPAM Nanni Moretti (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3165-Paris-movie-report-%28oct-2011%29&p=26915#post26915) 2011 102 min

[Chris Knipp]

THE FIRST ASSIGNMENT Giorgia Cercere (2010) (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29&p=27024#post27024)

Understated film about a young teacher in Fifties Puglia struggling with rustic students and a long distance relationship. This was reportedly received with great enthusiasm at Venice 2010 but it seems more bland and inexpressive than subtle. The presence of the newly emergent actress Isabella Ragonese, who stars, adds some interest, however.

[Chris Knipp]

ONE LIFE, MAYBE TWO (Alessandro Arononadio 2011) (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29&p=27034#post27034)

A 'what-if' drama with two alternate life story lines if a young man rear ends a cop car or doesn't. Interesting for the appealing new star in the lead, Lorenzo Balducci, and for realistic, if chopped up, scenes of contemporary life, which director Aronadio handles with skill.

[Chris Knipp]

20 CIGARETTES (Aureliano Amadei 2010) (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29&p=27053#post27053)

Autobiographical tale of the director's injury in Iraq. The tone is uneven and the film tries to do much too much. The tragic incident was international news in 2003, and in it 17 Italians in a 'peacekeeping force' were killed along with 9 Iraqis. Amadei was a slacker and wouldbe filmmaker whose involvement was incidental.

[Chris Knipp]

THIS WORLD IS FOR YOU (FRANCESCO FALASCHI 2011)
(http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29&p=27056#post27056)
Light as a feather, or the flight of a bird, is this third feature narrated by its 19-year-old protagonist Teo, who lives on the Tuscan coast and wants to become a writer, but drifts through a number of minor jobs while somewhat vaguely involved with the charming Chiara, who studies viniculture and goes to Albania to find the first grape man used to make wine. This World Is for You is charming and has the quality of leggerezza or lightness that Italo Calvino defined among the six essentials of writing in the new millenium. Delightful: but will you remember it? Falaschi gives pleasure, but he does not challenge himself much. Come to think of it, it's not like Calvino was asking Italians to be German.

[Chris Knipp]

SFFS's NEW ITALIAN CINEMA 2011
Index of reviews for whole series. This includes all but two of the Luchetti retrospective items. Click on any title for the review in the Festival Coverage section of Filmleaf.

2 CIGARETTES Aureliano Amadei 2010 94 min (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29&p=27053#post27053)
FATHER AND THE FOREIGNER, THE Ricky Tognazzi 2010 107 min (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29&p=27059#post27059)
FIRST ASSIGNMENT, THE Giorgio Cecere 201 90 min (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29&p=27024#post27024)
HABEMUS PAPAM (We Have a Pope) Nanni Moretti 2011 102 min (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3165-Paris-movie-report-%28oct-2011%29&p=26915#post26915)
JEWEL, THE Andrea Malaoli 2010 110 min (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29&p=27002#post27002)
ONE LIFE, MAYBE TWO Alessandro Arondino 2010 88 min (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29&p=27034#post27034)
OUR LIFE Daniele Luchetti 2010, 98 min (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29&p=27000#post27000)
QUIET LIFE, A Claudio Cupellini 2010 103 min (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29&p=27001#post27001)
SOME SAY NO Giambattista Avellini 2011 95 min (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29&p=27006#post27006)
WORLD IS FOR YOU, THIS Francesco Falaschi 2011 82 min
(http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29&p=27056#post27056)

Not reviewed:
GINGER AND CINNAMON Daniele Luchetti 2003 103 min
IT'S HAPPENING TOMORROW Daniele Luchetti 1987 87 MIN

[Chris Knipp]

Some concluding remarks on the series. (http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3185-NEW-ITALIAN-CINEMA-%28SFFS-13-20-Nov-2011%29&p=27077#post27077)

This is the beginning of some concluding remarks on the series. For the rest in the Festival section, click on the line above.

This was a very enjoyable series to watch, for me, and full of relevant stuff. The selections included many films that dealt with contemporary issues and there was no dead wood, nothing that was self indulgent or an obvious misfire. That quality of relevance was present even in some of the more problematic choices. 20 Cigarettes (though it got several Italian film awards this year) is very uneven in tone but it does deal with the Iraq war. The Father and the Foreigner winds up being rather muddled but it does touch on handicapped children and the Middle East. The ax-to-grind comedy Some Say No might be accused of trivializing the huge issue of Italy's national dependence on graft and favoritism, but maybe its sugaring of a bitter pill is strategically wise. Anyway, the issue it exposes is definitely a central one.

Our Life; One Life, Maybe Two; even the Fifties-set First Assignment focus on work problems. Our Life again confronts Italian graft and nepotism, on the working class level, as well las the plight of foreign workers. The issue is present in Some Say No, which asserts that the best qualified can't get the jobs they deserve. A very young man is wondering what to do in Francesco Falaschi's lightweight but charming This World Is for You, which considers the more basic and universal issue of someone whose artistic ambitions are deemed impractical.

Graft, the mafia, nepotism, joblessness, immigrant problems, and other issues were much in evidence, even if there was no Il Divo or Gomorrah. . . It was a pleasure just to see the brilliant Toni Servillo at work again in two leading roles, both as a crabby executive in the true-to-life scandal movie, The Jewel, and as man living under cover in the subtle mafia thriller, A Quiet Life. . .

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THE AMAZING TONI SERVILLO.