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Showing posts from May, 2012

Learning Italian Through Cinema

Founded in 1984, Italiaidea is a school dedicated to teaching the language of Italy within the borders of Italy. Appropriately enough, it is located in the heart of Rome's bustling center near the Spanish Steps and the Fountain of Trevi. What makes this school unique and of interest to me is their collaboration with the film industry and the professors' interest in using cinema as a tool to teach language. While in Rome recently, I stopped by the school and talked with two of the directors, Caroline Ciampaglia and Chiara Crippa. I was impressed by their enthusiasm for Italian cinema and their involvement in bringing some of the biggest names in the business into their classrooms to teach students about Italian cinema and culture.  Another impressive quality about this language school is its accessibility to those who just want to study Italian without earning a degree. The school collaborates with major universities like Cornell, De Paul and the University of

Isabella Ferrari- the Damsel and the Thinker

Isabella Ferrari is a versatile actress whose trademark pouty lips and intense, melancholy eyes have been gracing Italian screens for more than three decades. Born in Piacenza on March 31, 1964, Ferrari has perfected the art of playing contrasting roles like the damsel in distress and the complicated, intellectual. Influenced by Italian auteur cinema, which encompasses the neo-realistic approach to filmmaking, she delivers powerful performances with each role she tackles. Ferrari's small screen debut goes back to 1981 in Gianni Boncompagni's television program, "Under the Stars." Two years later, she made her big screen debut in the summer comedy, "Il ras del quartiere." Diego Abatantuono, the star of the Oscar winning film, "Mediterraneo," co-wrote and starred in the film, which put Isabella Ferrari on the map and she hasn't stopped working since. Open Roads 2005: Isabella Ferrari, Antonio Monda and Renato De Maria With doz

Valerio Mastandrea- From Poetry to Drama.. He does it all

Born in 1972, Mastandrea began his career some 20 years later by accident.   He accompanied a friend to an audition and ended up landing a part in the film when the director saw him. Since then, he’s been working non-stop, appearing in nearly 50 movies in just 15 years. Just watch him perform and you’ll see why.   To say that Mastandrea has a strong on-screen presence is an understatement.   He grabs and takes ownership of his scenes in way that comes across as effortless to the viewer.   His performances are very intense and dramatic as he gives 100% in every role he chooses.   What sets Mastandrea apart from other actors is the diversity of those roles. For example, in Daniele Vicari's 2001 blockbuster hit, " Velocita Massima" ( Maximum Velocity ) , a film about the culture of street racing, Mastandrea takes on the role of Stefano, a mechanic who rebuilds engines to be used in races.   His role shows the sides of being a young guy involved in this dangerous night

Sicily in the Heart of its own Luigi Lo Cascio

One of contemporary Italian cinema's most versatile actors, his characters have taken on organized crime, driven taxicabs, fought for civil rights and agonized over dark family secrets.  Born in Palermo in 1967, Luigi Lo Cascio attended the Silvio D'Amico Academy of Dramatic Arts in Rome, earning his diploma with a dissertation on "Hamlet".  He pursued a careering theater and gave little thought to working in film. That all changed when he accepted the role of Peppino Impastato, the courageous anti-mafia activist killed by Cosa Nostra in 1978. After a long series of screen tests to find the perfect actor to play the role, Luigi Maria Burruano, an actor already cast in the role of the protagonist's father, advised the director, Marco Tullio Giordana to test his nephew. Thoroughly impressed, Giordana offered Lo Cascio the part and it was a move that changed the course of his life.  His performance in "I Cento Passi"   (One Hundred Steps) was power

Interview: Valentina Cervi, Carrying on the Family Business

Born in Rome in 1976, Valentina Cervi is on her way to becoming one of the great actresses of her generation, and she is no stranger to the business. Her father is a director. Her grandfather, Gino Cervi, was an actor, and her great grandfather was a famed theater critic. I sat down with Cervi during this year's edition of Lincoln Center's annual film series, Open Roads: New Italian Cinema, which showcases contemporary Italian cinema. We talked about her career and about the Italian films filled with Italian stereotypes that always seem to reach American shores. What was it like to grow up with so much film influence in your family?  It’s like someone who does shoes and passes the job to his son. When I was a kid, my father was a director. So, I was going on his sets when I was small. I grew up thinking I was taking some kind of pattern of being in this world of cinema. When I was 17, I went to Los Angeles and I wanted to be a producer. I went to UCLA. I was just go

Interview: A Conversation with Silvio Orlando at Lincoln Center's Annual Film Festival, "Open Roads: New Italian Cinema"

With dozens of films to his credit, Silvio Orlando is an accomplished character actor whose face you won't easily forget. Born in Naples in 1957, Orlando began his career on stage, and although he has made a successful career on the big screen, he often returns to the stage as a form of artistic expression that he feels film does not offer. From "Luce dei miei occhi" to "La stanza del figlio," Orlando is known for his supporting, best friend appeal but also shines in leading roles. Orlando was born in Naples but instead of calling on his Neapolitan roots like so many other artists from that area, he actually distanced himself from those southern Italian stereotypes and left the city. That risky move proved to be beneficial to his career because he is one of the most diverse actors working in Italy today.  Undoubtedly, part of his diversity and success can be attributed to that fantastic, expressive face of his. There is something about the way Orlando lo

Mostra: Chiaroveggenti a Roma. Sergio Ceccotti - Marco Verrelli

Dal testo di Guglielmo Gigliotti: «Che forma dare allo straniante che abita le cose e allo straniero che abita in noi? E il meraviglioso,  questo sentimento così poco redditizio ma così gravido di bellezza: come dipingerlo?  Ceccotti e Verrelli prendono in prestito squarci di Roma, particolari talvolta irrilevanti, e chiedono loro di cantare il grande enigma della vita. Lo fanno però con modalità sommesse, cercano una Roma secondaria, e la immergono in luci immobili e astratte, la impregnano di assenze e di silenzi e le insufflano quello che de Chirico definiva il presagio del non senso dell’universo. Sono immagini-dubbio, in Ceccotti ispirate al cinema noir, in Verrelli ad Hopper e ai precisionisti, ma per entrambi immagini insieme chiare ed ermetiche, al contempo viste e sognate. Sono immagini-dubbio perché loro per prime, le immagini, dubitano che le apparenze che contengono siano la realtà, dubitano quindi di se stesse.  Nella loro apparente solidi

Interview: Catching up with Maria Grazia Cucinotta

 With an impressive list of film and television titles, Maria Grazia Cucinotta proves that her talent matches her Sicilian bombshell looks. Born in Messina in 1968, Cucinotta got into modeling when she was just a teenager. Shortly thereafter, she headed north to Milan where she ended up leaving the modeling industry altogether for a career in television and film. Although she has paid her dues with hard work and dedication, success came almost instantly.  She was taking acting lessons while working on her first job as an actress, a television show called, " Indietro tutta ."  It wasn't long after her TV debut that she was spotted by the late actor and director, Massimo Troisi . It was Troisi's 1994 Oscar nominated film, " Il Postino" that catapulted Cucinotta into the international spotlight, and it has been non-stop ever since.  She has appeared in dozens of movies and television shows in Italy and the United States.  She was even a Bond girl in the