Italian

  • Luigi Comencini – Incompreso (Vita col figlio) AKA Misunderstood (1967)

    1961-1970DramaItalyLuigi Comencini

    Duncombe is the UK Consul General in Florence, Italy. He becomes a widower when his two sons, Andrew and Miles, are still young kids. Andrew, the eldest, apparently reacts with adult maturity to the loss of his mother, looking after little Miles, an attempt to find a way out of such premature heart-crushing loss. Andrew gets constantly blamed for Miles’ mischievous behavior, but he valiantly takes said blame as his personality is that of a grown up, or at least that is what he tries to be. The father, given his mandate, is often absent, both physically and emotionally, especially toward Andrew. It will be at the end that Duncombe will acknowledge his mistakes, finding himself at a father’s point of no return.Read More »

  • Joseph Losey – Don Giovanni (1979)

    1971-1980ArthouseFranceJoseph LoseyMusical

    From IMDB:
    Screen adapatation of Mozart’s greatest opera. Don Giovanni, the infamous womanizer, makes one conquest after another until the ghost of Donna Anna’s father, the Commendatore, (whom Giovanni killed) makes his appearance. He offers Giovanni one last chance to repent for his multitudinious improprieties. He will not change his ways So, he is sucked down into hell by evil spirits. High drama, hysterical comedy, magnificent music! Written by frankpatRead More »

  • Federico Fellini – Il bidone AKA The Swindle (1955)

    Drama1951-1960CrimeFederico FelliniItaly

    Synopsis:
    Aging small-time con man Augusto, who swindles peasants, works with two younger men: Roberto, who wants to become the Italian Johnny Ray, and Bruno, nicknamed Picasso, who has a wife and daughter and wants to paint. Augusto avoids the personal entanglements, spending money at clubs seeking the good life. His attitude changes when he runs into his own daughter, whom he rarely sees, and realizes she’s now a young woman and in need of his help to continue her studies. His usual partners are away, so he goes in with others to run a swindle, and they aren’t forgiving when he claims he’s given the money back to their mark. They leave him beaten, robbed, and alone.Read More »

  • Michelangelo Antonioni – La signora senza camelie AKA The Lady Without Camelias (1953)

    1951-1960ArthouseDramaItalyMichelangelo Antonioni

    The third feature film by cinema master Michelangelo Antonioni, La signora senza camelie [The Lady Without Camelias], expanded the expressive palette of contemporary Italian movies, demonstrating that a personal vision could take an explicitly poetic tack; that “seriousness = neo-realism” was perhaps already turning into something of a truism; and that Antonioni would answer to no-one but himself.Read More »

  • Lucio Fulci – Gatto nero AKA Black Cat (1981)

    1981-1990HorrorItalyLucio FulciThriller

    Synopsis:
    Patrick Magee is a psychic that can communicate with the dead. He also has the ability to control the mind of his cat (who incidently is black). He uses the cat to take vengeance upon his enemies. A photographer (Mimsy Farmer) who happen to be working for the local constables (David Warbeck, Al Cliver) begins to notice cat scratches on some of the accident victims that are turning up. She pays a visit to Magee (kitty just happens to be present) and conveys her suspicions of the cat’s involvement in some of the local deaths. Kitty doesn’t like this at all, and it’s his turn to control the mind of owner Magee to take it’s vengeance out.Read More »

  • Bruno Mattei & Claudio Fragasso – Rats – Notte di terrore AKA Rats: Night of Terror (1984)

    1981-1990Bruno MatteiClaudio FragassoHorrorItalySci-Fi

    One hundred years after a nuclear war has devastated the planet, society has been reborn into two factions; the underground society and the scavangers above in the wastelands. A group of scavangers on bikes come across a town infested with flesh eating rats, and soon the gore is spilling everywhere.Read More »

  • Mario Bava – Reazione a catena AKA A Bay of Blood [+commentary] (1971)

    1971-1980GialloHorrorItalyMario Bava

    Synopsis:
    A wealthy heiress and landowner dies under mysterious circumstances (her husband did it, but don’t worry, he was done in too), and anyone with a minute claim to her property shows up to collect. The would-be heirs and heiresses start offing each other in increasingly creative and graphic ways, along with some dimwitted teenagers that stop by the bay looking for a party. Basically, it’s Ten Little Indians on the bay.Read More »

  • Ferdinando Baldi – Nove ospiti per un delitto AKA Nine Guests for a Crime [+commentary] (1977)

    1971-1980Ferdinando BaldiGialloItalyThriller

    Synopsis:
    Nine members of the same family go to an island, where nobody lives – but the head of the family owns a nice house there. Problem is that he and his three sons keep a dark secret, and this dark secret begins to haunt them as soon as they are on the island. One by one falls victim to a mysterious killer.Read More »

  • Various – Questa è la vita AKA Of Life and Love (1954)

    1951-1960ClassicsComedyItalyVarious

    Movie in 4 episodes, taken from as many short stories by Luigi Pirandello.

    1) “La giara”: in order to repair the jar of quarrelsome Don Lolò, zi ‘Dima remains locked inside it;

    2) “Il ventaglino”: an unwed mother spends the first money received in charity to buy a fan;

    3) “La patente”: a jinx requires that he be officially recognized, with a licence, his ability to bring bad luck;

    4) “Marsina stretta”: the anger for a too tight tailcoat induces a best man to make celebrate a wedding that the groom’s rich parents were trying to avoid.Read More »

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