Italian films?

[KobaniDaughters]

Have just watched Life Goes On and it was beautiful (with one of the best child actors I’ve ever seen), have also loved Life is Beautiful and realised I otherwise don’t know many italian films - any recommendations? I’ve seen quite a lot of French and Spanish films but would love to expand my Italian repertoire - the ones I’ve seen are drama as opposed to comedy (which is my preference anyway)

Remembered I Am Love with Tilda Swinton. Would love to see that again but not available.

Il Postino - beautiful

I went through a Luchino Visconti phase recently if you like an older film - my favourites are Il Gattopardo and Senso.

Malena with Monica Belluci in it.

I love Stanno Tutti Bene (Everybody is Fine), it's about a father who travels across Italy to check in on his 5 kids.

The Post war Italian film industry was fantastically productive and made LOTS of genre films - many of them cheap international knock-offs of Holywood hits and many of them totally unwatchable. Very violent gory and unpleasant a lot of them. Lots of Black gloved slasher giallo, barbarian films and cannibal apocalypse and violent type shite.

But from time to time the knock offs turned out to be better than the things they were copying and reinvigorated the genres

Sergio Leone, Mario Bava and Dario Argento are stand out names possibly a bit brutal and nasty for some but some there's some bloody good film making in there.

Mario Bava's Planet of the Vampires is a favourite of mine. Very weirdly atmospheric and reckoned by many (though feebly denied by the makers) to be a major touchstone for Alien.

@BLToutanowhere

Do you like horror? If you do, the Italian contingent banged out some absolute classics and massively influential films.

Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, Mario Bava, Lamberto Bava, Umberto Lenzi, Ruggero Deodato, Joe D'Amato and many more.

Warning in advance, some of the work is not easy viewing for various reasons and in a lot of cases, don't expect anything resembling a coherent plot or decent acting.

great shout and recommendations for those directors films .

Perfect strangers - brilliant plot twist.

A Brief Vacation is very good. It came out in the 1970s so don't know if it's available anywhere.

I seem to remember Il Postino being a disappointment because it was mostly in Spanish, which could be a consideration for someone reading this thread if not necessarily the OP.
Mediterraneo and Cinema Paradiso are my absolute favourites as well. Good thread!

Novecento (1900) at one time really liked

@MySocalledLoaf

I really liked The Consequences of Love too. I remember it being quite Swiss though. Good call on Io non ho paura too. OP, you might like the Garden of the Finzi Continis. I also remember liking Mine vaganti.

love love love the garden of the finzi continis also dominique sanda in the conformist

julieta masina is brilliant in la nottes di cabiria
8 1/2 & la dolce vita make me fall in love w rome

'Il Ciclone' - 1996 Italian romcom directed by & starring Leonardo Pieraccioni

Definitely the fantastic Cinema Paradiso. I'd recommend the original rather than the Directors Cut though.

@Housewife2010

Definitely the fantastic Cinema Paradiso. I'd recommend the original rather than the Directors Cut though.

Why the original? Are there differences?

The director's cut is almost an hour longer and in my opinion doesn't add to the original. It also expands on Toto's visit back to his hometown and his meeting with his former girlfriend in detail. For me, the original cut was perfect and the director's cut didn't improve on it.

I liked IL Processo on Netflix.
Great thread

IL Postino too

@BLToutanowhere we should be friends 😁

Following!

I recently enjoyed Viaggio Sola (A Five Star Life) about a hotel inspector travelling to some really gorgeous resorts, played by the wonderful Margherita Buy.

Anything by Giuseppe Tornatore (Director of Cinema Paradiso) is very good. Many of his films have already been mentioned. I'd like to include , Baaria, as well.