Fellini Satyricon - A 1969 Italian Movie Directed by Frederico Fellini - 2 Hours 9 Minutes

Available on YouTube with English and Russian Captions 

"I am examining ancient Rome as if this were a documentary about the customs and habits of the Martians."

-- Federico Fellini in an Interview, 1969

"Federico Fellini describes his "Fellini Satyricon" as a science-fiction film, but one in which we journey to the past rather than to the future. Directors are notoriously unreliable as sources of opinions about their own movies, but in this case I think Fellini is dead right.

His film is a fantastical journey to a pre-Christian Rome that resembles no civilization that ever was, in heaven or on Earth. And it is a masterpiece. Some will say it is a bloody, depraved, disgusting film; indeed, people by the dozens were escaping from the sneak preview I attended. But "Fellini Satyricon" is a masterpiece all the same, and films that dare everything cannot please everybody." Roger Ebert 

From Roger Ebert's illuminating review

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/fellini-satyricon-2001

The film follows the adventures of Encolpius, a young poet, and his companions, Ascyltus and Gitone, as they navigate the bizarre underbelly of Roman society. They encounter everything from orgies and feasts to gladiatorial battles and mythological creatures. The film is visually stunning, with Fellini creating a world that is both beautiful and unsettling. His use of costumes, sets, and special effects . Released in 1969, it's a loose adaptation of the Roman satire of the same name by Petronius, set in the decadent days of Emperor Nero. Fellini's take on the story is anything but conventional. It's a surreal, episodic journey through a world of hedonism, grotesquerie, and mythical encounters, all filtered through the maestro's unique and fantastical 

Here are some of the things that I find most interesting about Fellini Satyricon:

The film's visual style: Fellini's use of color, lighting, and composition is truly masterful. He creates a world that is both dreamlike and nightmarish, and it's impossible to take your eyes off the screen.

The film's humor: Satyricon is a very funny film, even though it deals with some dark subject matter. Fellini's use of slapstick and satire is always on point, and he has a knack for finding the humor in the most unexpected places.

The film's meaning: Satyricon is a film that is open to interpretation. There is no one right way to understand it. But I think it's a film that is about the human condition, about our search for meaning and pleasure in a world that is often chaotic and absurd.

Cabiria is a 1914 Italian silent epic historical film directed by Giovanni Pastrone and starring Lidia Quaranta, Umberto Mozzato, and Bartolomeo Pagano.

available on YouTube In a beautifully restored version with English Captions as well as a score
 

Cabiria is a 1914 Italian silent epic historical film directed by Giovanni Pastrone and starring Lidia Quaranta, Umberto Mozzato, and Bartolomeo Pagano. It is considered one of the most important films of the silent era and is still widely admired today for its innovative special effects, lavish sets, and epic storytelling.

The film tells the story of a young girl named Cabiria, who is kidnapped and sold into slavery. She endures many hardships, including being nearly sacrificed in a temple, but she is eventually rescued by a Roman soldier. The film follows Cabiria's adventures as she travels across Italy and North Africa, witnessing some of the most famous events of the Second Punic War.

Cabiria was a huge commercial success, and it helped to establish Italy as a major force in the film industry. It was also critically acclaimed, and it won numerous awards, including the first Grand Prize at the Milan International Exposition.

The film is still considered to be a masterpiece of silent cinema, and it is included in the Vatican Film Library's list of the 45 most important films in history.

Here are some of the things that make Cabiria such an important film:

• It was one of the first films to use special effects on a large scale. The film's most famous special effect is the eruption of Mount Etna, which was created using a combination of models, pyrotechnics, and rear projection.

• The film was shot on location in Italy and Tunisia, which gave it a sense of realism that was unprecedented at the time.

• The film features some of the most impressive sets ever built for a silent film. The sets were so large and detailed that they could be mistaken for real locations.

• The film's story is epic and moving, and it features some of the most memorable characters in silent cinema.

Here are some of the awards that Cabiria won:

• Grand Prize at the Milan International Exposition (1914)

• Golden Medal at the San Francisco International Exposition (1915)

• Best Foreign Film at the National Board of Review Awards (1916)

The Leopard- A 1963 Movie directed by Luchino Visconti- starring Burt Lancaster and Claudia Cardinale- run rime 205 Minutes

 

Available on YouTube with English Subtitles 

The Leopard (Italian: Il Gattopardo) is a 1963 epic historical drama film directed by Luchino Visconti. Written by Visconti, Enrico Medioli, Massimo Franciosa, Suso Cecchi d'Amico, Pasquale Festa Campanile and René Barjavel, the film is an adaptation of the 1958 novel of the same title by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa.

The film stars Burt Lancaster as Don Fabrizio Corbera, an aging Sicilian nobleman caught up in the sociopolitical turmoil of the Risorgimento (Italian unification) during the mid-19th century, with Alain Delon as his opportunistic nephew Tancredi, and Claudia Cardinale as his goddaughter Angelica Sedara. Paolo Stoppa, Rina Morelli, Romolo Valli, Terence Hill and Serge Reggiani play supporting roles.

The Leopard is a sweeping and visually stunning film that chronicles the decline of the Sicilian aristocracy and the rise of the bourgeoisie in the wake of Italian unification. The film is also a meditation on mortality, love, and the passage of time.

Don Fabrizio is a complex and contradictory character. He is a man of his time, bound by the traditions and values of his class. But he is also a realist who understands that the world is changing around him. He sees the rise of the bourgeoisie and the decline of the aristocracy as inevitable, and he tries to adapt to the new social order.

Tancredi is a more idealistic and impulsive character. He is a hero of the Risorgimento, and he believes in the new Italy. But he is also seduced by the wealth and power of the bourgeoisie. He marries Angelica Sedara, the daughter of a wealthy businessman, in order to secure the future of his family

The film was a critical and commercial success in Europe, but it was less well-received in the United States. This was due in part to the fact that the American release was a heavily edited version of the film. (YouTube has the full version)

The Leopard is now considered to be one of the greatest films ever made. It is a masterpiece of cinema that is both visually stunning and emotionally resonant.

Mel Ulm

Paisan - A 1946 Film directed by Roberto Rossellini - running time two hours- distributed by MGM

 

Earlier this month I posted upon Germany Year Zero, a component of three films from Roberto Rossellini concerning the immediate post World War Two Years in Germany and Italy.  These films are considered inspiration for the Italian Neorealist Movement in Cinema.  I do not hesitate to designate them as High Art.

In six independent episodes, it tells of the Liberation of Italy by the Allied forces during the late stage of World War II. The film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and received numerous national and international prizes including a nomination at the 22nd Academy Awards for Best Story and Screenplay.

The six episodes:

"Invasion" (Sicily, July 1943): An American soldier helps a young Italian woman escape from a group of German soldiers.

"Abruzzo" (September 1943): A group of Italian partisans help an American soldier who has been injured.

"Florence" (August 1944): An American soldier falls in love with an Italian woman, but their relationship is complicated by the war.

"Romagna" (September 1944): A group of American soldiers are captured by the Germans and forced to work in a labor camp.

"Tuscany" (October 1944): An American soldier is befriended by a young boy, but their friendship is tested when the boy's father is killed by the Germans.

"Po Valley" (April 1945): American and German soldiers fight a battle to the death in the Po Valley.

Paisan is considered a masterpiece of neorealism, a film movement that emerged in Italy in the aftermath of World War II. Neorealist films are characterized by their use of non-professional actors, location shooting, and a focus on the everyday lives of ordinary people. Paisan is also notable for its use of documentary-style techniques, such as long takes and handheld camerawork.

This film is available on YouTube with English Subtitles- the film is partially in English.

I hope to post upon Rome-An Open City soon

Mel Ulm

Germany Year Zero - A 1948 movie Directed by Roberto Rosselli -Run Time One Hour and 18 minutes

 Germany Year Zero is available on YouTube with English Subtitles 

Germany Year Zero is a merciless view of 12 year old boy, once an avid Hitler Youth, caught between the designs of a pedophilic Nazi, shady black-marketers, and his own ailing family.  The background of the bombed out buildings is magnificent.

The film tells the story of 12-year-old Edmund Köhler (Edmund Meschke), who lives in a bombed-out apartment building in Berlin with his ailing father (Ernst Pittschau) and his adult siblings, Eva (Ingrid Thulin) and Karl-Heinz (Wolfgang Krüger). Eva manages to obtain cigarettes by going out with soldiers of the Allied forces, but she resists others' expectations to prostitute herself. Karl-Heinz is the older son who fought in the war and is a burden to the struggling family, refusing to register with the police and get a ration card because he is afraid of what would happen if they found out he fought to the bitter end.

Edmund is left to fend for himself, and he soon gets involved in the black market. He also comes under the influence of a former schoolteacher (Eduard von Winterstein), who encourages him to give up on life and commit suicide.

The film was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 1948 Cannes Film Festival, and it won the award for Best Director. It has since been recognized as a classic of Italian neorealism and one of the most important films about the aftermath of World War II.

The title of the film, "Germany Year Zero," refers to the fact that Germany was essentially a blank slate after the war. The country had been destroyed by Allied bombing, and its people were demoralized and hungry. The film suggests that Germany needed to start over, to create a new society that was free from the evils of fascism.

Germany Year Zero is a powerful and disturbing film that offers a harsh but realistic look at the aftermath of war.

"Roberto Rossellini was an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer. He was one of the most prominent directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing to the movement with films such as Rome, Open City (1945), Paisan (1946), and Germany, Year Zero (1948). He is also known for his films starring Ingrid Bergman, Stromboli (1950), Europe '51 (1952), Journey to Italy (1954), Fear (1954), and Joan of Arc at the Stake (1954).

Rossellini was born in Rome in 1906. He began his career as a journalist and documentary filmmaker. In 1945, he made his first feature film, Rome, Open City, which was a critical and commercial success. The film, which was shot on location in Rome during the German occupation, helped to define the Italian neorealist movement.

Rossellini continued to make neorealist films in the years that followed, including Paisan and Germany, Year Zero. These films were praised for their realism and their unflinching portrayal of the human condition.

In the 1950s, Rossellini began to experiment with different film styles. He made a series of films with Ingrid Bergman, including Stromboli, Europe '51, and Journey to Italy. These films were more personal and introspective than his earlier work.

Rossellini continued to make films until his death in 1977" From Bard

The Bicycle Thieves - A 1948 Movie is a 1948 Italian neorealist drama film directed by Vittorio De Sica

 

 

The Bicycle Thieves is available on YouTube with English Subtitles 

https://youtu.be/TVw2ctnL22M

The Film follows the story of a poor father searching in post-World War II Rome for his stolen bicycle, without which he will lose the job which was to be the salvation of his young family.

The film stars Lamberto Maggiorani as Antonio Ricci, a tram conductor who has been unemployed for months. He finally finds work posting political posters around the city, but he needs his bicycle to get to and from work. His wife, Maria (Lianella Carell), sells the family's bed linens to retrieve the bicycle from the pawnshop so he can take the job.

However, disaster strikes when Antonio's bicycle is stolen. He and his son, Bruno (Enzo Staiola), comb the city, growing increasingly desperate for justice. They encounter a number of obstacles, including indifference from the police, suspicion from the public, and the harsh realities of life in post-war Italy.

Bicycle Thieves is a powerful and moving film that explores the themes of poverty, desperation, and the human spirit. It is a classic of Italian neorealism, and it is considered one of the greatest films ever made.

The film was a critical and commercial success, and it won the Academy Honorary Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1950. It was also nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 1949 Cannes Film Festival.

The Bicycle Thieves was filmed in the streets of Rome, depicted the poverty of post World War Two Italy. The actors were amateurs.

The acting is superb. Lamberto Maggiorani gives a tour-de-force performance as Antonio Ricci, and Enzo Staiola is heartbreaking as his son, Bruno.

The cinematography is stunning. The film was shot on location in post-war Rome, and the images capture the poverty and desperation of the city.

The story is powerful and moving. It is a story of hope, loss, and redemption.

The film is a classic of Italian neorealism. It is a film that is both realistic and poetic.

The Bicycle Thieves is regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, it is cinema as High Art.