Tribeca Film Festival 2015: Vittorio and Paolo Taviani's "Wondrous Boccaccio"

Updated 4 January 2016

"Wondrous Boccaccio" has been added to the lineup of the 2016 European Union Film Festival in Chicago, which will run March 4 – 31 at the Gene Siskel Film Center.
Click here to get your Festival Pass.

From the dramatic music of the opening credits to the last frame of film, "Wondrous Boccaccio" is a poetic, surreal and yes, wondrous escape back in time.

Based on stories written in the 14th century by Giovanni Boccaccio in "The Decameron", the film depicts the dark ages of Tuscany during the plague when grave diggers couldn't keep up with the demand. Iconic filmmakers, Paolo and Vittorio Taviani live up to their reputation by creating an atmosphere of loss, tragedy, fear, struggle and most importantly, hope.

The film opens with the dreary, grey atmosphere of a doomed city whose inhabitants are dying at an alarming number. Mass graves filled with children and adults alike are dug daily with mourning relatives desparately throwing themselves over the bodies of their loved ones. A group of young friends decides to make a run for it and take shelter in a farm house situated in the picturesque, rolling hills of Tuscany. There, we feel for the first time the hope nestled in the green hills, fresh air and blue skies of this remote country get-a-away. The friends set some ground rules on how they will pass their days together while avoiding any animosity, envy or boredom. One ingenious way is to tell stories- detailed, colorful, compelling stories with one common thread: amore. And here begins "Wondrous Boccaccio".

The Taviani brothers call upon a whole host of diverse characters played by an A-list of Italian actors to convey the wild imaginations of these desperate youngsters longing to get their minds off the tragedy, death and ruin facing their city. From a father obsessed with his daughter to a village cretin who believes he's invisible to group of rebellious nuns to a young peasant who makes a heartbreaking sacrifice for the woman he loves, we are wildly entertained with gripping stories that keep us at the edge of our seats.

Composer, Giuliano Taviani, who also wrote the soundtrack for Francesco Munzi's "Black Souls", created a powerful music score that is a perfect accompaniment to the gripping suspense of the film's vignettes.

I highly recommend this beautiful masterpiece, "Wondrous Boccaccio". The Taviani brothers have once again succeeded in creating a magnificent, memorable work, which embraces the magic, dreams and infinite possibilities that make up cinema.

Comments

New faces of Italian cinema

Angelo Iannelli With the 2012 film festivals just about wrapped up, we saw a big emphasis this year on newly emerging and independent filmmakers. This was most notable in the Venice Film Festival's Horizon's program, which gave these filmmakers an unprecedented amount of visibility as the program reached out to people all over the world via the internet. To mark this current trend, I recently caught up with two independent filmmakers in Rome: Angelo Iannelli and Vito Napolitano. Each filmmaker has experience on both sides of the camera. Their origins are based in the south of Italy but they are now living in Rome. Angelo Iannelli was born in Benevento in the region of Campania, while Vito Napolitano is from Lecce in Puglia. What I enjoyed the most about our conversation is the passion with which the two young filmmakers speak about cinema. They are so enthusiastic and about their craft, they reel you right into their dreams. The three of us recently met up at the Li

A Conversation with Actor Mirko Frezza of David di Donatello Winner "Il più grande sogno"

The 2017 David di Donatello award show, which took place on Monday, was an exciting event that celebrated many great contemporary talents of Italian cinema. I was fortunate to have seen most of the nominees. Among my personal favorites is Michele Vannucci's Il più grande sogno simply because it is based on one of the most inspiring, beautiful stories I've ever heard, and the person behind that story is as authentic and down-to-earth as they come. The film won the 3 Future Award, which is determined by the public. With Director Michele Vannucci and Actor Mirko Frezza I first saw Il più grande sogno last September when it premiered at the Venice Film Festival. I didn't make it to Venice, but thanks to a great online platform called Festival Scope , which offers a handful of premieres to be screened on the web, I felt like I was there. The film itself blew me away, and then when I realized it was based on a true story, I knew that I would have to find out mor

Review: Francesco Rosi's 1967 'More Than a Miracle' starring Sophia Loren and Omar Sharif

Sophia Loren and Omar Sharif give extraordinary performances during the prime of their careers in Francesco Rosi’s “C’era una volta” (“More than a Miracle”). A delightful, whimsical film that transports you to another time, this enchanting 1967 period piece tells the tale of Rodrigo (Sharif), a Spanish prince initially opposed to marriage, and Isabella (Loren), the beautiful, defiant peasant girl who wins his heart. The film opens with Rodrigo attempting to tame a wild horse as his mother chides him for not taming a wife instead. When she relays orders from the king of Spain for him to marry, he mounts his unruly steed and gallops away, proudly displaying his independent spirit. Horse and supposed master run free through the countryside for a stretch, but the equally rebellious animal throws Rodrigo and abandons in a field, leaving him to fend for himself. While searching for help, he finds himself in a remote monastery where he meets a flying monk (Yes, the monk actually flies.) who

Ornella Muti: Four decades of Acting and Still Going Strong

Ornella Muti was born Francesca Romana Rivelli in Rome in 1955 to a Neapolitan father and an Estonian mother. She began her career as a model during her teenage years and made her film debut in 1970 with La Moglie più bella (The Most Beautiful Wife). Her follow-up role was in the 1971 film, Sole nella pelle (Sun on the Skin) in which she played the daughter of wealthy parents who runs off with a hippie they don’t approve of. The film offers a telling journey through Italian society in the seventies with the political climate, the breathtaking seaside as well as the styles and cars of that time. Much of the film is set amid the sunny Italian seaside and succeeds in capturing the innocence and beauty of first love. Muti made her American film debut in 1980 with Flash Gordon . She played the role of Princess Aura. She’s appeared in two other American films, including, Oscar , which was directed by John Landis and featured Don Ameche, Chaz Palminteri, and Sylvester Stallone

Nicoletta Braschi and Roberto Benigni.. What cinema dreams are made of

The Toronto International Film Festival is wrapping up its retrospective of the cinematic collaboration of husband and wife team, Nicoletta Braschi and Roberto Benigni. Over the last few days, the couple have participated in discussions, Q & A sessions and have introduced several of their films. Today, I attended a screening of "La voce della luna" (The voice of the moon). It was Federico Fellini's last film and is a wonderful tribute to the director's signature poetic madness. The film gave Benigni the opportunity to team up with fellow beloved comic, Paolo Villaggio, and the two created a truly unforgettable adventure. Today's screening began with an introduction by Benigni. The moments leading up to his introduction were noticeably serious and somewhat tense. Benigni's publicist and TIFF security staunchly guarded his privacy. There was no interaction and no photos were allowed. Guided by his entourage, he walked quickly from the Green Room to th

Italian Cinema Today

Search This Blog