Festa del Cinema di Roma - Valerio Zurlini Retrospective

Valerio Zurlini's "La ragazza con la valigia"

It's not everyday you get the chance to see short films made by an Italian master before he became a master and then with English subtitles.. and then among ancient Roman ruins. Well that's how I spent my Sunday evening and it's just one of the reasons why the Festa del Cinema in Rome is still my favorite annual cinema event.

The Sala Trevi is hosting the festival's impressive retrospective dedicated to director Valerio Zurlini. Perhaps best known for "La ragazza con la valigia" (Girl With a Suitcase) starring a young, gorgeous Claudia Cardinale, this retrospective includes some lesser known works, such as a series of short films he made in the early 1950s.

Curated by Domenico Monetti and Mario Sesti in collaboration with Rome's famous film school- Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia - Cineteca, opening night of the retrospective featured these rare short films, each of which give profound insight into the early perspective of the filmmaker and the inspiration he drew from the Eternal City.

Run by the Cineteca Nazionale, the Trevi theater is about a 3-minute walk from the Fountain of Trevi and was named after Rome's beloved actor Alberto Sordi, who passed away in 2003. Upon entering the intimate theater space, we were treated to a stunning restoration of ancient Roman ruins, which set the stage for an hour and a half of going back in time to post World War II Italy through these beautiful, black and white treasures.

The short films shown on Opening Night of the Zurlini retrospective included Racconto del quartiere (1950), Pugilatori (1952), I blues della domenica (1952), Il mercato delle facce (1952), Serenata da un soldo (1953) and La stazione, Soldati in città (1953). Each film features a rocking jazz soundtrack and shows exactly how Romans lived in the years following World War II. From women washing their clothes at a local fountain to movie extras desperately looking for work to the boom in New Orleans jazz to Italian soldiers stationed in Rome, these films are poetic vignettes that transport the viewer back to a simpler time when the roads were not congested with traffic and people were not walking around looking at their cell phones.

What struck me the most about these films was the music- the strong influence of New Orleans jazz on these Roman musicians and filmmakers- something I never knew about Rome. I appreciated that Zurlini gave these musicians command of the scenes. As you will see in the clip I posted below, the musicians played freely. The sessions in the films went on for 3-5 minutes without interruption. That's a pretty big chunk of time in a short film.

The Valerio Zurlini retrospective will last through the week. Below is the complete lineup. For more information, visit the theater's website.

The ancient Roman ruins of the Trevi Theater

Thursday, October 20

5:00pm La promessa (1970, 143')

8:00pm La prima notte di quiete (1972, 132')

Friday, October 21

5:00pm Il deserto dei tartari (1976, 150')

Saturday, October 22

5:00pm Le ragazze di San Frediano (1954, 90')

6:45pm La prima notte di quiete (1972, 132')

8:15pm Cronaca familiare (1962, 122')

Sunday, October 23

5:00pm Estate violenta 1959, 98')
6:45pm La ragazza con la valigia (1960, 121')

9:00pm Il deserto dei tartari (1976, 150')

Click here to visit the Festa del Cinema online.

Comments

Federico Fellini: A Look into the Life and Career of an Icon

A Fellini family portrait “The term became a common word to describe something on the surface you can say is bizarre or strange, but actually is really like a painter working on a film,” said Martin Scorsese when asked to define “Felliniesque,” an adjective inspired by one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. The oldest of three children, Federico Fellini was born in the seaside town of Rimini in 1920. His father was a traveling salesman, so his mother was left to do the bulk of raising the children. One can argue that Fellini was born for his destiny. “You could tell that even as a child, he was different and unique. He was very intelligent, well above average. He was always the one to organize things, direct the others, make up games. He could control the other kids with just a look, said Fellini’s sister, Maddalena, in an interview with journalist Gideon Bachmann. Not only was Fellini directing the children, but he was also putting on shows and charging ...

'Salvatore Giuliano' blends documentary realism with dramatic storytelling

"Salvatore Giuliano" is a 1962 Italian crime drama directed by Francesco Rosi that dramatizes the real-life events surrounding the life and death of the legendary Sicilian bandit and folk hero. Giuliano rose to notoriety after the liberation of Sicily from fascist control in 1943, when he formed a gang that joined a separatist army. When the army dissolved, he and his gang intensified their outlaw activities. One of their most significant crimes was the Portella della Ginestra incident, during which dozens of men, women, and children were killed or wounded. This act prompted the authorities to launch an all-out war against Giuliano. His defenses slowly crumbled, and on July 5, 1959, his body was discovered in the courtyard of a house in Castelvetrano. That moment serves as the starting point for Rosi's film. Giuliano's fame is tied to his involvement in the Sicilian independence movement and his battles against both the Italian government and the Mafia in the 1940s a...

The Timeless Talent of Stefania Sandrelli

On screen since the tender age of 14, she has captivated audiences for more than 50 years with a compelling combination of strength and vulnerability. She achieved stardom at just 14 years old playing the angelic cousin of a love-struck Marcello Mastroianni in Pietro Germi’s “Divorce Italian Style.” More than half a century later, she is still going strong and remains one of Italy’s most esteemed actors. Stefania Sandrelli was born on June 5, 1946, in Viareggio in the province of Lucca in northern Italy. As a child, she studied music and dance. Then in 1960, she won a beauty pageant and was featured on the cover of Le Ore magazine. Her purity captivated the country and shortly thereafter, movie offers began pouring in. Just one year later, she made her cinema debut in three feature films: Mario Sequi’s Gioventù di notte , Luciano Salce’s The Fascist, and Pietro Germi’s Divorce Italian Style . She instantly became a star and before long was a key figure in Italy’s legend...

Gianfranco Rosi to premiere 'Sotto le nuvole' at Venice Film Fest, exploring Naples' history

Documentary filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi will premiere his much-anticipated latest film at the upcoming 82nd Venice International Film Festival , which runs August 27 - Sept. 6. "Sotto le nuvole" (Below the Clouds) takes a deep dive into the rich history and culture of Naples and the area surrounding Mount Vesuvius. There has not been much information revealed but so far, we know that the film will focus on themes similar to those explored by Rosi in his previous works, such as the examination of Roman culture in "Sacro GRA" (2013) and Lampedusa's refugee crisis in "Fuocoammare" (2016). The film's synopsis reads, “The land around Vesuvius is a vast palimpsest. On the surface, underground and even beneath the sea of the modern city of Naples and its surroundings, the memory of history is etched into tunnels, walls and fissures, the remains of women, children and men — statues, buried cities. Only thin layers separate contemporary and ancient life, an...

"Roma 11:00" – The Tragic True Story of Desperation in a World of Poverty

There couldn’t have been a more perfect couple than Lucia Bosè and Raf Vallone in Giuseppe De Santis’ 1952 “Roma 11:00.” A tragic story based on true events, the film follows several young women in post-WWII Rome as they answer a job listing for a typist. When 200 women are in line on one staircase over several floors, a crack leads to the collapse of the entire staircase. Dozens were injured and one was killed. The tragedy spoke to the poverty and desperation that existed for so many Italians in the early 1950s before the ‘58 industrial boom began. Cesare Zavattini was one of the screenwriters. Elio Petri was the assistant director who interviewed many of the victims and cast a few in supporting roles. In addition to Bosè and Vallone, the film stars Carla Del Poggio, Massimo Girotti, Maria Grazia Francia, Lea Padovani and Delia Scala. The film is set in Largo Circense 37, while in reality the collapse took place in via Savoia 31, in the Salario district, on J...

Italian Cinema Today

Search This Blog