In an unprecedented move, 21 unions as well as leading figures from the Italian cinema industry joined forces on Friday (April 5) to voice their concerns about challenges in accessing public funding that have brought film and high-end TV production to a standstill in the country.
“Never have I seen in my long career a unity such as this in the Italian industry,” veteran director Marco Bellocchio said on stage at a crowded event that filled several screening rooms of the Cinema Adriano in Rome. Directors such as Paolo Sorrentino, Paolo Virzì and Fabrizio Gifuni also attended, alongside several actors and producers.
“Never have I seen in my long career a unity such as this in the Italian industry,” veteran director Marco Bellocchio said on stage at a crowded event that filled several screening rooms of the Cinema Adriano in Rome. Directors such as Paolo Sorrentino, Paolo Virzì and Fabrizio Gifuni also attended, alongside several actors and producers.
- 4/9/2024
- ScreenDaily
Solid, stately and — like the collapsing Papal States of the Italian Peninsula in the late 1800s — just a little too tradition-bound for its own good, Marco Bellocchio’s “Kidnapped,” based on a 19th-century case of religious abduction, opens with an eavesdrop. Anna (Aurora Camatti), the Catholic servant to the Jewish Mortara family of Bologna, pauses on the stairs after a tryst and spies her employers, Momolo Mortara (Fausto Russo Alesi) and his wife Marianna (Barbara Ronchi), murmuring a blessing in Hebrew over their newborn baby boy. It is not clear yet why the sight should make her stop in her tracks, but over the course of over two sedate but mostly absorbing hours, the veteran director follows its repercussions with a singleminded, narrow dedication that sits strangely at odds with the film’s immaculately expansive production design.
Six years later, the Mortara family has itself expanded greatly. The boy, Edgardo...
Six years later, the Mortara family has itself expanded greatly. The boy, Edgardo...
- 5/23/2023
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
At 83 years-old, Italian auteur Marco Bellocchio has been on a hot streak these past years, with the success both at home and abroad of his 2019 Sicilian mafia epic, The Traitor, and his first ever TV miniseries, Exterior, Night, playing well around Europe.
His latest feature — the 31st in a prolific career that began at age 24 with his breakout drama, Fists in the Pocket — is probably not his greatest, but that’s not really a put-down in a filmography filled with memorable work, including other recent movies like Vincere and Good Morning, Night.
Kidnapped (Rapito), a period piece about a Jewish boy taken away from his family to live in the Vatican in 1858, may not be on par with those titles, but it’s still an engaging and somewhat fascinating film, telling a true story that probes historic Italian antisemitism and the follies of the Catholic church.
Filled with the director...
His latest feature — the 31st in a prolific career that began at age 24 with his breakout drama, Fists in the Pocket — is probably not his greatest, but that’s not really a put-down in a filmography filled with memorable work, including other recent movies like Vincere and Good Morning, Night.
Kidnapped (Rapito), a period piece about a Jewish boy taken away from his family to live in the Vatican in 1858, may not be on par with those titles, but it’s still an engaging and somewhat fascinating film, telling a true story that probes historic Italian antisemitism and the follies of the Catholic church.
Filled with the director...
- 5/23/2023
- by Jordan Mintzer
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Belgian directors Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch’s Italian-language drama The Eight Mountains and veteran Marco Bellocchio’s Exterior Night topped the 68th edition of Italy’s David di Donatello Awards on Wednesday evening.
The Eight Mountains won best film as well as best non-original screenplay, photography and sound.
Based on the novel of the same name by Paolo Cognetti, it stars Luca Marinelli and Alessandro Borghi as two men from different backgrounds who form a life-long bond during summers spent together as children in a remote mountain village.
The film world premiered in Competition at Cannes last year where it co-won the Jury Prize. Read the Deadline review here.
It is the second time in the history of the awards that a film by non-Italian directors has clinched the best film prize.
The last time was in 1971 when the Dino de Laurentiis-produced epic Waterloo by Russian director Sergei Bonderchuk,...
The Eight Mountains won best film as well as best non-original screenplay, photography and sound.
Based on the novel of the same name by Paolo Cognetti, it stars Luca Marinelli and Alessandro Borghi as two men from different backgrounds who form a life-long bond during summers spent together as children in a remote mountain village.
The film world premiered in Competition at Cannes last year where it co-won the Jury Prize. Read the Deadline review here.
It is the second time in the history of the awards that a film by non-Italian directors has clinched the best film prize.
The last time was in 1971 when the Dino de Laurentiis-produced epic Waterloo by Russian director Sergei Bonderchuk,...
- 5/11/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
“The Eight Mountains,” Belgian directors Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch’s Italian-language drama about friendship, mountains and growing up, scored the top prize at Italy’s 68th David di Donatello Awards.
Besides winning best picture, the film also scooped statuettes for best non-original screenplay, photography and sound.
Given that the directors are not Italian, it was a particularly significant victory for “Mountains,” which was praised as “quietly magnificent” by Variety critic Jessica Kiang. The film, which is currently playing well on the U.S. arthouse circuit, tracks the decades-long friendship between two Italian boys named Pietro and Bruno — one from the city, the other a shepherd boy from the Alps.
“It’s pretty incredible,” commented a visibly moved Van Groeningen. “Two Belgians who win this prize in Italy for an Italian movie.” “Thank you for this declaration of love,” added Vandermeersch, his partner in life. “We love Italy very much.
Besides winning best picture, the film also scooped statuettes for best non-original screenplay, photography and sound.
Given that the directors are not Italian, it was a particularly significant victory for “Mountains,” which was praised as “quietly magnificent” by Variety critic Jessica Kiang. The film, which is currently playing well on the U.S. arthouse circuit, tracks the decades-long friendship between two Italian boys named Pietro and Bruno — one from the city, the other a shepherd boy from the Alps.
“It’s pretty incredible,” commented a visibly moved Van Groeningen. “Two Belgians who win this prize in Italy for an Italian movie.” “Thank you for this declaration of love,” added Vandermeersch, his partner in life. “We love Italy very much.
- 5/10/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Variety has been given exclusive access to the trailer for Marco Bellocchio’s “Kidnapped” (Rapito), which has its world premiere in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival.
The film starts in 1858 in the Jewish quarter of Bologna, when the Pope’s soldiers burst into the home of the Mortara family. By order of the cardinal, they have come to take Edgardo, their seven-year-old son. The child had been secretly baptized by his nurse as a baby and the papal law is unquestionable: he must receive a Catholic education.
Edgardo’s parents, distraught, will do anything to get their son back. Supported by public opinion and the international Jewish community, the Mortaras’ struggle quickly takes a political dimension. But the Church and the Pope will not agree to return the child, to consolidate an increasingly wavering power.
The film stars Paolo Pierobon, Fausto Russo Alesi, Barbara Ronchi, Enea Sala (as the...
The film starts in 1858 in the Jewish quarter of Bologna, when the Pope’s soldiers burst into the home of the Mortara family. By order of the cardinal, they have come to take Edgardo, their seven-year-old son. The child had been secretly baptized by his nurse as a baby and the papal law is unquestionable: he must receive a Catholic education.
Edgardo’s parents, distraught, will do anything to get their son back. Supported by public opinion and the international Jewish community, the Mortaras’ struggle quickly takes a political dimension. But the Church and the Pope will not agree to return the child, to consolidate an increasingly wavering power.
The film stars Paolo Pierobon, Fausto Russo Alesi, Barbara Ronchi, Enea Sala (as the...
- 5/3/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Harry’s House has found a new home on the 65th Annual Grammy Awards stage.
British singer Harry Styles will perform during the ceremony’s broadcast on Sunday, Feb. 5 at 8 pm Et/5 pm Pt (and streamed live on Paramount+).
More from TVLineShrinking Recap: Grade the Premiere of Apple TV+'s Ted Lasso-esque ComedyTVLine Items: Kidman's Perfect Nanny Series, Leno's Garage Closed and MoreWhy Is Dean in Winchesters Photo? Did Last of Us Lunch Look Too Good? Why Is Barney in Himyf 'Burbs? More Qs!
Styles is nominated for six Grammy Awards: Album of the Year (“Harry’s House”), Record of...
British singer Harry Styles will perform during the ceremony’s broadcast on Sunday, Feb. 5 at 8 pm Et/5 pm Pt (and streamed live on Paramount+).
More from TVLineShrinking Recap: Grade the Premiere of Apple TV+'s Ted Lasso-esque ComedyTVLine Items: Kidman's Perfect Nanny Series, Leno's Garage Closed and MoreWhy Is Dean in Winchesters Photo? Did Last of Us Lunch Look Too Good? Why Is Barney in Himyf 'Burbs? More Qs!
Styles is nominated for six Grammy Awards: Album of the Year (“Harry’s House”), Record of...
- 1/30/2023
- by Erianne Lewis
- TVLine.com
Shooting is underway in Naples on the fourth and final season of HBO/Rai series “My Brilliant Friend” which sees some key casting changes in the lead roles of the two best friends, Elena Greco and Lila Cerullo, no longer played by Margherita Mazzucco and Gaia Girace.
For the fourth season of the Elena Ferrante quadrilogy, titled “The Story of the Lost Child,” as previously announced, Alba Rohrwacher (on the left of the first look image) is playing Elena Greco, aka Lenù. Irene Maiorino (“Gomorrah”) has now been announced as Lila. And additionally, Fabrizio Gifuni (“Exterior Night”) will play Nino Sarratore, the writer who has long been the object of Lenù’s affection. Sarratore was previously played by Francesco Serpico.
The fourth season of “Brilliant Friend” is being directed by Laura Bispuri, known for the transgender-themed drama “Sworn Virgin” and for “Daughter of Mine.” Both films starred Rohrwacher and played in Berlin.
For the fourth season of the Elena Ferrante quadrilogy, titled “The Story of the Lost Child,” as previously announced, Alba Rohrwacher (on the left of the first look image) is playing Elena Greco, aka Lenù. Irene Maiorino (“Gomorrah”) has now been announced as Lila. And additionally, Fabrizio Gifuni (“Exterior Night”) will play Nino Sarratore, the writer who has long been the object of Lenù’s affection. Sarratore was previously played by Francesco Serpico.
The fourth season of “Brilliant Friend” is being directed by Laura Bispuri, known for the transgender-themed drama “Sworn Virgin” and for “Daughter of Mine.” Both films starred Rohrwacher and played in Berlin.
- 1/30/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The pals on My Brilliant Friend are all grown up.
For the drama’s fourth and final season on HBO, Alba Rohrwacher will play Elena Greco and Irene Maiorino will take over as Lila Cerullo in the series based on “The Story Of The Lost Child,” Elena Ferrante’s fourth and final book of her quadrilogy.
The series follows Elena Greco and the most important friend in her life — Raffaella Cerullo, whom she has always called Lila, in the first year of primary school in 1950. Their story goes on to cover more than 60 years of their lives and explores the mystery of Lila, Elena’s brilliant friend and – in a way – both her best friend and her worst enemy.
Fabrizio Gifuni will also join season four as Nino Sarratore.
Irene Maioria (Lila) and Alba Rohrwacher (Elena). Photo by Eduardo Castaldo
My Brilliant Friend is created by Saverio Costanzo. This season...
For the drama’s fourth and final season on HBO, Alba Rohrwacher will play Elena Greco and Irene Maiorino will take over as Lila Cerullo in the series based on “The Story Of The Lost Child,” Elena Ferrante’s fourth and final book of her quadrilogy.
The series follows Elena Greco and the most important friend in her life — Raffaella Cerullo, whom she has always called Lila, in the first year of primary school in 1950. Their story goes on to cover more than 60 years of their lives and explores the mystery of Lila, Elena’s brilliant friend and – in a way – both her best friend and her worst enemy.
Fabrizio Gifuni will also join season four as Nino Sarratore.
Irene Maioria (Lila) and Alba Rohrwacher (Elena). Photo by Eduardo Castaldo
My Brilliant Friend is created by Saverio Costanzo. This season...
- 1/30/2023
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
La conversione
The true story has put the fear of god in the directors who consider making it, but finally, it was Italian maestro Marco Bellocchio who took on the project on a person who goes by the name of Edgardo Mortara. An almost three-plus month shoot in Bologna and Rome, Marco Bellocchio co-wrote with Susanna Nicchiarelli, this is the true-life drama set in 1858. La Conversione stars Paolo Pierobon, Barbara Ronchi, Fausto Russo Alesi, Filippo Timi, Fabrizio Gifuni, Enea Sala, playing Mortara as a child, and Leonardo Maltese, playing Mortara as an older boy.…...
The true story has put the fear of god in the directors who consider making it, but finally, it was Italian maestro Marco Bellocchio who took on the project on a person who goes by the name of Edgardo Mortara. An almost three-plus month shoot in Bologna and Rome, Marco Bellocchio co-wrote with Susanna Nicchiarelli, this is the true-life drama set in 1858. La Conversione stars Paolo Pierobon, Barbara Ronchi, Fausto Russo Alesi, Filippo Timi, Fabrizio Gifuni, Enea Sala, playing Mortara as a child, and Leonardo Maltese, playing Mortara as an older boy.…...
- 1/19/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
The New York Film Festival on Tuesday revealed its Spotlight section lineup, which includes the world premiere of She Said, Universal’s drama based on the work of New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey who investigated and wrote the bombshell 2017 Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse story.
Maria Schrader directed the pic starring Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan that features a cast including Patricia Clarkson, Andre Braugher, Samantha Morton and Jennifer Ehle. Adapted from the reporters’ book by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, the film hits theaters November 18.
Other Spotlight world premieres set for NYFF, which runs September 30-October 16, includes Till, Chinonye Chukwu’s story of Mamie Till-Mobley, the Chicago woman whose son, Emmett, was lynched while visiting cousins in Mississippi in 1955. Also, a pair of documentaries: A Cooler Climate, James Ivory and Giles Gardner’s film that uncovers boxes of film Ivory shot during a trip to Afghanistan in 1960; and Personality Crisis: One Night Only,...
Maria Schrader directed the pic starring Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan that features a cast including Patricia Clarkson, Andre Braugher, Samantha Morton and Jennifer Ehle. Adapted from the reporters’ book by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, the film hits theaters November 18.
Other Spotlight world premieres set for NYFF, which runs September 30-October 16, includes Till, Chinonye Chukwu’s story of Mamie Till-Mobley, the Chicago woman whose son, Emmett, was lynched while visiting cousins in Mississippi in 1955. Also, a pair of documentaries: A Cooler Climate, James Ivory and Giles Gardner’s film that uncovers boxes of film Ivory shot during a trip to Afghanistan in 1960; and Personality Crisis: One Night Only,...
- 8/16/2022
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Following their stellar Main Slate lineup, the 60th New York Film Festival has unveiled its Spotlight section, featuring a number of notable world premieres. Martin Scorsese and David Tedeschi’s David Johansen documentary Personality Crisis: One Night Only will debut at the festival, along with Maria Schrader’s She Said, Chinonye Chukwu’s Till, Elvis Mitchell’s Is That Black Enough for You?!?, and James Ivory and Giles Gardner’s A Cooler Climate.
Also in the lineup is Luca Guadagnino’s Bones and All, Sarah Polley’s Woman Talking, a special 50th anniversary presentation of Solaris with a new live score, a new documentary on the late Robert Downey, Sr. by Chris Smith and new series from Lars von Trier and Marco Bellocchio.
“Ranging from illuminating portraits and affecting personal stories to uncomfortable histories that ignite change, the third edition of our NYFF Spotlight section is a curated mix of world premieres,...
Also in the lineup is Luca Guadagnino’s Bones and All, Sarah Polley’s Woman Talking, a special 50th anniversary presentation of Solaris with a new live score, a new documentary on the late Robert Downey, Sr. by Chris Smith and new series from Lars von Trier and Marco Bellocchio.
“Ranging from illuminating portraits and affecting personal stories to uncomfortable histories that ignite change, the third edition of our NYFF Spotlight section is a curated mix of world premieres,...
- 8/16/2022
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Shooting has begun in Roccabianca in the province of Parma, Italy, on Marco Bellocchio’s new film, “La Conversione” (The Conversion), inspired by the story of Edgardo Mortara, the Jewish child who in 1858 was removed from his family to be raised as a Catholic in the custody of Pope Pius IX. Bellocchio is pictured, above, on set in Roccabianca this week.
“La Conversione” stars Paolo Pierobon, Barbara Ronchi, Fausto Russo Alesi, Filippo Timi, Fabrizio Gifuni, Enea Sala, playing Mortara as a child, and Leonardo Maltese, playing Mortara as an older boy.
The film is an IBCmovie and Kavac Film production with Rai Cinema, with the support of the Emilia Romagna region and its film commission, in co-production with Ad Vitam Production in France, and Match Factory Productions in Germany. It is produced by Beppe Caschetto and Simone Gattoni.
The screenplay is by Bellocchio and Susanna Nicchiarelli, with the collaboration of Edoardo Albinati and Daniela Ceselli,...
“La Conversione” stars Paolo Pierobon, Barbara Ronchi, Fausto Russo Alesi, Filippo Timi, Fabrizio Gifuni, Enea Sala, playing Mortara as a child, and Leonardo Maltese, playing Mortara as an older boy.
The film is an IBCmovie and Kavac Film production with Rai Cinema, with the support of the Emilia Romagna region and its film commission, in co-production with Ad Vitam Production in France, and Match Factory Productions in Germany. It is produced by Beppe Caschetto and Simone Gattoni.
The screenplay is by Bellocchio and Susanna Nicchiarelli, with the collaboration of Edoardo Albinati and Daniela Ceselli,...
- 7/1/2022
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Most films ask nothing of you. You simply press play and watch the story unfold, gleaning context as the filmmaker colors in their narrative. But the occasional movie demands prerequisites to appreciate. Think: Dušan Makavejev’s Man Is Not a Bird, or last year’s competition title Petrov’s Flu, Kirill Serebrennikov’s mind-numbing swan dive into the socio-political climate of post-Soviet Russia whose commentary nearly requires a Ph.D. to unpack. Marco Bellocchio’s Exterior Night hovers somewhere in-between.
It would help if the historical thriller came with the equivalent of a summer reading list, but there’s enough explanation to clue you in if you’re not brushed up on your 1970s Italian politics. Perhaps more important that the story is easy to get wrapped up in, a six-episode miniseries that feels like a brisk five-and-a-half hours. No doubt it will be richer the more you know, but Bellocchio––with co-writers Stefano Bises,...
It would help if the historical thriller came with the equivalent of a summer reading list, but there’s enough explanation to clue you in if you’re not brushed up on your 1970s Italian politics. Perhaps more important that the story is easy to get wrapped up in, a six-episode miniseries that feels like a brisk five-and-a-half hours. No doubt it will be richer the more you know, but Bellocchio––with co-writers Stefano Bises,...
- 5/19/2022
- by Luke Hicks
- The Film Stage
Paolo Virzì with Anne-Katrin Titze at the St. Regis: "For me, Donald Sutherland is many things. He is Casanova and the wonderful English professor in Animal House ..." Photo: Lilia Blouin
In 2014, Paolo Virzì's Human Capital (Il Capitale Umano), starring Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Valeria Golino, and Fabrizio Gifuni was Italy's Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language Film. Paolo's latest, The Leisure Seeker, his first film in English, stars Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland as a couple on the road, unlike Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper's Easy Rider. The screenplay by Stephen Amidon, Francesca Archibugi, Francesco Piccolo, and Virzì is based on the novel by Michael Zadoorian.
Donald Sutherland and Helen Mirren are John and Ella Spencer
At the St. Regis hotel in New York, our conversation takes us to how Donald Sutherland is many things (from Federico Fellini's Casanova to Nicolas Roeg's Don't Look Now...
In 2014, Paolo Virzì's Human Capital (Il Capitale Umano), starring Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Valeria Golino, and Fabrizio Gifuni was Italy's Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language Film. Paolo's latest, The Leisure Seeker, his first film in English, stars Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland as a couple on the road, unlike Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper's Easy Rider. The screenplay by Stephen Amidon, Francesca Archibugi, Francesco Piccolo, and Virzì is based on the novel by Michael Zadoorian.
Donald Sutherland and Helen Mirren are John and Ella Spencer
At the St. Regis hotel in New York, our conversation takes us to how Donald Sutherland is many things (from Federico Fellini's Casanova to Nicolas Roeg's Don't Look Now...
- 1/13/2018
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Sweet Dreams
Director: Marco Bellocchio
Writer: Massimo Gramellini
Italian auteur Marco Bellocchio shows no signs of slowing down in his sixth decade of filmmaking. Hot off his Venice 2015 premiere of his intriguing historical drama/social comedy Blood of My Blood, Bellocchio set to work on filming Sweet Dreams, an adaptation of a novel by Massimo Gramellini about a secret kept sealed in an envelope for forty years, and a woman assisting a man who suffers from unresolved issues over the death of his mother when he was a young boy. French actress Bérénice Bejo joins a cast of notable Italian actors, including Valerio Mastandrea as the tortured protagonist.
Cast: Bérénice Bejo, Valerio Mastandrea, Fabrizio Gifuni, Barbara Ronchi
Production Co./Producers: Ibc Movie’s Beppe Caschetto, Kavac, Rai Cinema
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available. Tbd (domestic) Match Factory (international).
Release Date: Though he premiered Vincere at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, Bellocchio...
Director: Marco Bellocchio
Writer: Massimo Gramellini
Italian auteur Marco Bellocchio shows no signs of slowing down in his sixth decade of filmmaking. Hot off his Venice 2015 premiere of his intriguing historical drama/social comedy Blood of My Blood, Bellocchio set to work on filming Sweet Dreams, an adaptation of a novel by Massimo Gramellini about a secret kept sealed in an envelope for forty years, and a woman assisting a man who suffers from unresolved issues over the death of his mother when he was a young boy. French actress Bérénice Bejo joins a cast of notable Italian actors, including Valerio Mastandrea as the tortured protagonist.
Cast: Bérénice Bejo, Valerio Mastandrea, Fabrizio Gifuni, Barbara Ronchi
Production Co./Producers: Ibc Movie’s Beppe Caschetto, Kavac, Rai Cinema
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available. Tbd (domestic) Match Factory (international).
Release Date: Though he premiered Vincere at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, Bellocchio...
- 1/9/2016
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Receiving its North American premiere last spring at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival, where it snagged a Best Actress award for Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, Paolo Virzi’s Human Capital was Italy’s submission for this year’s Best Foreign Language contender. Ultimately it wasn’t selected for a nomination, even though its considerable critical acclaim made it a wise choice (in 2014, Paolo Sorrentino’s sublime The Great Beauty took home the award, but Virzi beat out Sorrentino for Best Film on home turf), as Virzi’s familial drama is an expertly paced dramatic thriller crafted around what could easily been a generic narrative. Meanwhile, the momentum behind the film has instigated a reunion of Virzi with Bruni-Tedeschi for his next feature, even if its box office success wasn’t replicated after it reached Us theaters. A well-paced and engaging thriller, Virzi’s film is a triptych of perspective-based characterizations coalescing into an...
- 7/14/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
For What It’s Worth: Virzi’s Leftist Neo-Noir a Capitalistic Parable
Receiving its North American premiere last spring at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival, where it snagged a Best Actress award for Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, Paolo Virzi’s Human Capital is Italy’s submission for this year’s Best Foreign Language contender. They’ve chosen wisely once again (last year Paolo Sorrentino’s sublime The Great Beauty took home the award, but Virzi beat out Sorrentino for Best Film on home turf), as Virzi’s familial drama is an expertly paced dramatic thriller crafted around what could easily been a generic narrative. A triptych of perspective based characterizations coalesce into an arresting finale engendering Verzi’s foreboding title.
Cleaning up after what appears to have been a large banquet, a member of the serving staff takes off into the cold Italian evening on his bicycle, shortly run off the road and into a ditch.
Receiving its North American premiere last spring at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival, where it snagged a Best Actress award for Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, Paolo Virzi’s Human Capital is Italy’s submission for this year’s Best Foreign Language contender. They’ve chosen wisely once again (last year Paolo Sorrentino’s sublime The Great Beauty took home the award, but Virzi beat out Sorrentino for Best Film on home turf), as Virzi’s familial drama is an expertly paced dramatic thriller crafted around what could easily been a generic narrative. A triptych of perspective based characterizations coalesce into an arresting finale engendering Verzi’s foreboding title.
Cleaning up after what appears to have been a large banquet, a member of the serving staff takes off into the cold Italian evening on his bicycle, shortly run off the road and into a ditch.
- 1/14/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Film Movement's "Human Capital," Italy's Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language Film, opens this week and Indiewire has an exclusive clip of one of the drama's pivotal scenes. Valeria Bruni Tedeschi leads the ensemble cast including Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Valeria Golino and Fabrizio Gifuni in director Paolo Virzì's character study of two families in different social classes who are inextricably linked by a tragic accident. "'Human Capital' begins at the end as a cyclist is run off the road by a careening SUV the night before Christmas Eve," the film's synopsis reads. "As details emerge of the events leading up to the accident, the lives of the well-to-do Bernaschi family, privileged and detached, will intertwine with the Ossolas, struggling to keep their comfortable middle-class life, in ways neither could have expected. Dino Ossola (Fabrizio Bentivoglio), in dire financial straits, anticipates the birth of twins with his second wife...
- 1/12/2015
- by Helen Z. Carefoot
- Indiewire
Human Capital (Il capitale umano) director Paolo Virzì with Anne-Katrin Titze Photo: Dov Mamann
During the Tribeca Film Festival, I spoke with Human Capital (Il Capitale Umano) director Paolo Virzì and two of his stars, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi and Valeria Golino. Since then his film, which also stars Fabrizio Bentivoglio and Fabrizio Gifuni, has been selected as Italy's Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language Film, following in the footsteps of Paolo Sorrentino's Oscar win for The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza).
Valeria Golino as Roberta with Fabrizio Bentivoglio as Dino: "They are all fragile and at the same time they are funny."
This time we discussed what it feels like for him to represent his country and go up against filmmakers such as Dominik Graf, Pawel Pawlikowski, Bertrand Bonello, Ruben Östlund, Damián Szifron, Andrey Zvyagintsev, Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne. The Como connection to George Clooney, Giorgio Armani and...
During the Tribeca Film Festival, I spoke with Human Capital (Il Capitale Umano) director Paolo Virzì and two of his stars, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi and Valeria Golino. Since then his film, which also stars Fabrizio Bentivoglio and Fabrizio Gifuni, has been selected as Italy's Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language Film, following in the footsteps of Paolo Sorrentino's Oscar win for The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza).
Valeria Golino as Roberta with Fabrizio Bentivoglio as Dino: "They are all fragile and at the same time they are funny."
This time we discussed what it feels like for him to represent his country and go up against filmmakers such as Dominik Graf, Pawel Pawlikowski, Bertrand Bonello, Ruben Östlund, Damián Szifron, Andrey Zvyagintsev, Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne. The Como connection to George Clooney, Giorgio Armani and...
- 12/10/2014
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Paolo Virzi
“Human Capital” is a term used to assign a monetary value to an employee based on their knowledge, habits, personality, and creative and physical qualities. According to an insurance company, our lives have value, or in some cases very little.
Upon speaking with Paolo Virzi, the Italian director of his 12th and newest film Human Capital, he revealed he had calculated his own. Though he felt his value was awfully low given his age and his health, he’d agree that the real value of a human life is determined by the actions and behavior of humans that can only be considered priceless.
Human Capital is a three-part story surrounding a hit-and-run car accident as viewed by three different characters. It’s less Rashomon, more Amores Perros, capturing the dark edges, social commentary and young love embedded deep within the story. Following openings abroad, an American premiere in...
“Human Capital” is a term used to assign a monetary value to an employee based on their knowledge, habits, personality, and creative and physical qualities. According to an insurance company, our lives have value, or in some cases very little.
Upon speaking with Paolo Virzi, the Italian director of his 12th and newest film Human Capital, he revealed he had calculated his own. Though he felt his value was awfully low given his age and his health, he’d agree that the real value of a human life is determined by the actions and behavior of humans that can only be considered priceless.
Human Capital is a three-part story surrounding a hit-and-run car accident as viewed by three different characters. It’s less Rashomon, more Amores Perros, capturing the dark edges, social commentary and young love embedded deep within the story. Following openings abroad, an American premiere in...
- 10/20/2014
- by Brian Welk
- SoundOnSight
"The Great Beauty," Paolo Sorrentino's splashy valentine to Roman high society, was the most lauded foreign-language film of the last awards season -- it ruled the European Film Awards, and scooped Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Oscars. (At all but the last of these, it beat out its Cannes conqueror, "Blue is the Warmest Color.") So you'd think it'd be a shoo-in at Italy's own Academy Awards, right? Wrong. At yesterday's David di Donatello Awards, handed out annually by the Academy of Italian Cinema, Sorrentino's film was the night's biggest winner in terms of numbers -- taking nine awards, including Best Director and Best Actor for Toni Servillo. But its other wins were limited to below-the-line categories -- trust the Italians to have separate awards for Best Makeup and Best Hairstyling -- as Paolo Virzi's "Human Capital" took Best Picture. Virzi's film, a blend...
- 6/11/2014
- by Guy Lodge
- Hitfix
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi and Valeria Golino at the Tribeca Film Festival for Paolo Virzì's Human Capital (Il Capitale Umano) Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
In my conversation with Paolo Virzì on his dynamic exploration of guilt and innocence in Human Capital (Il Capitale Umano), he described the relationship between Carla (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) and her successful husband Giovanni (Fabrizio Gifuni) as "completely desperate and unhappy." Valeria Golino plays pregnant Roberta, married to Dino (Fabrizio Bentivoglio). They have their own kind of disenchantment which Virzì says, "comes really from a true observation of the reality of our middle class."
Valeria Golino as Roberta: "I have the identity and she [Carla] has the good life."
Human Capital is a tale of people trapped in the wheels of money, prestige and unfulfilled longings, disguised as a thriller. Some create the wheels, some spin them and others run in them. Two families are tied together by...
In my conversation with Paolo Virzì on his dynamic exploration of guilt and innocence in Human Capital (Il Capitale Umano), he described the relationship between Carla (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) and her successful husband Giovanni (Fabrizio Gifuni) as "completely desperate and unhappy." Valeria Golino plays pregnant Roberta, married to Dino (Fabrizio Bentivoglio). They have their own kind of disenchantment which Virzì says, "comes really from a true observation of the reality of our middle class."
Valeria Golino as Roberta: "I have the identity and she [Carla] has the good life."
Human Capital is a tale of people trapped in the wheels of money, prestige and unfulfilled longings, disguised as a thriller. Some create the wheels, some spin them and others run in them. Two families are tied together by...
- 4/19/2014
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Paolo Virzi on Human Capital: "Money knows no borders."
When I spoke with Paolo Virzì the day before the Tribeca Film Festival Us premiere of his film Human Capital (Il Capitale Umano) we discussed Alexander Payne with a touch of Como, George Clooney's clothes in The Descendants, François Truffaut's La Peau Douce, guilt, his choice of music from Amy Winehouse to Vivaldi and the impact a sweet and sour Frank Sinatra Christmas rendition can have.
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi as Carla and Valeria Golino as Roberta give brilliant performances entangled in the web of what is perhaps the most revolting selection of male characters in a film I have seen at least this year. Fabrizio Gifuni and Fabrizio Bentivoglio play two of the men in their lives.
Human Capital director Paolo Virzì with Anne-Katrin Titze on globalization: "We seem like each other more than before." Photo: Will Carrington
On...
When I spoke with Paolo Virzì the day before the Tribeca Film Festival Us premiere of his film Human Capital (Il Capitale Umano) we discussed Alexander Payne with a touch of Como, George Clooney's clothes in The Descendants, François Truffaut's La Peau Douce, guilt, his choice of music from Amy Winehouse to Vivaldi and the impact a sweet and sour Frank Sinatra Christmas rendition can have.
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi as Carla and Valeria Golino as Roberta give brilliant performances entangled in the web of what is perhaps the most revolting selection of male characters in a film I have seen at least this year. Fabrizio Gifuni and Fabrizio Bentivoglio play two of the men in their lives.
Human Capital director Paolo Virzì with Anne-Katrin Titze on globalization: "We seem like each other more than before." Photo: Will Carrington
On...
- 4/18/2014
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Exclusive: Bac inks trio of deals on Paolo Virzi drama at market.
Bac Films continues to see strong demand for Paolo Virzi drama Human Capital with deals closing at the Efm with UK (Arrow), Germany (Movienet) and Australia (Hi Gloss Entertainment).
UK and Australian deals closed on Saturday evening. Bac is in discussions with Us buyers.
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Valeria Golino, Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Luigi Lo Cascio and Fabrizio Gifuni star in Virzi’s drama, which charts the destinies of two families irrevocably tied together after a cyclist is hit by a jeep.
Rai has recently raked in more than €5m in Italy on the film which Bac has sold well since Afm.
Arrow’s acquisition director Tom Stewart told Screen: “Arrow Films are delighted to be able to bring such a smartly executed thriller to the UK/Eire shores later in 2014 and to be finally collaborating with the great team at Bac Films.”
Also on Bac...
Bac Films continues to see strong demand for Paolo Virzi drama Human Capital with deals closing at the Efm with UK (Arrow), Germany (Movienet) and Australia (Hi Gloss Entertainment).
UK and Australian deals closed on Saturday evening. Bac is in discussions with Us buyers.
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Valeria Golino, Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Luigi Lo Cascio and Fabrizio Gifuni star in Virzi’s drama, which charts the destinies of two families irrevocably tied together after a cyclist is hit by a jeep.
Rai has recently raked in more than €5m in Italy on the film which Bac has sold well since Afm.
Arrow’s acquisition director Tom Stewart told Screen: “Arrow Films are delighted to be able to bring such a smartly executed thriller to the UK/Eire shores later in 2014 and to be finally collaborating with the great team at Bac Films.”
Also on Bac...
- 2/10/2014
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Bac Films finalises deals on Italian box office hit Human Capital.
Bac Films has finalised a string of deals on Paolo Virzi’s Italian box office hit Human Capital.
Deals have closed with Brazil (Imovision), Canada (Axia), Switzerland (Filmcoopi), Benelux (Imagine), Austria (Filmladen), China (Champlis), Turkey (Filmarti), Poland (Against Gravity), Portugal (Film4You), Greece (Strada Film), India (Star Entertainment) and Eastern Europe TV (HBO).
Rai has raked in more than €5m after four weeks on Virzi’s drama in which the destinies of two families are irrevocably tied together after a cyclist is hit by a jeep in the night before Christmas Eve.
Cast includes Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Valeria Golino, Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Luigi Lo Cascio and Fabrizio Gifuni.
Also on Bac’s Efm slate are Rotterdam hit The Quiet Roar, El Ardor, Run, The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears,which was recently sold to Strand Releasing for the Us, and Fool Circle...
Bac Films has finalised a string of deals on Paolo Virzi’s Italian box office hit Human Capital.
Deals have closed with Brazil (Imovision), Canada (Axia), Switzerland (Filmcoopi), Benelux (Imagine), Austria (Filmladen), China (Champlis), Turkey (Filmarti), Poland (Against Gravity), Portugal (Film4You), Greece (Strada Film), India (Star Entertainment) and Eastern Europe TV (HBO).
Rai has raked in more than €5m after four weeks on Virzi’s drama in which the destinies of two families are irrevocably tied together after a cyclist is hit by a jeep in the night before Christmas Eve.
Cast includes Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Valeria Golino, Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Luigi Lo Cascio and Fabrizio Gifuni.
Also on Bac’s Efm slate are Rotterdam hit The Quiet Roar, El Ardor, Run, The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears,which was recently sold to Strand Releasing for the Us, and Fool Circle...
- 2/7/2014
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Davide Manuli’s new take on the historical Kaspar Hauser story previously adapted by Werner Herzog (The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser) features Vincent Gallo as both an English-speaking The Sheriff and an Italian-speaking bell-bottomed The Pusher. I’m a huge fan of Herzog’s film, but Manuli’s second film The Legend Of Kaspar Hauser (La leggenda di Kaspar Hauser), weird as hell, is a quirky Techno Western depicting surreal humor from obscure scenes. The mysterious titular character is played by a flat-chested stage actress Silvia Calderoni, while Claudia Gerini stars as The Duchess, Fabrizio Gifuni as The Priest, and Elisa Sednaoui as The Psychic. Gallo delivers a solid performance,...
Click to continue reading Trailers For The Legend Of Kaspar Hauser, Starring Vincent Gallo on http://www.filmofilia.com...
Click to continue reading Trailers For The Legend Of Kaspar Hauser, Starring Vincent Gallo on http://www.filmofilia.com...
- 7/17/2013
- by Nick Martin
- Filmofilia
What's better than one Vincent Gallo? Apparently, two Vincent Gallos. Yep, fans of the mercurial, eccentric actor can start getting prepared for a double dose of the actor in the upcoming "The Legend Of Kaspar Hauser," which is as appropriately zany as you might expect a movie starring Gallo can be. Dude just doesn't do normal. Directed by Davide Manuli, the film is some kind of modern western riff on the strange but true story about the titular man who showed up randomly in Nuremberg in the early 1800s, saying he had been raised and educated in a dungeon, but never saw the outside world. Stage actress Silvia Calderoni takes the role of Kaspar, with Gallo as The Sheriff (speaking English) and The Pusher (speaking Italian), Claudia Gerini as the Duchess, Fabrizio Gifuni as the Priest, and Elisa Sednaoui as the Psychic. The result? Well, two new trailers that reveal...
- 7/16/2013
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Vincent Gallo has shocked us before, most notably with his on-screen erotic exercises with Chloe Sevigny in 2003′s Brown Bunny. Gallo has been busy in the ten years since Bunny, appearing in/producing/writing 13 films, continuing a streak of brave artistry that has him standing firmly outside the Hollywood establishment. His latest on-screen effort is director Davide Manuli’s La Leggenda Di Kaspar Hauser (The Legend Of Kasper Hauser), where the silver-eyed thespian plays a nameless character referred to as “The Pusher/The Sheriff.” Claudia Gerini, Elisa Sedaoui, Fabrizio Gifuni, and Claudia Gerini, Elisa Sedaoui, Fabrizio Gifunialso star.
Synopsis (courtesy Blue Film):
“A mysterious young man suddenly appears in Nuremberg in 1828. Barely able to walk or speak, a benefactor looks to integrate him into society.”
The trailer is uniformly perplexing, and every bit a Gallo project. Tune in and trip out!
Synopsis (courtesy Blue Film):
“A mysterious young man suddenly appears in Nuremberg in 1828. Barely able to walk or speak, a benefactor looks to integrate him into society.”
The trailer is uniformly perplexing, and every bit a Gallo project. Tune in and trip out!
- 1/11/2012
- by Justin
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
Via Cargo co-editor Ekkehard Knörer, the trailer for Davide Manuli's The Legend of Kaspar Hauser, described by the International Film Festival Rotterdam, where the film will see its world premiere, simply as "a post-modern Western with Vincent Gallo."
In the Hollywood Reporter, Eric J Lyman notes that the story is to be "transplanted to the Italian island of Sardinia. Gallo will speak Italian as The Pusher and English as The Sherriff. Other cast members include Italian Claudia Gerini, best known for her role in The Passion of the Christ, Fabrizio Gifuni, Elisa Sednaoui, and theatre actress Silvia Calderoni, who will play a man in the title role."
For news and tips throughout the day every day, follow @thedailyMUBI on Twitter and/or the RSS feed....
In the Hollywood Reporter, Eric J Lyman notes that the story is to be "transplanted to the Italian island of Sardinia. Gallo will speak Italian as The Pusher and English as The Sherriff. Other cast members include Italian Claudia Gerini, best known for her role in The Passion of the Christ, Fabrizio Gifuni, Elisa Sednaoui, and theatre actress Silvia Calderoni, who will play a man in the title role."
For news and tips throughout the day every day, follow @thedailyMUBI on Twitter and/or the RSS feed....
- 1/7/2012
- MUBI
Davide Manuli‘s forthcoming The Legend of Kaspar Hauser will take on the strange historical case of Kaspar Hauser – which was tackled previously, and brilliantly by Werner Herzog – and, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Vincent Gallo has just been cast in two roles. For the first, called The Pusher, he’ll be speaking Italian. For the second, called The Sheriff, he’ll be speaking English. The names are an odd indication of how arthouse this project might be, but the story of Hauser isn’t exactly a mainstream one. It’s essentially a real-life, 19th century European version of Blast From the Past, where a man named Kaspar Hauser came to Nuremberg claiming that he was raised in a dungeon that he’s never left. The cast also features Claudia Gerini (The Passion of the Christ), Fabrizio Gifuni, Elisa Sednaoui, and Silvia Calderoni. It sounds like a fascinating project that will hopefully steer away from Herzog but...
- 4/7/2011
- by Cole Abaius
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Here's the press release for the Venice Days selections folks: lots of names we know! Official Selection World Premiere La Vida De Los Peces/The Life Of Fish by Matias Bize with Santiago Cabrera, Blanca Lewin Chile - Production co.: Cenecca Producciones A young Chilean returns to Santiago after 10 years in Europe and ponders his past and future over a long night of encounters with old friends and his great love. This sentimental, urban comedy depicts a South America far from the stereotypes and folklore. International Premiere - Opening film Le Bruit Des Glacons/The Clink Of Ice by Bertrand Blier with Jean Dujardin, Albert Dupontel, Anne Alvaro, Myriam Boyer France, Sales co.: Wild Bunch An alcoholic writer is confronted by an incarnation of his own cancer in this no-holds-barred, black comedy on illness and death. Nothing is spared politically incorrect derision - except for the desire to live and love.
- 7/27/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
DVD Playhouse—July 2010
By
Allen Gardner
Two From Powell/Pressburger Criterion releases gorgeous new transfers of two of the greatest films to come out of post-war Britain, from that period’s greatest filmmaking team: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Black Narcissus was originally released in 1947 and caused a sensation with its explosive story about a nun (Deborah Kerr), cloistered in a remote convent in the Himalayas, who must battle elements both external (the punishing weather) and internal (temptations of the flesh over duty to the spirit). Also features stellar turns by England’s greatest actresses at the time: Flora Robson, Kathleen Byron and a young Jean Simmons. One of the most dazzling films ever made, bolstered by Oscar-winning cinematography from Jack Cardiff. Bonuses: New transfer, supervised by Cardiff, editor Thelma Schoonmaker Powell; Introduction by filmmaker Bernard Tavernier; Commentary by Powell and Martin Scorsese; Featurettes; Documentaries and interviews; Trailer. The Red Shoes,...
By
Allen Gardner
Two From Powell/Pressburger Criterion releases gorgeous new transfers of two of the greatest films to come out of post-war Britain, from that period’s greatest filmmaking team: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Black Narcissus was originally released in 1947 and caused a sensation with its explosive story about a nun (Deborah Kerr), cloistered in a remote convent in the Himalayas, who must battle elements both external (the punishing weather) and internal (temptations of the flesh over duty to the spirit). Also features stellar turns by England’s greatest actresses at the time: Flora Robson, Kathleen Byron and a young Jean Simmons. One of the most dazzling films ever made, bolstered by Oscar-winning cinematography from Jack Cardiff. Bonuses: New transfer, supervised by Cardiff, editor Thelma Schoonmaker Powell; Introduction by filmmaker Bernard Tavernier; Commentary by Powell and Martin Scorsese; Featurettes; Documentaries and interviews; Trailer. The Red Shoes,...
- 7/27/2010
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Authenticity is a rare and beautiful thing in the world of film. It’s not often that a police procedural movie gives such an accurate look at the process of criminal investigations, which are slow and consist mostly of wasted conversations that will lead nowhere. Magical computers don’t conveniently supply every bit of pertinent information about a suspect in a matter of seconds. An investigator trusts nothing and verifies everything. Director Andrea Molaioli, in her feature film debut, captures the tedium of a police officer’s world but still somehow makes it fascinating cinema.
The plot of the film is reminiscent of Twin Peaks. A pretty young girl is murdered in a small town and a talented investigator is called in from the big city to sort through the eccentric local suspects to deduce the killer’s identity. In this case, the locale is a picturesque small town in Northern Italy,...
The plot of the film is reminiscent of Twin Peaks. A pretty young girl is murdered in a small town and a talented investigator is called in from the big city to sort through the eccentric local suspects to deduce the killer’s identity. In this case, the locale is a picturesque small town in Northern Italy,...
- 7/22/2010
- by Rob Young
- JustPressPlay.net
This week, there's a nice little Italian place opening on the Upper West Side -- Lincoln Center, which kicks off the annual festival "Open Roads: New Italian Cinema" starting tonight.
The opening-night feature, "Brave Men," stars Donatella Finocchiaro as a deputy head of an organized crime outfit (the Godmother?)
Posing as a perfume company exec, she attracts the attention of her childhood best friend, now a judge (Fabrizio Gifuni) who is returning to the southern city of Lecce after years up north. Time has passed, but he's never let go of her in his mind.
The opening-night feature, "Brave Men," stars Donatella Finocchiaro as a deputy head of an organized crime outfit (the Godmother?)
Posing as a perfume company exec, she attracts the attention of her childhood best friend, now a judge (Fabrizio Gifuni) who is returning to the southern city of Lecce after years up north. Time has passed, but he's never let go of her in his mind.
- 6/4/2009
- by By KYLE SMITH
- NYPost.com
Venice International Film Festival
VENICE, Italy -- Andrea Porporati's "The Sweet and the Bitter" is a curiously hybrid story about a young man caught up in the organized crime of Sicily that combines ugly murders with robberies out of "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight."
It presents an amoral view of Saro Scordia Luigi Lo Cascio), who enters the world of mobsters even though his hoodlum father is killed while in prison. The lead character is also the narrator as the film sees Saro grow from teenaged petty criminal to all-out thug.
Lo Cascio is good in the role but the film leaves a nasty taste as it appears to sympathize with the character's unregenerate self-pity when events inevitably conspire against him. Screened in competition at the Venice International Film Festival, boxoffice prospects do not appear great outside of Italy.
Saro is the kind of gullible delinquent who mistakes fear for respect, so that when the local mafia don Gaetano Butera (Tony Gambino) offers him work, he goes for it. Butera's son Mimmo (Gaetano Bruno) is his best friend and together they graduate from strong-arm stuff to actually killing someone, although Saro is better at it than the don's son.
Meanwhile, Saro has fallen in love with a good woman named Ada (Donatella Finocchiaro) who knows she shouldn't go out with a hoodlum but cannot resist. When she finally dumps him for another man named Massirenti (Fabrizio Gifuni), Saro beats him to a pulp. He respects him, however, because while Massirenti doesn't fight back, he doesn't back down.
There are the expected mafia-movie scenes of grizzled men in collarless shirts stirring pasta sauce and muttering about honor. At the ceremony in which Saro and Mimmo enter into the underworld society, however, the senior dons deliberately cause insult to Don Gaetano, and to Saro.
It doesn't bode well, as it turns out these people aren't to be trusted. They may, in fact, have had something to do with the death of Saro's father. Disillusioned by his Cosa Nostra experience, the young man decides to head north in search of Ada and some witness protection. He even gets help from Massirenti, who is now a judge, but as we know these things rarely end well.
THE SWEET AND THE BITTER
Medusa, Sciarlo
Director: Andrea Porporati
Writers: Andrea Porporati, Annio Gioacchino Stasi
Producer: Francesco Tornatore
Director of photography: Alessandro Pesci
Music: Ezio Bosso
Costume designer: Mary Montalto
Editor: Simona Paggi
Cast:
Saro Scordia: Luigi Lo Cascio
Ada: Donatella Finocchiaro
Gaetano Butera: Tony Gambino
Mimmo Butera: Gaetano Bruno
Saro at 14: Gioacchino Cappelli
Antonia: Ornella Giusto
Lady in wig: Emanuela Muni
Saro's father: Vincenzo Amato
Vicari: Renato Carpentieri
Stefano Massirenti: Fabrizio Gifuni
No MPAA rating, running time 98 minutes...
VENICE, Italy -- Andrea Porporati's "The Sweet and the Bitter" is a curiously hybrid story about a young man caught up in the organized crime of Sicily that combines ugly murders with robberies out of "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight."
It presents an amoral view of Saro Scordia Luigi Lo Cascio), who enters the world of mobsters even though his hoodlum father is killed while in prison. The lead character is also the narrator as the film sees Saro grow from teenaged petty criminal to all-out thug.
Lo Cascio is good in the role but the film leaves a nasty taste as it appears to sympathize with the character's unregenerate self-pity when events inevitably conspire against him. Screened in competition at the Venice International Film Festival, boxoffice prospects do not appear great outside of Italy.
Saro is the kind of gullible delinquent who mistakes fear for respect, so that when the local mafia don Gaetano Butera (Tony Gambino) offers him work, he goes for it. Butera's son Mimmo (Gaetano Bruno) is his best friend and together they graduate from strong-arm stuff to actually killing someone, although Saro is better at it than the don's son.
Meanwhile, Saro has fallen in love with a good woman named Ada (Donatella Finocchiaro) who knows she shouldn't go out with a hoodlum but cannot resist. When she finally dumps him for another man named Massirenti (Fabrizio Gifuni), Saro beats him to a pulp. He respects him, however, because while Massirenti doesn't fight back, he doesn't back down.
There are the expected mafia-movie scenes of grizzled men in collarless shirts stirring pasta sauce and muttering about honor. At the ceremony in which Saro and Mimmo enter into the underworld society, however, the senior dons deliberately cause insult to Don Gaetano, and to Saro.
It doesn't bode well, as it turns out these people aren't to be trusted. They may, in fact, have had something to do with the death of Saro's father. Disillusioned by his Cosa Nostra experience, the young man decides to head north in search of Ada and some witness protection. He even gets help from Massirenti, who is now a judge, but as we know these things rarely end well.
THE SWEET AND THE BITTER
Medusa, Sciarlo
Director: Andrea Porporati
Writers: Andrea Porporati, Annio Gioacchino Stasi
Producer: Francesco Tornatore
Director of photography: Alessandro Pesci
Music: Ezio Bosso
Costume designer: Mary Montalto
Editor: Simona Paggi
Cast:
Saro Scordia: Luigi Lo Cascio
Ada: Donatella Finocchiaro
Gaetano Butera: Tony Gambino
Mimmo Butera: Gaetano Bruno
Saro at 14: Gioacchino Cappelli
Antonia: Ornella Giusto
Lady in wig: Emanuela Muni
Saro's father: Vincenzo Amato
Vicari: Renato Carpentieri
Stefano Massirenti: Fabrizio Gifuni
No MPAA rating, running time 98 minutes...
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.