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Showing posts from December, 2019

The Extraordinary Career and Legacy of Dino De Laurentiis

Producer Dino De Laurentiis was one of the most prolific filmmakers ever, having produced or co-produced more than 600 films during a career that spanned seven decades. His legacy continues not only through the work of his children and grandchildren but also through a new generation of filmmakers in his Italian hometown. De Laurentiis was born in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius on Aug. 8, 1919, in the city of Torre Annunziata, located just minutes from the ruins of Pompeii. As a child, he worked at a local pasta factory owned and operated by his father. That experience had a profound effect on him, shaping a lifelong passion for food and an appreciation for business. At the age of 17, he decided to leave home for the big city. He arrived in Rome and enrolled in the prestigious film school, Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. After attending the school for about a year, he managed to produce one film in 1940, The Last Combat , before having to leave Rome temporarily for milit

Catching up with Daniela Del Secco D’Aragona in Rome

La Marchesa Daniela Del Secco D’Aragona is an Italian lifestyle and fashion journalist. She is a regular in the high society circles of Rome and Venice, and is often a guest on talk shows where she gives advice on style and etiquette. She refers to her fans as “Adorati” and her hashtag,  #lavitaèsoltantounaquestionedistile   (Life is just a question of style) has become her signature phrase. I ran into her at the Rome premiere of Max Nardari’s film, Di tutti i colori in which she is featured as herself, of course. I asked her what fashion advice she’d like to give to American women. She responded with her belief in an outfit for every occasion. “Every hour of every day requires a dress code, in clothing and also in makeup  and accessories. Life is just a matter of style and you cannot deny this. Style has to adjust depending on the occasion. Having style never goes out of fashion. It is always relevant and is appreciated around the world during every season."  Click here

Checco Zalone in the Director's Chair

Luca Medici aka Checco Zalone presented his new film Tolo Tolo in Rome on Thursday. It will open nationwide on New Year's Day. I haven't seen the film yet, but the early reviews are intriguing. Zalone made his directorial debut with this film after a falling out with his longtime collaborator, director Gennaro Nunziante. Co-written by Paolo Virzì , the film explores many of Italy's recent hot topics such as African immigration, a sensitive subject that was thrust into the spotlight by Matteo Salvini's populist government during much of 2018 and 2019. The film has generated comparisons to the work of Alberto Sordi .  The story centers on the main character, Pierfrancesco Zalone, called Checco, as he finds himself in a trying period of his life with financial problems, a failed attempt as a restaurateur and two nagging  ex-wives. He decides to pick and leave Italy for a position as a waiter at an African resort. Here, he meets fellow Italian entrepreneurs who also

Museum Celebrating 120 Years of Audio & Visual Arts Opens This Week

Italy’s 120 years of cinema has just been made into an interactive museum nestled in Rome’s iconic Cinecittà Studios. It is a spectacular cinema haven that is not to be missed if you plan on visiting the Eternal City.   MIAC, which stands for Museo Italiano Audiovisivo and Cinema covers the entire history of Italian cinema and television from the silent era to today. In addition to cinema, the museum boasts a collection of archival treasures from television shows and new digital technologies in the form of newsreels, photographs and documents. Inaugurated in December, MIAC is a result of Rome becoming a UNESCO Creative City of Film  in  2015. The museum is divided into 12 unique rooms, each exploring a different theme. At the core of the museum is the “Timeline.” Displayed along a narrow hall in the center of the rooms, the timeline consists of detailed images and interactive technologies that lay out the events and dates of Italy’s audiovisual history.  Running along

Explore the History of Pompeii Through Cinema

On a recent trip to Torre Annunziata, we made a stop in nearby Pompeii to see the infamous ruins of one catastrophic day that took the lives of an entire village and changed the landscape forever. I had read about Pompeii, visited exhibits through the years that featured artifacts and watched travel stories. None of which prepared me for the grandiose of the area and in-tact structures of a complex city. We saw rows of shops and homes line street after street. There was beautiful pottery, mosaic tiled flooring, open spaces which once held landscaped gardens. There were large kitchen areas in the gutted homes with air ducts and stoves. I couldn't have imagined that in 79 AD, a city would have been so sophisticated. So I am looking forward to watching some films over the next few wintry months here in upstate New York and learning more about the people of Pompeii and how they lived. I find that Amazon is pretty convenient because it doesn't require a monthly subs

A Look at Rome's Spectacular Exhibits Dedicated to Italian Cinema

Museo Italiano Audiovisivo and Cinema at Cinecittà Studios I arrived in Rome planning to check out a few premieres and film festivals, and ended up immersed in numerous breathtaking multi-media exhibits recounting Italian cinema of yesterday and today. Here is a recap.. Museo Italiano Audiovisivo e Cinema Cinecittà Studios There is a new interactive museum opening soon at Cinecittà Studios on via Tuscolana. It's offers a magnificent full-immersion exhibit that will take you through more than a century of cinema. I had the pleasure of a wonderful, private tour that presented me with testament to the pride that Italians have for the rich history and origins of their cinema. MIAC, which stands for Museo Italiano Audiovisivo and Cinema covers 120 years of Italian cinema from the silent era to the Golden Age to today, and focuses on many aspects, including the stars, soundtracks, maestri, history and dialogues. There is a cool interactive part, which features touch screens in w

Permanent Exhibit at Rome's National Central Library Dedicated to Carlo Levi

Entrance of exhibit with Levi's self-portrait Rome's Biblioteca Nazionale (National Central Library) is a treasure trove of information on the most prolific figures of Italian literature. The latest addition to the vast collection of artifacts and writings is a permanent exhibit that pays homage to the great intellectual, novelist, doctor and painter Carlo Levi. Located inside the Spazi900 museum, next to the Sala Pasolini, is the exhibit dedicated to the author of Christ Stopped at Eboli, the book that inspired the   1979 epic film by Francesco Rosi .   The realization of the exhibit was made possible thanks to a collaboration between the library and the Carlo Levi Foundation of Rome, which resulted in a loan of six paintings created by the maestro. According to an official statement by the library, the goal of the exhibit is "to promote and disseminate the multifaceted personality of Carlo Levi in ​​his dual role of painter and writer."  Actor Fortunato