Guide to Modern Italian Cinema

I want to preface this guide to modern Italian cinema by saying that I am in no way a cinema expert and this list is not exhaustive. I simply enjoy watching good movies and want to help others discover them. There are probably a number of good films that are not in this guide simply because I haven’t seen them. If you have one you want to recommend, let me know in the comments so I can check it out.

Italy has a strong cinematic tradition, particularly the neorealism school (films like The Bicycle Thief (Ladri di biciclette), The Earth Trembles (La terra trema)) and the fantastical films of Federico Fellini (La Dolce Vita, Amarcord, 8 1/2). These films are important in their own right. However, Italy has changed tremendously over the past few decades, and it is modern Italy that truly interests me. Many of the films in this guide reflect a new Italy, and you can learn a lot about modern Italian culture from watching them. Some of these films reflect the Italy of earlier times, and you can form a picture from them of what modern Italy has grown out of.

If you are learning Italian, watching Italian movies is also a great way to enhance your listening comprehension. I especially recommend watching these movies with the Italian audio track and Italian subtitles, if possible. If you’ve purchased DVDs in Italy, there might be an option for the subtitles called Italiano per non udenti (Italian subtitles for the hearing impaired, lit. those that can’t hear). If you have any kind of foundation in Italian, you’ll be amazed at how well you can follow the storyline by listening and reading along with the Italian subtitles.

Also note that I linked to all of these movies at Amazon so you can try them out if you would like. All links go to DVDs that work in Region 1 (North America) and they should all have English subtitles. If you live outside of North America, make sure you find the DVD with the correct region code! Otherwise, it might not work in your DVD player.

Enough of the preamble. Here are the films that I think of when I think of modern Italian cinema:

Films by Gabriele Salvatores:

Salvatores was born in Naples and won an Oscar for best foreign film with his film Mediterraneo.

Mediterraneo
Mediterraneo has to be my favorite Italian film of all time. Set during World War II, the story follows a group of Italian soldiers that become stranded on a Greek island after their ship is blown up. Their radio breaks, no one knows where they are, and they have no choice but to integrate themselves into the life of the Greek village. Through their interactions with their Greek hosts and a Turkish merchant, they soon learn the meaning of the phrase una faccia, una razza (one face, one race). It is a touching story with many funny moments. No wonder it won an Oscar.

I’m Not Scared (Io non ho paura)
Set during Italy’s anni di piombo of kidnapping and terrorism, this is the story of a boy, Michelle, who discovers another boy hidden in a field and weak with hunger. Michelle soon learns that the boy has been kidnapped and that his own parents are involved with the plot. This thriller captures the essence of the difficult times Italy went through during the 1970s.

Films by Giuseppe Tornatore:

Tornatore was born in Sicily, near Palermo, and began his film career by making a documentary on the ethnic minorities of Sicily. He also won an Oscar for best foreign film with Cinema Paradiso.

Cinema Paradiso (Nuovo Cinema Paradiso)
From Wikipedia: “Told in flashback, it tells the story of the return to his native Sicilian village of a successful film director Salvatore for the funeral of his old friend Alfredo, who was the projectionist at the local “Cinema Paradiso”. Ultimately, Alfredo serves as a wise father figure to his young friend who only wishes the best to see him succeed, even if it means breaking his heart in the process.” This is a great movie with many moments that are both funny and touching. You truly get a sense of what life was like in a small Sicilian village, and the characters of Alfredo and little Salvatore make a great pair.

Maléna
This is also a coming-of-age story set in a small Sicilian village, but Maléna adds the sensuality of Monica Bellucci and the themes of jealousy and prejudice in small towns. Bellucci plays Maléna, a beautiful outsider whose husband is killed in World War II. A 12-year-old boy named Renato becomes infatuated with her, as do many of the townspeople as they accuse her of adultery. This film also gives you a sense of what like was like in small-town Sicily, something Tornatore seems to have a definite skill for.

The Star Maker (L’uomo delle stelle)
This is also set in Sicily and tells the story of a con-man who goes from town to town telling people he is a talent scout for a major movie studio. He charges a fee for the townspeople to do screen tests that will never see the light of day. Themes include the power of cinema and the dreams of regular people. This film was nominated for the best foreign film Oscar.

The Legend of 1900 (La leggenda del pianista sull’oceano)
This film is in English and stars Tim Roth. I actually haven’t seen it yet, but it was recommended to me as another great film by Tornatore. I have it on order with Netflix and will update this guide as soon as I’ve watched it.

By Roberto Benigni:

Benigni was born in Tuscany and began his career in theater. His film Life is Beautiful was nominated for 7 Oscars and won 3, including best actor and best foreign film.

Life is Beautiful (La vita é bella)
Benigni accomplishes the impossible by creating a heart-warming comedy out of the tragedy of the Holocaust. He plays the role of a bumbling waiter who is interned, along with his family, in a concentration camp. He turns this horrible reality into an elaborate game to protect his son. This is Benigni at his best!

Films by Leonardo Pieraccioni:

Pieraccioni was born in Florence. Amazon doesn’t carry many of his films, but there are two that I really enjoyed. The first is Il paradiso all’improvviso (Suddenly Paradise), where he plays a man who loves being single but is tricked by two of his friends into falling in love with an actress who is stringing him along. The other is Il ciclone (The Cyclone), where he and his Tuscan family are bewitched by a traveling group of flamenco dancers from Spain. Pieraccioni makes comedies that are very enjoyable and I’m looking forward to watching some of his other films.

Films by Gabriele Muccino:

Muccino was born in Rome. After establishing himself as a great director of Italian films, Muccino has come over to Hollywood and directed Will Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness and Seven Pounds.

The Last Kiss (L’ultimo bacio)
This is the story of Carlo, a young man who experiences an early-life crisis when his beautiful girlfriend becomes pregnant. He falls for a young girl in high school, and chaos ensues. However, Carlo is not alone in his struggles. His entire circle of friends and family experience a crisis of some form. This film is very dramatic at times, but the storylines resolve in a very interesting ending.

Remember Me, My Love (Ricordati di me)
This is another story of a family in crisis, this time with mid-life parents and teenagers. The husband has an affair with an old flame (Monica Bellucci) and chaos ensues once again.

By Paolo Virzî:

My Name Is Tanino
This is the story of Tanino, a young man in Sicily, who meets a young American girl on vacation. After the girl returns to the US, Tanino decides to find her. The role of the American girl is played by Rachel McAdams, in her first feature film.

By Matteo Garrone:

Gomorrah
When most people think of organized crime in Italy, they think of the Sicilian Mafia. However, there is another group in Campania, surrounding Naples, called the Camorra, who are even more brazen. Based on the best-selling book by Roberto Saviano, Gomorrah looks at the stranglehold the Camorra have over the region, from the drug dealing in stifling housing projects, to the corrupt businessmen, to the sweatshops making couture dresses, to the gang warfare leaving bodies in its wake. This is a searing portrait of life wasted under the burden of crime and corruption. The Godfather this is not.

By Paolo Sorrentino:

Il Divo
This film illustrates why Italian politics are so baffling to the outsider. Il Divo recounts the political life of Giulio Andreotti, the seven-time Prime Minister who is accused of ties to the mafia and of complicity in the kidnapping and murder of a political rival. This story tracks the history of Italian politics during the past few decades as seen through the career of Andreotti. A must-watch for anyone interested in Italian politics.

That’s all I have for right now. If you have any suggestions for films to add, please let me know in the comments. Grazie!