Italian Cinema Today

On the occasion of Italy's mega-broadcast of numerous films by its beloved, Totò, we take a look at the life and career of Napoli's comic genius. His birth name was Antonio De Curtis, but the world knows him best as Totò, the Neapolitan comedian whose distinctive face and nutty ways made him one of the most popular Italian film stars in history. Totò was born on February 15, 1898 in Rione Sanità, a poor area of Naples. As a boy, he had a passion for sports. Legend has it that a nose injury caused by a football or boxing match gave him his signature look that played a major role in the personality of his characters. In 1917, Totò started acting locally in Napoli's comedia dell'arte and wrote poetry in his dialect. In the early '20s, he headed to Rome. Upon his arrival in the Eternal City, he enjoyed performing i theaters working in "avanspettacolo," a vaudeville show that combined music, ballet and comedy. He mastered the genre and in the '30s, foun

The final day of our week-long series, 7 Days - 7 Women brings us to visual artist, Antonella Cappuccio. Have you ever had the experience of meeting someone briefly, and they made such an impression on you that for years later, you still think about them? Well I had that experience with a beautiful artist, inside and out, named Antonella Cappuccio. Her art was exhibited in 2009 at The Knights of Columbus Museum in Conneticut. I had received the invitation, and proceeded to do some research to see if it was worth making the 8-hour roadtrip from Upstate New York. Through my research, I discovered she was the mother of two of my favorite filmmakers, Silvio and Gabriele Muccino. So, I had to go, if only to meet their mother. When I arrived, I met the artist, a lovely, warm woman who really did seem like a mom. She had a very down-to-earth, humble quality as she answered my questions and posed for pictures with me. She is soft-spoken and attentive; someone you can really talk to. She m

  Photo by Rossella Vetrano On Day 6 of our series, 7 Days - 7 Women, in which we are profiling seven strong, talented women working as filmmakers, writers or visual artists, we talk with actress Sabrina Impacciatore about the diversity of her roles. Whether she's playing a devoted mother trying to protect her child, Jesus Christ's "Veronica" in Mel Gibson's controversial film, "Passion of the Christ" or a young woman coming of age, Impacciatore escapes into the life and mind of each character she takes on, sometimes so deeply that she believes she is actually them.   It's a fine line between reality and fiction, but she treads it carefully and anyone watching her performance benefits from her emotional connection to the character that she becomes. I spoke with Impacciatore at the 2010 Open Roads: New Italian Film series in New York City. We talked about her lifelong dream of becoming an actress. She also gave me some insight into the diff

The Hollywood Reporter just announced that Francesco Munzi's latest film, "Anime nere," will be distributed in North America by Rialto distribution company. The film was a hit at the Venice and Toronto film festivals. In Munzi's, "Anime nere," Marco Leonardi heads the cast in telling the story of a Calabrian criminal family whose laws of blood and vendetta take precedence over everything. It's the story of three brothers, the sons of a shepherd, close to the 'Ndrangheta, and of their divided soul. Luigi, the youngest, is an international drug dealer. Rocco, Milanese by adoption and a member of the middle class, runs a business funded by his brother's ill-gotten gains. Luciano, the oldest, cherishes the pathological illusion of a preindustrial Calabria, conducting a gloomy and solitary dialogue with the deads. Leo, his twenty-year-old son, represents the lost generation, without an identity. All he has inherited from his forebears is hatred.

On Day 5 of our week-long series, 7 Days - 7 Women, in which we are profiling seven strong, talented women working as filmmakers, writers or visual artists, we take a look at the career of actress and director, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi. Valeria Bruni Tedeschi is a familiar face and respected actress in Italy. Until now, Americans haven't had the chance to see her work. But the tides are changing and Bruni Tedeschi is slowly but surely making her way to North American shores. Born in Torino in 1964, Bruni Tedeschi comes from a talented, affluent family. Her sister is the model, actress, singer and former first lady of France, Carla Bruni. Her mother, Marisa Borini is a concert pianist and her father, Alberto Bruni Tedeschi is a classical composer, while her grandfather, Virginio Bruni Tedeschi, founded the giant Italian tire manufacturing company CEAT in the 1920's. Bruni Tedeschi left Torino at a young age and grew up in France. Her family left Italy in the 70's to escape

On Day 4 of our week-long series, 7 Days - 7 Women, in which we will profile seven strong, talented women working as filmmakers, writers or visual artists, we spotlight the passion and determination of documentary filmmaker, Vicki Vasilopoulos. She's not actually Italian, but we're going to make an exception for Vicki Vasilopoulos because she devoted more than a decade of her life raising funds to tell the stories of three Italian master tailors who made their passion their life. When I interviewed her a few years ago while she was tirelessly fundraising for the film, she told me that her goal was to honor the legacy of these master tailors for a younger generation. For 11 years, Greek-American filmmaker and journalist, Vicki Vasilopoulos labored over a documentary recounting the travails of three master tailors of Italian origin. All those years of hard work and dedication finally paid off. Vasilopoulos completed "Men of the Cloth" and it won a

Update, January 16,2023: Gina Lollobrigida has passed away at the age of 95.  On Day 3 of our week-long series, 7 Days - 7 Women, in which we are showcasing seven strong, talented women working as filmmakers, writers or visual artists, we celebrate the forceful, creative energy of movie legend Gina Lollobrigida. She has been called the most beautiful woman in the world and at 87 years old, she is still a sight to behold. Her outer beauty mirrors the talent and inner beauty of this true, complete artist. Lollobrigida, the iconic actress, photojournalist and sculptress, was born Luigina Lollobrigida on July 4, 1932 in Subiaco, Italy, a town located outside of Rome in the province of Lazio.  Adored by fans all over the world, Lollobrigida has worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood including Humphrey Bogart, Rock Hudson, Frank Sinatra, Anthony Quinn and Shelly Winters. She acted opposite Bob Hope in his 1968 comedy, "The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell," and

On Day 2 of our week-long series, 7 Days - 7 Women, in which we are profiling seven strong, talented women working as filmmakers, writers or visual artists, we take a look at the career of film director, Maria Sole Tognazzi. Born in 1971, Tognazzi is no stranger to the entertainment industry. Her father is the legendary comedy actor, Ugo Tognazzi, who was one of the most prominent players in the Commedia all'Italiana genre of Italian cinema. Maria Sole Tognazzi is the youngest of four children and took a slightly different path than her siblings. Unlike her brothers, Gianmarco and Ricky, who are both successful actors in Italy, Maria prefers to stay behind the camera.   She started her career by working as an assistant director, and made a series of video clips that poised her for the debut of her first short film in the late 90's, Non finisce qui .  Her follow up to that film, C'ero anch'io set the foundation for her first feature-length film, the ensemble