Paolo and Vittorio Taviani are somewhat forgotten today, but from 1977 ("Padre Padrone") to 1993 ("Fiorile") they made some beautiful movies, most of them not hiding their left wing political beliefs. After 1993 the quality of their films detoriorated, with an unexpected revival in 2012 with "Caesar must die".
"Kaos" is their most prominent film. It is an ensemble film based on four short stories by the Italian Noble prize winner Luigi Pirandello. The stories are all situated on Sicily, the island on which Pirandello was born.
The film contains very beautiful images of Sicily, and in this respect equals "Il Gattopardo" (1963, Luchino Visconti). There is however a difference between the Visconti conception of beautiful and the conception of the Taviani brothers. Visconti was left wing too, but he was also of nobility. His sort of beauty can be described as gentle. In "Kaos" the Sicilian landscape is admittedly beautiful but also barren, symbolising the harshness of the life of the peasants that had to work on it.
In 1998 The Taviani brothers adapted for the second time a couple of short stories by Luigi Pirandello in "Tu ridi". By then they were however past their prime and this film was considerably less wel received.
"Kaos" is their most prominent film. It is an ensemble film based on four short stories by the Italian Noble prize winner Luigi Pirandello. The stories are all situated on Sicily, the island on which Pirandello was born.
The film contains very beautiful images of Sicily, and in this respect equals "Il Gattopardo" (1963, Luchino Visconti). There is however a difference between the Visconti conception of beautiful and the conception of the Taviani brothers. Visconti was left wing too, but he was also of nobility. His sort of beauty can be described as gentle. In "Kaos" the Sicilian landscape is admittedly beautiful but also barren, symbolising the harshness of the life of the peasants that had to work on it.
In 1998 The Taviani brothers adapted for the second time a couple of short stories by Luigi Pirandello in "Tu ridi". By then they were however past their prime and this film was considerably less wel received.