Country: ITALY 1 (Drama)

De Sica gives us his strongest performance in this intense and unforgettable Rossellini's drama set during the German occupation of Italy.

An unforgettable portrait of the misery and the social degradation in post-war Italy. A heartbreaking story of old age, loneliness and human indifference, perfectly told by the master of Italian neorealism Vittorio De Sica. But also a story of dignity and hope.
Minimalist, crude and intense masterpiece, with splendid music and photography.

Italian neo-realism meets American film noir in Fellini's darkest work. Brutal and socially poignant tale that would deserve more attention. In particular, the beautiful cinematography, the great performance from Brod Crawford and the mesmerizing final sequence, left me literally breathless.

The 'Paths of Glory' of Italian Cinema.
A monumental masterpiece that draws the viewer deeply into the tragedy of WWI, and in particular into the hell of the trenches on the Italian front. In a tragicomic tone, the story follows the adventures of a odd couple of coward soldiers (Gassman - Sordi), trying to survive by avoiding at all costs the battlefield, who finally turn into unintentional heroes. 'La grande guerra' is not a tale of heroism and bravery though. In a winning combination of drama, irony and real horror, this is a successful attempt to show the true feelings and fears of ordinary men and deal with the absurdity and contradiction of war.
Realism and historical accuracy, objectivity and absence of rhetorical accents add value to the beauty of this work. Unique and perfect in every aspect, 'La grande guerra' is one of the finest (anti) war movies I've ever had the pleasure of watching.

Splendid portrayal of a young woman and her dreams. An underrated masterpiece from an underrated director.

One of the first Italian detective movies ever made. Political thriller but also psychological and surreal drama, it's probably the best in its genre. In a grotesque way, director and writer Elio Petri perfectly portrays the political and social contest in 70's Italy, period of violent civil demonstrations and heavy repression by authorities.
At the centre of the movie is a gorgeous Gian Maria Volonté, who plays the f*ckest fascistoid and schizoid policeman ever seen on a screen. His omnipotence delirium is such that, after having committed a crime, intentionally leaves clues everywhere just to prove he's an untouchable citizen above suspicion. Volonté in his most intense and charismatic role!
The film is also remarkable for the original screenplay by Petri with Ugo Pirro and the amazing score by Ennio Morricone.

A provocative and controversial 1971 movie written and directed by Elio Petri, better known for 'Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion', who distinguished himself by his socially and politically engaging cinema. This film is a bitter and satirical portrait of the hard working-class life in 60's-70's Italy , among exploitation of factory workers, inhuman conditions, continual strikes, political clashes, general hysteria and alienation.
In comparison with 'Investigation', 'The Working Class goes to Heaven' is less technical and aesthetic, but more sincere and realistic; the ironic and grotesque tones are still present, though.
Once again in a Petri's work, the music is composed and directed by Ennio Morricone and the leading actor is Gian Maria Volonté, who superbly plays another extreme character. In this case, a neurotic, passionate and logorrheic worker, on the border of madness, who is first a real stakhanovite, and then a rabid activist.

"Todo modo para buscar la voluntad divina..."

Beyond the surface of a claustrophobic and dystopian political thriller, in 'Todo modo' (1976) we can find the harsh accusation that director Elio Petri made against the most important political party ever founded in Italy: the Democrazia Cristiana (DC). He put in evidence its ambiguous relationship with the Catholic Church and denounced the corruption and thirst for power of a party that had been ruling for over 30 years - from the 40's to the 70's.
Despite the dream-like narration, this visionary work offers an effective and substantially realistic vision of the dark side of my country. Maybe less solid than other masterpieces by the same director such as 'Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto' and 'La classe operaia va in paradiso', 'Todo modo' may be hard to follow because of the puzzling plot and the many metaphors. However, there's no doubt this is a great piece of art, a funny satire and one of the more illuminating political movies coming from Italy.
Unforgettable are the characters played by Volonté, Mastroianni and Ingrassia, as well as the solemn score by Morricone and the odd scenery by Dante Ferretti. Petri was a genius and a true classy filmmaker!

Freely adapted from Leonardo Sciascia's homonymous novel, the film was easily the main inspiration for Sorrentino's 'Il divo'.

First leading role for G.M. Volonté, whose character was loosely inspired to the real life of Salvatore Carnevale, a Sicilian trade unionist who sacrificed his life to fight against Mafia and defend peasant rights in the 50's Sicily. Not Taviani brothers' best effort, but still a brave, passionate, committed work.

Palermo, 1937. A Fascist bureaucrat kills within a few hours the superior who sacked him, the colleague who replaced him and his own wife. Despite the capital punishment is almost certain, a liberal judge tries to save the accused (who's ironically in favour of the death penalty) and get a sentence of life imprisonment.
Intelligent courtroom drama that, without rhetoric, deals with the political interests behind the capital penalty and the corporate corruption in Fascist Italy. An immense (as usual) Volonté stands out among an excellent cast .

The movie was adapted from a Leonardo Sciascia's novel, based on an actual criminal trial.

This is the story of Maria, a young Italian-Argentinian teacher, living in Buenos Aires, who's politically active against the military dictatorship in the late 70's. Kidnapped and taken to an illegal prison called Garage Olimpo, she's then cruelly tortured in order to extort a confession from her.
In the largest sense, this is the story of thousands of desaparecidos who, for political reasons, were secretly put in hidden prisons, tortured and killed.
With 'Garage Olimpo' (1999) first, then with 'Figli/Hijos' (2001), Italian-Chilean filmmaker Marco Bechis revisits the most painful chapter in Argentina's history. Bechis himself, grew up in Argentina and at the age of 20 was arrested and taken prisoner in a concentration camp for some days.
His film is intense and brutal like a fist in the stomach. It perfectly evokes the atmosphere of horror, without using violent scenes though, and touches the viewer in a deep and natural way, without falling into easy sentimentalism or excessive dramatization.

"Il potere logora chi non ce l'ha" (Power wears out those who don't have it) - Giulio Andreotti

Rather than Andreotti, the true 'divo' here is Paolo Sorrentino. His film is a triumph of style and elegance! With rare skill, he brings us into the life of one of the most influential and enigmatic personalities in Italy's recent history. More than a biopic, this is an ironical and smart satire about political power and its ambiguities, personified by 7 times Prime Minister, currently Senator for Life, Giulio 'Il divo' Andreotti. A spectacular and detailed, yet grotesque and caricatural portrait of a powerful politician, cynical and detached man, accused of corruption and collusion with the Mafia, but still admired by many for his charisma, his exceptional culture and sagacity.
Sorrentino's work is enhanced by a great cast, led by Toni Servillo (Divo Giulio) - who's proving himself to be the most talented Italian actor of the moment - and including a number of fine if little known actors like Anna Bonaiuto (Andreotti's wife), Flavio Bucci (Franco Evangelisti) and Carlo Buccirosso (Cirino Pomicino dancing cracked me up!)

Scorsese recommends Gomorra:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2008-10-13/mob-mentality

Me too.

Not the typical gangster movie, 'Salvatore Giuliano' (1962) is a precious document following the criminal career of the infamous Sicilian separatist and bandit Giuliano, the lives of those involved with him and the mystery around his death in 1950, at the age of 27. It also cleverly explores the controversial relations between the brigandage, the independentist movement, the mafia and the local police in post-war Sicily.
Perhaps not easy to follow due to the non-linear narrative structure and the slow-paced first part, the film is still an authentic masterpiece, a beautiful and powerful combination of Art and History. By far, the most ambitious effort from Italian master Francesco Rosi.
Despite a couple of forgivable small inaccuracies, the story told here is very faithful to the biographical and historical facts. The use of the exact locations where Salvatore Giuliano lived and operated along with his band, plus the participation of non-professional actors - many of whom had actually experienced the events of that time - give the film more power and realism. The only two professional actors in the entire film are Salvo Randone starring as a judge and American actor Frank Wolff who's incredibly believable in the role of Giuliano's cousin and right-hand man Gaspare Pisciotta.

A classic not to be forgotten!

Considering that "La doppia ora" is Giuseppe Capotondi's directorial debut, the film was a surprising revelation for me. It's not easy to find a modern giallo so good nowadays and I enjoyed it MUCH more than other acclaimed recent Italian thrillers such as Tornatore's "La sconosciuta" or Molaioli's "La ragazza del lago". This work has the advantage of an excellent cast (Timi and Rappoport are amazing together), an innovative and fresh direction and a solid, involving screenplay mixing contemporary noir, psychological drama, giallo, a bit of romance and some elements of horror. I know it may sound like a mess, but I assure it works very well.

"We'd mistaken dusk for dawn; we thought we were the new partisans"
"I feel the weight of every killing. There is a legal, political and moral responsibility. I accept all three"

- Sergio Segio, "Commander Sirio" of the armed communist organization Prima Linea -

***
Here's an honest and brave journey into Italian terrorism in the late seventies that well portrays the gap between ideology and practice in extremist groups like Prima Linea, whose young members lost their humanity and sense of reality to fight "in the name of a better world".
Directed by Renato De Maria and produced by Andrea Occhipinti along with the Dardenne brothers, this is one of the smartest and most objective works that deals with the delicate subject matter. There isn't any romanticism here, any character fascination or identification, just a ruthless realism. Maybe not a perfect film, stylistically very simple, but it's a very important and emotional one.

'La prima linea' is also remarkable for some terrific action sequences and powerful performances from Riccardo Scamarcio and Giovanna Mezzogiorno, in the roles of the two group's leaders and lovers.