State Buoni ... Se Potete
(Behave Yourselves ...
If You Can) (1983)
Directed by Luigi Magni
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 7:00 PM
In Italian with English subtitles (150 min.)
Set in 16th century Rome, this thoroughly delightful film tells the story of Philip Neri and his care of orphans in Rome, frequently urging "Behave yourselves ... if you can". The music is by Angelo Branduardi who leads a chorus of children whose faces and singing are memorable. Neri is surrounded by a cast of characters including the Pope, Ignatius Loyola, Charles Borromeo, Theresa of Avila, and Francis Xavier. There is a love story between Leonetta and Cirinfischio, and even the devil has his part in a series of incarnations.. The music, story and children are quite beautiful.
A video clip from State Buoni ... Se Potete may be found here .
Additional information on State Buoni ... Se Potete may be found here .
The complete 2 1/2 hour film (without subtitles) State Buoni ... Se Potete may be found here .
The Orange Thief (2007)
Directed by Vinnie Angel, Boogie Dean, and Arthur Wilinski
Sunday January 22, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. at the Casa Italiana
In Sicilian with English subtitles (84 min.)
In this comedy, a young man steals fruit from orchards for survival, sale, and the sheer excitement of courting danger. He is caught and thrown into a Sicilian prison. His cell mate makes him an irresistable offer. Upon release, the young man must record the convict's girlfriend performing Sicilian folk songs which she is reluctant to do. In return, he will receive his own piece of land which he has long coveted.
A video clip fromThe Orange Thief may be found here .
Additional information on The Orange Thief may be found here .
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La Tosca
(Tosca) (1973)
Directed by Luigi Magni
Sunday February 5, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. at the Casa Italiana
In Italian with NO English subtitles (99 min.)
While based on the same Sardou story, this is NOT Puccini's Opera, but an amusing comedy from the pen of Luigi Magni starring Monica Vitti as Tosca, Gigi Proietti as Cavaradossi, Vittorio Gassman as Scarpia, Umberto Orsini as Angelotti, and Aldo Fabrizi as the Monsignor with music by Armando Trovajoli. The film opens in St. Andrew's Church in Rome on June 14, 1800, the day of the Battle of Marengo, between the Napoleon and Austrian armies, while the Monsignor begs the Lord to intervene and secure a loss by the French army.
A video clip fromLa Tosca may be found here .
Additional information on La Tosca may be found here .
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La Bella Mugnaia
(The Miller's Beautiful Wife) (1955)
Directed by Mario Camerini
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 7:00 PM
In Italian with English subtitles (94 min.)
This very earthy comedy was based on the play, The Three-Cornered Hat, from the Spanish novel of Alarcon. The film has Vittorio De Sica as Don Teofilo, a lecherous governor of Naples in 1680 who lusts after the wives of several peasants, particularly the miller's wife, Carmela, played by a ravishing Sophia Loren. Don Teofilo is aided in his treachery by Gardunia (Paolo Stoppa). Luca, the miller, (a youngish Marcello Mastroianni), plans to avenge his honor by seducing the wife of the governor. Oppressive taxation by the Spanish is evident in this delightful comedy which boasts a great cast and one of the earliest pairings of Loren and Mastroianni.
A video clip with non-Italian audio (except for Loren's song) fromLa Bella Mugnaia may be found here .
Additional information on La Bella Mugnaia may be found here .
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Il Prefetto di Ferro
(The Iron Prefect) (1977)
Directed by Pasquale Squitieri
Sunday February 19, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. at the Casa Italiana
In Italian with English subtitles (112 min.)
This well structured film tells the fascinating true story of Cesare Mori, sent by Mussolini to Sicily in 1925 to deal with the power and influence of the Sicilian Mafia. He was given unusual freedom and power to deal with an entrenched Mafia. The film documents his most famous action, the seige of Gangi, a stronghold of criminal gangs. Some 11,000 arrests are attributed to Mori's rule in Palermo. Mori's investigations brought evidence of collusion between the Mafia, influential members of the State apparatus, and high-ranking Fascists. This latter aspect brought disapproval by the Fascists, and he was removed in 1929 and appointed Senator in Rome.
A video clip without subtitles from Il Prefetto di Ferro may be found here .
Additional information on Il Prefetto di Ferro may be found here .
The complete 112 min film in 5 segments and (without subtitles), Il Prefetto di Ferro the first segment of which may be found here .
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Le Avventure Di Pinocchio
(The Adventures of Pinocchio) (1971)
Directed by Luigi Comencini
Sunday March 4, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. at the Casa Italiana
In Italian with English subtitles (128 min.)
This charming film has been described as the best version of Pinocchio ever made. Pinocchio is a wooden puppet carved by Geppetto (Nino Manfredi), turned into a little boy by a magical fairy (Gina Lollobrigida). She insists that he be obedient and loving to Geppetto, but the rebellious Pinocchio tries to live independently, having many adventures. He and Geppetto end up in the belly of a whale, finally escaping with the help of a tuna who brings them back to land. Manfredi's portrayal of Geppetto is an unforgetable joy to watch.
A video clip without subtitles fromLe Avventure Di Pinocchio may be found here .
Additional information on Le Avventure Di Pinocchio may be found here .
A complete version of the film in 13 segments and (without subtitles) Le Avventure Di Pinocchio Trailer the first segment of which may be found here .
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Cristo Si È Fermato A Eboli
(Christ Stopped at Eboli) (1979)
Directed by Francesco Rosi
Thursday, March 15, 2012 at 7:00 P.M.
In Italian with English subtitles (145 min.)
This winner of David di Donatellos in 1979 for Best Director and Best Film as well as several Best Film awards in England, France, and Russia, is based on the documentary novel by Carlo Levi (sensitively played by Gian Maria Volontè), Jewish artist and physician, who was exiled to a remote village near Eboli during the Fascist oppression preceeding World War II. Over time, Levi learns to appreciate the beauty and wisdom of the peasants and to overcome his isolation.
"Christ did stop at Eboli, where the road and the railway leave the coast of Salerno and turn into the desolate reaches of Lucania. Christ never came this far, nor did time, nor the individual soul, nor hope, nor the relation of cause to effect, nor reason, nor history" (from the book).
A video clip without subtitles from Christ stopped at Eboli may be found here .
Additional information on Cristo Si È Fermato A Eboli may be found here .
A complete version of the film in 10 segments and (with subtitles - click on the red CC icon to turn them on) Christ stopped at Eboli the first segment of which may be found here .
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Il Regista Di Matrimoni
(The Wedding Director) (2006)
Directed by Marco Bellocchio
Sunday March 18, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. at the Casa Italiana
In Italian with English subtitles (99 min.)
A famous director (Sergio Castellitto) takes a break from a film project, going to Sicily where he becomes involved in filming a wedding. In the time before the wedding, he develops a deep longing for the lovely bride and begins to try to sabotage her marriage to a wealthy lawyer.
Rated R for some nudity.
A video clip with no subtitles from The Wedding Director containing the nude scene may be found here .
A video clip with no subtitles of Marco Bellocchio discussing his cinema may be found here .
Additional information on Il Regista Di Matrimoni may be found here .
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La Ragazza Del Lago
(The Girl of the Lake) (2007)
Directed by Andrea Molaioli
Sunday April 1, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. at the Casa Italiana
In Italian with English subtitles (96 min.)
This film is set in an idyllic town in the Italian Dolomites, where the corpse of a beautiful young girl is found beside an Alpine lake. The murder provides multiple suspects in an engrossing thriller that keeps the audience guessing as the inspector (Toni Servillo) pursues the killer. The more the inspector and the local cop investigate, the more questions arise.
A theatrical trailer from La Ragazza Del Lago may be found here .
Additional information on La Ragazza Del Lago may be found here .
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Sogno Di Una Notte Di Mezza Sbornia
(Dream From a Half-Intoxicated Evening] (1959)
Directed by Eduardo De Filippo
Sunday April 15, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. at the Casa Italiana
In Italian with NO English subtitles (90 min.)
The great poet, Dante Alighieri, appears in a dream to Pasquale (Eduardo DeFilippo), and gives him three numbers to play the lotto. These numbers also correspond to the date of Pasquale's death. The poor man is forced to decide whether to play the numbers with the prospects of winning the lottery and being doomed to death, or to just forget Dante's numbers. Pasquale plays the numbers and actually wins. Will Dante's death prophecy come to pass? This classic comedy written and directed by Eduardo is based on a story by Athos Setti and also stars Pupella Maggio.
An 8 min video clip with no subtitles from Sogno Di Una Notte Di Mezza Sbornia may be found here .
Additional information on Sogno Di Una Notte Di Mezza Sbornia may be found here .
A complete version of this film in 11 segments and (without subtitles) Sogno Di Una Notte Di Mezza Sbornia the first segment of which may be found here .
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Allegro Non Troppo (1976)
Directed by Bruno Bozzetto
Thursday April 19, 2012 at 7:00 P.M.
In Italian with English subtitles (85 min.)
"Allegro Non Troppo" is an Italian parody of Disney's Fantasia, featuring a unique orchestra (filmed in black and white), a slave animator (the Italian comedian Maurizio Nichetti) and an angry director. The live action part is filled with humor, relying mostly on visual gags and on the exceptional mimicry of Nichetti. This movie is a masterpiece, showing the best work of Italian animators. Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun presents the sad story of an aging satyr. Ravel's Bolero is used for a fascinating piece on the origin of life on earth. The story of evolution from lowest forms to complex ones is seen as a violent tale of survival, as obsessive as Ravel's music. Another fine piece is the incredibly sad Sibelius' Valse Triste, about a cat remembering his better days. Other animated pieces include the Concerto in C Minor by Vivaldi, Dvorak's Slavonic dance, and Stravinsky's Firebird. "Allegro Non Troppo" is imaginative, mature, and technically impressive. This is animation at its best.
A video clip of the Bolero segment from Allegro Non Troppo may be found here .
Additional information on Allegro Non Troppo may be found here .
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La Strategia Del Ragno
(The Spider's Stratagem) (1970)
Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci
Sunday April 29, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. at the Casa Italiana
Italian with English subtitles (96 min.)
La Strategia Del Ragno is a beautifully shot, superbly acted film with many twists. At first glance, the story portrays a man, Athos Jr, who must solve the murder of his father, Athos Sr. This is urged by his father's mistress, Draifa (Alida Valli). The father, a leading anti-fascist, was killed by a fascist in 1936 -- such is the claim of the town. As the son untangles the web of lies from which the story is constructed, he finds himself ensnared in the same web.
A video clip with no subtitles from The Spider's Stratagem may be found here .
Another video clip with no subtitles and Alida Valli from The Spider's Stratagem may be found here .
Additional information on La Strategia Del Ragno may be found here .
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Il Federale
[The Fascist] (1961)
Directed by Luciano Salce
Thursday May 24, 2012 at 7:00 P.M.
In Italian with English subtitles (97 min.)
Il Federal is an amusing comedy (almost slap-stick at times) set in German occupied Italy of 1944. Primo Arcovazzi (Ugo Tognazzi) is a fanatic member of I Brigate Nere (The Fascist Brigade) and is given the task of retrieving Prof. Erminio Bonafè (Georges Wilson), an opponent of the regime, who has fled to Abruzzo from Rome to escape capture. He succeeds in capturing Bonafè early in the film. The bulk of film consists in the misadventures of bringing him back to Rome. The obstacles are many and the two slowly become fond of each other despite their positions of captor and prisoner. A surprise awaits when the two finally arrive back in Rome.
A video clip (with NO subtitles) from Il Federale may be found here .
Additional information on Il Federale may be found here .
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Francesca e Nunziata [Frances and Nancy] (2001)
Directed by Lena Wertmuller
Thursday, June 21, 2012 at 7:00 PM
In Italian with English subtitles (120 min.)
Francesca (Sophia Loren) was a woman of common birth whose beauty and charm so entranced Prince Giordano Montorsi (Giancarlo Giannini) that he married her in the 1890s. They had a number of children, but when their baby boy became seriously ill, she pledged that if her son were spared, she would adopt a needy orphan. Nunziata (Claudia Gerini) is adopted at age 9 by the family and grows into an attractive and savvy young woman, learning business skills from her adoptive mother. Her step brother, Federico (Raul Bova), becomes enamored of her but is forced into a marriage for financial reasons. This well-acted film examines the family relationships over a number of years.
A video clip from Francesca e Nunziata may be found here .
Additional information on Francesca e Nunziata may be found here .
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