Cinema Italiano Podcast

Celebrating Alice Rohrwacher’s first Oscar nomination with a special episode on Le pupille (The Pupils)! Set at Christmastime during World War II, an all-girls school run by nuns is shaken by the prospect of a beautiful cake – an extravagant, tempting indulgence before them in an era of rationing and sacrifice. In addition to a few distinct formal elements, unique from Rohrwacher’s other works, this film explores religion (a favorite theme of the director’s) and a humorous, poignant take on vision (including the formidable presence of Santa Lucia).

Plus, some news updates on the Berlinale Film Festival, the upcoming Pasolini 101 box set, and reviews on The Eight Mountains (2022) and Malarazza (2017).

Links:

• Cinema Italiano Podcast: Corpo celeste | The Wonders
• Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

This episode features the following music excerpts:

• Le pupille musical score by Cleaning Women
• “Ba-Ba-Baciami Piccina” by Alberto Rabagliati

The post #37: Le pupille (Alice Rohrwacher, 2022) first appeared on Cinema Italiano Podcast.

Quick recap on the Italian films featured at the 34th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival, including:

• Nostalgia by Mario Martone
• Freaks Out by Gabriele Mainetti
• Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams by Luca Guadagnino
• Where Life Begins by Stéphane Freiss

Plus, news items on what’s new and coming soon.

Links:

• Palm Springs International Film Festival: Nostalgia | Freaks Out | Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams | Where Life Begins
• Disney+: Le pupille
• Sundance: The Eight Mountains
• Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

This episode features the following music excerpts:

• “On an Evening in Roma” by Dean Martin
• “Trauma” by Tangerine Dream (from Nostalgia)
• “Freaks Out” by Michele Braga & Gabriele Mainetti (from Freaks Out)
• “Volare” by Domenico Modugno
• “La Casa in Riva al Mare” by Lucio Dalla (from Where Life Begins)

https://chtbl.com/track/328E7/cinemaitalianopodcast.files.wordpress.com/2023/01/36-psiff-2023.mp3

The post #36: The 34th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival first appeared on Cinema Italiano Podcast.

Pietro Marcello brings Jack London’s Oakland-set novel to Naples in his innovative adaptation of Martin Eden. This politically charged story of a young man striving to become worthy of his upper-class love is a cinematic experience both timeless and timely. Archival footage, contemporary music, and distinct moments in history swirl together to form an intellectually captivating, emotionally heartbreaking character study.

This episode features the following excerpts from the film’s soundtrack:

• “Il vecchio intellettuale” by Marco Messina & Sacha Ricci
• “Piccere” by Daniele Pace
• “Salut” by Joe Dassin
• “Voglia e turna” by Teresa Di Dio
• “Martin lascia casa” by Marco Messina & Sacha Ricci
• “Paradiso” by Marco Messina & Sacha Ricci

Links:

• Kino Lorber: Martin Eden
• Film Comment: Essay by Phoebe Chen
• Cinema Italiano Podcast: Martin Eden (2020 review) | The Early Films of Pietro Marcello
• Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

The post #35: Martin Eden (Pietro Marcello, 2019) first appeared on Cinema Italiano Podcast.

We’re celebrating Halloween month with Mario Bava’s technicolor giallo classic, Blood and Black Lace! The supermodels of a Roman fashion house are terrorized by a faceless killer in this endlessly stylish, thrilling midcentury mystery. More than just a great suspense film, Bava’s work explores the model as being commodified and dehumanized, in more ways than one, and also has echoes of the decaying Italian nobility, disconnected from the working class through status and the sprawling geography of Rome.

Plus, quick news items on what’s new and coming soon, and where to stream Italian horror for the spooky season.

This episode features the following excerpts from the film’s soundtrack by Carlo Rustichelli:

• “Atelier (Titoli)”
• “L’Indagine Continua”
• “Assassinio”

Links:

• Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

The post #34: Blood and Black Lace (Mario Bava, 1964) first appeared on Cinema Italiano Podcast.

A married Russian-Italian mother finds a new passion for life when she meets a younger chef in Luca Guadagnino’s I Am Love (Io sono l’amore). Set in Milan at the onset of the new millennium, this love story tackles questions of change, insider/outsider dynamics, and identity against the bourgeois backdrop of the textile industry.

Plus, some quick news updates on the Toronto and New York Film Festivals.

Links:

• Toronto International Film Festival: Amanda | The Hummingbird
• New York Film Festival: Exterior Night | The Adventures of Gigi
• Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

This episode features the following music excerpts from the soundtrack by John Adams:

• “The Chairman Dances (Foxtrot for Orchestra)”
• “First Movement (Excerpt)”
• “Lollapalooza”
• “Harmonielehre Part III: Meister Eckhardt and Quackle”

The post #33: I Am Love (Luca Guadagnino, 2009) first appeared on Cinema Italiano Podcast.