Italian Cinema Today

"Under the Riccione Sun" Many of us are missing our annual trips to Italy this year. During this time of COVID and quarantine, I’ve explored decades of Italian cinema that I had never delved into before. When I started writing for  Fra Noi Magazine  many moons ago and then starting this blog, my mission was to focus on contemporary Italian cinema, hence the name Italian Cinema Today. With a few exceptions, one glance at the sidebar of interviews and profiles, you’ll see that I’ve been pretty true to that original vision. This year, however, has been different. With a lot more time on my hands and the centennial years of three greats— Federico Fellini ,  Alberto Sordi  and Franca Valeri —I’ve been watching the cinema of their generation, which has brought me back to the 1950s and ‘60s. It’s been a unique experience that has made me nostalgic and sad at times, knowing that so many of those larger-than-life filmmakers are no longer with us. Above all, though, I am ...

Luciano Emmer’s 1950 “La domenica d'agosto” (A Sunday in August) has become one of my favorite Marcello Mastroianni works. The film follows four different stories, all tied to an Ostia beach on a sweltering Sunday in August. The nostalgic opening shots of kids sitting outside a row of cafes takes place near the corner of Via Cola di Rienzo and Via Ottaviano by the Vatican, bringing back memories of how many times I’ve found myself exactly in that nook on my way to get a coffee at Castroni or Roman artichokes at Franchi. After having spent hours upon hours over the years in that neighborhood, seeing it in its heyday during these tough times brings some hope and happiness to so much uncertainty.  Mastroianni enters the story around 30 minutes in. He plays the role of a young lover whose fiancé has become pregnant and is fired from her job as a maid. She is beside herself but he calms her and stays right by her side. One quote that stood out and speaks to the timeles...

Buon Ferragosto! Celebrate the European feasting holiday Italian-style with these two classics on Amazon  and The Criterion Collection. Pranzo di Ferragosto (Mid-August Lunch) Il Sorpasso