Skip to main content

A Look at Rome's Spectacular Exhibits Dedicated to Italian Cinema

Museo Italiano Audiovisivo and Cinema at Cinecittà Studios
I arrived in Rome planning to check out a few premieres and film festivals, and ended up immersed in numerous breathtaking multi-media exhibits recounting Italian cinema of yesterday and today. Here is a recap..

 Museo Italiano Audiovisivo e Cinema
Cinecittà Studios

 There is a new interactive museum opening soon at Cinecittà Studios on via Tuscolana. It's offers a magnificent full-immersion exhibit that will take you through more than a century of cinema. I had the pleasure of a wonderful, private tour that presented me with testament to the pride that Italians have for the rich history and origins of their cinema. MIAC, which stands for Museo Italiano Audiovisivo and Cinema covers 120 years of Italian cinema from the silent era to the Golden Age to today, and focuses on many aspects, including the stars, soundtracks, maestri, history and dialogues. There is a cool interactive part, which features touch screens in which you can check out the films from a certain timeframe. The years include- 1946-1967, 1981-1996, 2000-2009 and 2010-2019. There are several rooms with different themes that place you right in the eye of this perfect cinema storm. It truly is not to be missed. The museum is slated to open December 18. Click here for more information (in Italian).



 Permanent Exhibits
Biblioteca Nazionale di Rome 
(Rome’s Central Library)
Spazi900 Museum

 Sala Pasolini
There is a multimedia exhibit dedicated to Pier Paolo Pasolini's love affair with Rome and it's just beautiful. The exhibit takes you along a path divided by his passions of literature, filmmaking and the poor neighborhoods of the Eternal City where he often played ball with children in the streets. These interactions with the contadini of Rome inspired many of his writings, which can be found in the book, Pasolini: Roman Poems. Larger than life images of his films Accattone and Uccellacci e uccellini grace the walls of the exhibit space, situated over a television that loops black and white images of the maestro. There is a room in which his voice can be heard as you walk the corridor, listening to Roman music and gaze at his handsome portraits on the wall.


The Sala Pasolini is not just an exhibit of images but rather an experience that will leave you with the sensation that you walked a few steps in the life of this immortal artist whose work only seems to become more relevant with time.




Elsa Morante
Francesca Comencini's 1997 documentary, Ritratto di Elsa Morante, is on a continual loop in the permanent space dedicated to the Italian novelist. Walking through the dimly-lit exhibit of Morante's belongings, writings and photos taken with her beloved cats, creates an intimate experience that gives you a glimpse into her world.



Carlo Levi
The latest addition to the library's vast collection of artifacts and writings is a permanent exhibit dedicated to Carlo Levi, intellectual, painter, doctor and author of Christ Stopped at Eboli, the book that inspired the 1979 film by Francesco Rosi. Located right next to the Sala Pasolini, the realization of the exhibit was made possible thanks to a collaboration between the library and the Carlo Levi Foundation of Rome, which resulted in a loan of six paintings created by the maestro. According to an official statement by the library, the goal of the exhibit is "to promote and disseminate the multifaceted personality of Carlo Levi in ​​his dual role of painter and writer." Click here to read my previous entry about this exhibit.



70 Years of Cineteca Nazionale
Teatro dei Dioscuri at the Quirinale

 This exhibit by Cineteca Nazionale, Italy's national film archive, which is an integral part of the country's most prestigious film school, Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, celebrates 70 years of archiving Italian cinema. You will find everything from Federico Fellini to Lina Wertmüller.. Silvana Mangano to Marlon Brando and beyond. It is a must-see exhibit if you love classic films. It’s like stepping into a time machine of cinema. The exhibit runs until January 12 and admission is free of charge. Click here (in Italian) for more information and for the complete program of events.



Luxardo e il cinema
Casa del Cinema
Elio Luxardo’s photographs of the protagonists of Italy's Golden Age of Cinema are on display at the Casa del Cinema. The exhibit was organized by Daniele Luxardo, nephew of the famous photographer and curated by photo critic and family friend, Roberto Mutti. Click here for more information and to watch a clip from my interview with Daniele Luxardo. The exhibit runs until December 8, 2019.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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 ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Alessandro Gassmann: Born to Act

Alessandro Gassmannin his directorial debut "Razzabastarda" Alessandro Gassmann is the son of the iconic Italian actor/director Vittorio Gassman and French actress Juliette Mayniel. He was born in 1965 and grew up around cinema royalty.  He made his cinema debut in 1982 at the age of 17 in his father's autobiographical film, "Di padre in figlio." He went on to study his craft under his father's direction at the Theatre Workshop of Florence.  Vittorio Gassman was very active in theater and seemed just as comfortable on stage as he did in front of the camera. Known for his powerful interpretations of Dante's "Inferno" and "Paradiso," it is no surprise that he nurtured his son's acting aspirations on stage before he launched his career in television and film. One of Gassmann's strong qualities, which he undoubtedly inherited from his father is his incredible range and ease in going from genre to genre. He can play ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Extraordinary Career and Legacy of Dino De Laurentiis

Producer Dino De Laurentiis was one of the most prolific filmmakers ever, having produced or co-produced more than 600 films during a career that spanned seven decades. His legacy continues not only through the work of his children and grandchildren but also through a new generation of filmmakers in his Italian hometown. De Laurentiis was born in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius on Aug. 8, 1919, in the city of Torre Annunziata, located just minutes from the ruins of Pompeii. As a child, he worked at a local pasta factory owned and operated by his father. That experience had a profound effect on him, shaping a lifelong passion for food and an appreciation for business. At the age of 17, he decided to leave home for the big city. He arrived in Rome and enrolled in the prestigious film school, Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. After attending the school for about a year, he managed to produce one film in 1940, The Last Combat , before having to leave Rome temporarily for m...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Sweetness and Genius of Giulietta Masina

Fellini and Masina on the set of "La Strada" As open-hearted and sunny as Federico Fellini was dark and complex, they were perfect counterpoints during a half-century of marriage and professional collaboration.  Nicknamed a  “female Chaplin” and described by Chaplin himself as  the actress who moved him most,  Giulietta Masina confronted the tragedy of her characters with an eternal innocence and enthusiasm that gave Italians hope in the most challenging of times.  Born in 1921 in San Giorgio di Piano, a commune north of Bologna, Masina was the oldest of four children born to a father who was a music professor and violinist and a mother who was a grade-school teacher. Her parents sent her as a child to live in Rome with her widowed aunt while she attended school there. As Masina took an early interest in gymnastics, her aunt saw in her a passion for performing and encouraged her to pursue acting. So after high school, Masina attended Rome’s La...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Legend of Alberto Sordi - Rome's Eternal Son

′′They will always judge you, whether you behave well or if you behave badly. So screw it and live as you want but above all don't listen to anyone.′′  - Alberto Sordi By giving his fellow Italians something to laugh about during tumultuous times, he emerged as his generation’s King of Comedy. One of Italy’s best-loved personalities, Alberto Sordi played a pivotal role in Italian cinema from the end of World War II to the postwar economic boom of the 1950s. During those tumultuous years, he gave his countrymen a hearty laugh when they might have otherwise cried. Former Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi perhaps said it best: “Alberto Sordi interpreted the feelings of Italians, especially in their most difficult and tough moments.” Born in the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome in 1920, Sordi grew up in a creative household. His mother was an elementary school teacher and his father, a professional musician for the Rome Opera House. A young Sordi joined the children’s choir o...
Post a Comment
Read more