Italian Cinema Today

She has immortalized two of the most memorable characters in American cinema and now she’s promoting her new film that mirrors issues facing the working class. Talia Shire became a household name in the 1970s with her role as Connie Corleone in "The Godfather" and Adrian Balboa in "Rocky"– two characters that went on to experience tremendous growth in the sequels of both films.  Shire and her brother, collaborator and director Francis Ford Coppola grew up in a family that embraced the arts. Their father Carmine Coppola was a renowned flutist and composer. He often took his children on the road when he performed. So there was always that creative energy and sense of adventure present in their childhood and adolescent years.  “What you have to understand is that Francis is probably the greatest writer. He and Mario (Puzo) did Shakespeare and the Greeks. So people who love "The Godfather" are really listening to literature. He went on and did what ...

One of America’s most beloved character actors, he is best known for his role as Paulie Pennino in the Rocky films, an unforgettable portrayal that spanned four decades of cinema. Actor Burt Young was born Gerald Tommaso DeLouise on April 30, 1940. The son of Pugliese immigrants originating from Bari, he grew up in the tough Italian-German neighborhood of Corona in Queens, New York. “I grew up with honesty and loyalty. They were very decent, family-oriented people,” Young shared at the Italian Contemporary Film Festival in Canada, where he presented his latest film, “The Neighborhood” alongside Danny Aiello and Giancarlo Gianni. Young gets emotional when talking about his parents..  Young originally had no intentions of becoming an actor. Prophetically, he started out as a boxer but then fate stepped in. “I met this girl and I wanted to be close to her. She wanted to study acting with Lee Strasberg. I didn’t know who Lee Strasberg was, but I figured that I could...