{"id":3533,"date":"2014-09-01T17:01:43","date_gmt":"2014-09-01T15:01:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rickzullo.com\/?p=3533"},"modified":"2021-09-25T15:00:52","modified_gmt":"2021-09-25T13:00:52","slug":"classics-of-italian-cinema","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/classics-of-italian-cinema\/","title":{"rendered":"Hollywood on the Tiber"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve written a few articles about the classics of Italian cinema on my blog because I feel like certain films<\/a> do a great job of teaching some of the nuances of Italian culture to us foreigners. Taken in their proper context, they can help bridge the gap between fantasy and reality<\/strong>. That is, if we\u2019re willing to challenge our fantasies about Italy.<\/p>\n

Many of these movies aren\u2019t so easy to appreciate because there are culture references that don\u2019t translate well. Indeed, the translations found in the subtitles aren\u2019t always linguistically accurate\u2014or if they are, the meaning\/context is lost. We can\u2019t always substitute one thing for another, whether it\u2019s a word or a gesture or a custom.<\/p>\n

Consider the film with the English title, The Bicycle Thief<\/em>.\u00a0 In Italian, it\u2019s called, I Ladri di Biciclette<\/em>.\u00a0 Notice that the subject is plural in Italian, The Bicycle Thieves<\/em>, and not Thief, like in the English title.\u00a0 It may seem like a subtle point, but when presenting the film to the Hollwood-ized (read: American) audience, the focus on the individual seems like a wise marketing decision. Hollywood movies are all about the individual hero<\/strong> struggling against odds to overcome his obstacles and enemies.\u00a0 Social commentary\u2014and especially socialism\u2014were not big on the minds of American producers in the 40s and 50s.\u00a0 (Nor are they today, for that matter.)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

For precisely this reason, I\u2019d like to suggest that watching Italians movies is a wonderful way to improve your understanding of both the language and the culture at large<\/strong>.\u00a0 By observing these nuances, you begin to \u201cunderstand\u201d more than you can actually learn by reading or studying. \u00a0Let\u2019s take a quick survey of some classics of Italian cinema and see what they can teach us.<\/p>\n

(And if you read Italian, check out what Jessica has to say about the stereotypes of Italians in film<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Classics of Italian Cinema<\/h2>\n

Roma, Citt\u00e1 Aperta<\/a> \u2013 This is not the first big movie from Italy (that would have been Cabiria <\/em>in 1914), but it\u2019s the one that put neo-realism on the map.\u00a0 There are no movie sets, only the real day-to-day scenes of Rome.\u00a0 The camera doesn\u2019t move much, so it feels a lot like a documentary.\u00a0 Pay particular attention to the role of children in this film.\u00a0 They seem mature beyond their years, almost adults, perhaps representing a generation of new hope for post-war Italy.<\/p>\n

\"the<\/a>Ladri di Biciclette<\/a> \u2013 If the aforementioned \u201cRome, Open City\u201d started neo-realism, then this film defined it.\u00a0 Again, shot in the streets of Rome, using non-professional actors.\u00a0 Director Vittorio De Sica uses the real-life environment of contemporary life to frame his emotional drama of a desperate father whose new job is threatened when a street thief steals his bicycle.<\/p>\n

De Sica\u2019s camera doesn\u2019t move much, either, but it does rotate on its axis, giving us the sensation that we are looking through the eyes of the main character.\u00a0 This film received an honorary award from The Academy in 1950.\u00a0 Again, notice the child co-star, who at certain points in the film seems more mature than his father.<\/p>\n

\"la<\/a>La Dolce Vita<\/a> \u2013 Fellini\u2019s classic follows the “sweet life” of a tabloid journalist who covers the glitzy celebrity world in Rome.\u00a0 In constant search for the next big scandal to write about, he is seduced by the decadent life led by Rome\u2019s pampered rich, distracting him from anything resembling a real human connection. \u00a0There are still some hints of neo-realism, but already we see strong elements of Fellini\u2019s journey towards a more dream-like representation, which reaches its full expression a few years later in 8 1\/2.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

One common interpretation is that the film can be divided into a prologue, seven major episodes interrupted by an intermezzo, and an epilogue.\u00a0 If the evenings of each episode are joined with the morning of the preceding episode, together they would make one given day.\u00a0 Therefore the entire film would consist of seven consecutive days, creating seven vignettes of Marcello\u2019s life.\u00a0 The epilogue takes place sometime in the future, as we see that Marcello has changed, both physically and behaviorally.<\/p>\n

But the \u201csweet\u201d life?\u00a0 Hardly. Fellini was being ironic.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"cinema<\/a>Cinema Paradiso<\/a> \u2013 This movie is told almost entirely as a series of flashbacks\u2014a young boy’s lifelong love affair with the movies as recalled by his adult self. \u00a0Set in a small Sicilian village, Salvatore finds himself captivated by the flickering images at the Cinema Paradiso, yearning for the secret of the cinema’s magic.\u00a0 He eventually becomes a famous director living in Rome, detached physically and emotionally from his humble beginnings until he learns of the death of his mentor.\u00a0 Very effective for creating a sense of nostalgia for the lost innocence of youth and a simpler life.\u00a0 The soundtrack by Ennio Morricone is evocative and indeed was nominated for several awards.<\/p>\n

La Vita \u00e8 Bella<\/a> \u2013 The most successful foreign language film in U.S. history, the picture also earned director-cowriter-star Roberto Benigni Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Actor.\u00a0 He plays the Jewish country boy Guido, a madcap romantic in Mussolini’s Italy who wins the heart of his sweetheart (Benigni’s real-life partner, Nicoletta Braschi) and raises a darling son in the shadow of fascism.<\/p>\n

I challenge anyone to watch this film without shedding a tear at the end.\u00a0 How is it that Benigni can make us laugh and cry at the same time?<\/p>\n

The next Fellini?<\/h2>\n

I think I\u2019ve said enough about Sorrentino\u2019s film<\/a>, The Great Beauty<\/em>, in other posts, but I was excited to learn recently that he\u2019s currently shooting his latest project in Venice.\u00a0 The word is that he\u2019s again filming in English, as he did with This Must Be the Place,<\/em> with Sean Penn and Frances McDormand.<\/p>\n

\"from
from Swide.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This new film is called, \u201cYouth,\u201d and it stars Harvey Keitel, Michael Caine, Rachel Weisz, and Jane Fonda.\u00a0 It\u2019s due to be released in the spring of 2015.\u00a0 Written by Sorrentino, it\u2019s the story about two old friends on vacation in the Alps.\u00a0 According to Variety:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYouth\u201d turns on Fred and Mick, both knocking on 80 \u2014 one a long retired composer-conductor, the other a still-jobbing film director \u2014 who are vacationing together in an elegant hotel in the lap of the Alps.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sensing their time could be quickly running out, they decide to face the future together, regard with curiosity and tenderness their children\u2019s confused lives, the enthusiasm of Mick\u2019s young writers and the other guests at their hotel.<\/em><\/p>\n

Mick is scrambling to finish what he imagines will be his last important film. Fred gave up his music career a long time ago.\u00a0 But there is someone who wants at all costs to hear his compositions and to see him conduct again.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hollywood kitsch invades Rome<\/h2>\n

If the classics of Italian cinema are something that you also enjoy, you might consider a trip to Cinecitt\u00e1 the next time you\u2019re in Rome.\u00a0 It\u2019s Italy\u2019s version of Universal Studios and you can walk right onto the set of some of your favorite movies.\u00a0 I made a visit to the studios a couple years ago, and I wrote about the experience <\/a>on the website, Italian Talks<\/em>, by Baglioni Hotels.<\/p>\n

My visit to Cinecitt\u00e1 was back when the studios merely offered a humble tour through the sound stages and prop warehouses.\u00a0 For that, I\u2019m glad, because recently they have opened \u201cCinecitt\u00e0 World,\u201d a bizarre theme park where the classics of Italian cinema meet the kitsch of an American carnival.<\/p>\n

\"cinecitta<\/a><\/p>\n

You would think that with all the historical sites, masterpieces of art, and incredible food, the last thing that Rome needs is a theme park.\u00a0 During my travels throughout Italy this summer, I noted several times the need for an improved tourist experience. \u201cCinecitt\u00e0 World\u201d wasn\u2019t exactly what I had in mind, but at least they\u2019re trying.<\/p>\n

Full disclosure: I haven\u2019t actually been there yet to see the embarrassing spectacle that no doubt has Pasolini and Fellini rolling over in their graves.\u00a0 But I\u2019ve read about it on a number of websites, including a recent article in the New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When in Milan a while back I made my first visit to an \u201cEataly\u201d and enjoyed a lively discussion (along with some Prosecco and fritto misto<\/em>) with Alex from \u201cItaly Chronicles<\/a>\u201d about the best way for Italy to change with the times without sacrificing its essence.\u00a0 Does Italy really have to become \u201cEataly\u201d and \u201cCinecitt\u00e1 World\u201d to survive? \u00a0What about all the \u201creal\u201d sites to see in this cultural wonderland?<\/p>\n

Somebody in Italy\u2019s Ministry of Tourism is missing something important.\u00a0 What we (the tourists) would really like is simply basic services that function properly.\u00a0 Credit card machines that accept our banks.\u00a0 Buses that run relatively punctually.\u00a0 Business that are open during business hours.\u00a0 Let us<\/em><\/strong> (Americans) build the kitschy theme parks in a country that has a minuscule fraction of what Italy has to offer in the way of cultural history.\u00a0 We do a better job with that sort of Hollywood-style illusion, anyway.<\/p>\n

OK, I think I\u2019ve made my point.\u00a0 And so if you must, go see Cinecitt\u00e0 World<\/a> the next time you\u2019re in Rome.\u00a0 Then please write me an email to let me know how it was, because I won\u2019t be going any time soon. \u00a0If I want to overdose on poor taste, I\u2019d rather go to Las Vegas than the suburbs of Rome.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’ve written a few articles about the classics of Italian cinema on my blog because I feel like certain films do a great job of teaching some of the nuances of Italian culture to us foreigners. Taken in their proper context, they can help bridge the gap between fantasy and reality. That is, if we\u2019re […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3534,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[282,10,42,5,4],"tags":[188,189,191,283],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3533"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3533"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3533\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3534"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3533"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3533"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}