The Great Beauty

The Great Beauty felt like a modern La Dolce Vita with its artistic style, depiction of the upper class, and poetic overtone. The film was a little confusing at times, as characters were quickly woven into and out of the story at whim. My favorite part of the movie was probably the creative cinematography and editing. Like La Dolce Vita, The Great Beauty had moments of poetic gravity. I would have liked to see a more concrete storyline or descriptive ending, but the film is still worth a second watch.

The Mafia Kills Only in the Summer

I didn’t love this movie. The humor in it was a little silly for me, especially overlying such a dark and serious topic. I think one of the reasons I didn’t love it is I just got back from a trip to Sicily with my Italian Mafia class.  We went to Palermo and met with survivors of mafia attacks and people whose children have been killed by the mafia.  In a way the movie seemed to me that it was meant for children because the humor was a little bit childish. The thing  did like about it was the film was combined with the news clips of the killings of all the magistrates in Palermo.

The Mafia Only kills in the summer

As someone who personally loves Palermo, I genuinely enjoyed watching this film. The scenery showed a lot of the city and provided me with enough knowledge of the Mafioso history of the city that I was granted a better understanding of it by the time the film ended. At first, I was slightly put off by the satire being made on mob whackings, but when I realized that it was a tool to shed light on the somewhat broken society that allowed these people to come into power in the first place, I actually appreciated it a lot more and liked the movie a lot more as a result. Although, the only problem I still had with the film was with Flora, she did not seem very compelling but rather a typical female character who is the love interest of a male that can be found in any other movie, I did not understand Arturo's infatuation with her.

The Mafia Only Kills in the Summer

I really enjoyed the last scene in this movie. This scene serves as a nice way to conclude the film. We watch as Arturo and Flora bring their son the various memorials for the men involved in ending the Mafia violence in Palermo. At each memorial the camera pans to their son who increases in age each time. It almost insinuates Arturo and Flora's son will grow up to have a similar interest in reporting and the Mafia just as Arturo did as a child and adult. The music playing during this final scene made it feel very sentimental and nostalgic. However, I felt the scenes leading up to this scene were abrupt. The film goes from Flora and Arturo kissing in a crowd to Flora giving birth. I feel like skipping the story inbetween these scenes made it difficult to follow the story. I think there could've been a smoother transition.

The mafia kills only in the summer

I absolutely loved this film. I really enjoyed the narration of his life and his obsession with the Mafia and its presence in Palermo. However, I did not understand his obsession of Flora. She disrespected him many times, even when they were little. Arturo bought her Irises every day and she had the audacity to believe the other kid over him. Also, when he asked her to be honest about her speech and he was, she got mad at him! After that, I was so disappointed in Arturo for still pining after her.

La grande bellezza

This movie was definitely an art house film. It was really beautiful because Jep is a writer and the audience sees the world through his eyes. He tends to attribute meaning to simple things and the world looks more beautiful. For example, whenever he looks at the ceiling, he sees the ocean. The film, riddled with metaphors, stands out as a piece that questions beauty and elitism. After his birthday party he becomes more self-aware and questions the extravagance that surrounds him. Most importantly, he begins to see Rome in a different light.

Human Capital

Human Capital uses an alternative narrative style to tell the story surrounding two families and their relation to an accidental murder. The choice to tell this story was probably one of my favorite things about the film. By only showing certain parts of the chronology at certain times, the audience is able to learn more about the characters and events and piece it all together on their own. Had the story been laid out chronologically, I do not know if it would have the same effect.

Il Capital Umano

Human Capital is a film told from differing plots that begin to come together as the story continues. What seems to begin as an innocent and light-hearted film, with surface-level characters, quickly spirals into a a whirl of chaos. I enjoyed how the movie continued to keep viewers guessing for a while, slowly giving clues of how each character connects to one another. Much of these clues could be missed the first time watching because they are difficult to catch. As the plot thickens, it is apparent that someone will be getting in major legal trouble at the end of the film, however it is difficult to assume who it will be. I enjoyed all of the twists and turns, as well as the final part of the movie which connects the title of the film to the entire story, defining human capital. This film was inspired by a novel of the same title, which I also found very interesting. 

Human Capital

To me, the best aspect of Human Capital was that the story was told from multiple perspectives and with a nonlinear timeline, similar to (but not quite as well done as) Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. It made the overall storytelling more interesting and the director, Paolo Virzì, was able to reveal aspects of the plot when he wanted to. For example, Luca, Serena's new boyfriend, is not revealed to be a major character and the catalyst for the main plot until the latter half of the movie. If the story was told in a more traditional way, the character of Luca would almost certainly need to be revealed in the beginning of the story in order for the plot to make sense. Overall, I enjoyed the film because of the its nontraditional use of perspective and narrative.

Human Capital

Human Capital is an engaging movie but belabors its point of emphasizing how all the characters of the story are shareholders of the human capital; it even defines it at the end in case we don't understand. I did enjoy the structure of the storytelling, however found myself swept up in the intricacies of each character's life--I don't think that was the intention. The best part of the film was Carla's performance; she beautifully depicts the inner struggles of one who suppresses their dreams and easiness as well as the complicity of privileged life.

Terraferma

I thought this film did a good job depicting an underlying modern problem facing Italy that hasn't been depicted in any of the films we have watched so far: immigration. Italy faces immigration problems from Africa because of its close proximity and acts as a channel into the rest of Europe. For this reason I thought the film was a good representative of Italian cinema showing underlying political issues in the country. I also thought the film did a good job of using the theme of contrasts of human nature. For example, willingness to help others vs. a fear of persecution from helping said people.

Terraferma

I think one of the best aspects of Terraferma is the creative portrayal of poverty and the way it is juxtaposed to prosperity. At one point in the film, we see a group of tourists jump off of a boat and into the clear water for their first time while they enjoy themselves during a beautiful scene. Later on, we see the locals of the Island jump off the boat into the very same water not out of joy and love for doing so,  but rather out of the necessity to fish the old-fashioned way in order to make a living. It struck me as ironic the way these same actions implied very different things depending on who exactly was the one doing them. I think it says something about Italian culture and the way their social dynamic is framed as the locals of the Island jumping off the boat meant something totally different from the tourists doing the same thing.

Terraferma

The juxtaposition between the beginning scene and final scene of Terraferma is a striking visual. The first scene is an underwater view of a fishing boat. It almost feels as though the audience is underwater watching the boat go over them and eventually feeling caught in the boat's net. Even the audio in this scene immolates the feeling of being underwater. Then in the final scene, the audience watches the boat from a bird's eye view. One analysis of these contrasting scenes could be the scenes represent Filippo's transformation through the film. At first he feels somewhat trapped in his small town and struggles to form his own opinions on immigration due to society's beliefs. By the end of the movie he flees his small town to save the mother and son. He now is leaving his town and has his own personal beliefs about immigration. He goes from feeling trapped like someone underwater to free like a bird.

Cinema Paradiso

Cinema Paradiso is a perfect example of nostalgic postmodernism. This is represented through the use of a postmodern film incorporating films of the past in order to create a sense of nostalgia amongst the audience that is viewing the film. In this film, this theme is created through Salvator's character involving film as a constant part of his life, and more importantly at the end of the film when he views the scenes of old films that the priest forced Alfredo to cut due to their "provocative nature". Alfredo is a clear father figure to Salvator, and is willing to sacrifice his own feelings in order to encourage the person he cares about to be as successful as possible. This allows Salvator to become a motivated adult, who is able to move out of his town, and become a very successful filmmaker. Alfredo is able to be proud of Salvator, but is aware that is he told Salvator to return to his town, the success he made for himself would not have been possible. I enjoyed this film a lot and I liked how it found a way to create a very interesting storyline, while also including a homage to past films, allowing the audience to appreciate how film has developed over the years, and show what an important role film plays in our history, for it represents the history that has developed over the past 100 years. 

Cinema Paradiso

While watching this film, I couldn't help but notice in the beginning when the priest was watching the films and making Alfredo cut the film during scenes that were deemed too sexual. I think this really set the tone for the time period Salvatore grew up in and the reminiscence of his childhood. By following the life of Salvatore, it captured the things and experiences that pushed him to become who he was at the time. This film showed the growth of Salvatore himself and a bond that Salvatore hadn't experienced as a young child, which was a sort of father figure. Overall, I believe the film was moving and had a powerful message behind it.

Cinema Paradiso

Cinema Paradiso has done something rarely seen in cinema, which is to make nostalgia feel like a main character. Everything from the story to the lighting and the score makes the viewer not only long for a time when going to movies was a grand social event, but also instills in the viewer a deep love of cinema, or deepen it if that love was there previously. Though the story spans the much of the life of the main character, Salvatore or Toto as he's called, it isn't too biographic to the point of being disconnected. This culminates in a moving and powerful final scene that needs the context of the entire movie just witnessed to understand. Otherwise, it's just a man watching a montage. But through the use of nostalgia and epic storytelling, Giuseppe Tornatore makes something that should be simple, and should also remove the audience from the story, deeply emotional. That scene and the film as a whole are quite the achievements.

Io non ho paura

Io non ho paura was an evocative and jarring film. What intrigued me the most, was Filippo's character. Sequestered to a hole, the darkness leads him to believe he's dead. His eyes have been severely scarred from what seems like failed attempts to look into the light. He isn't perceived as an innocent child until Michele discovers he was kidnapped. Filippo regains his childlike spirit when Michele reveals that they are the same age. Filippo holds very established beliefs about life and the after life. He believes Michele is his guardian angel who has come to rescue him. It is implied that Filippo believes he is in hell. What astounds me is his willingness to accept that he is dead even when told otherwise. What does not surprise me is his inability to comprehend what has happened to him.

My Brother Is an Only Child

The violent relationship between the two brothers really shook me. Obviously the title of the film leads the viewer to the assumption that the relationship they have with one another is filled with tension, but I was still caught off guard by their reality. As an only child, I have no idea what it's like to be at odds with a sibling, especially not in a political way. Still, as I watched the film I was able to understand the strain placed on their relationship, because it is something I witness so often in America today. I have seen many friends get into arguments over their different political views and it has put pressure onto their relationships, while they still have love/respect for each other. The film was not totally heart-wrenching because the director sewed in some comedic sequences.

La Dolce Vita (resubmission)

With themes of religious cynicism, unorthodox sexuality, globalization, and materialism, La Dolce Vita can be interpreted as a large scale satire film meant to expose a society of people who have become disillusioned and corrupt in the postwar period. While the Italian people came to lose their faith in Christianity in the postwar period, they searched elsewhere for meaning. La Dolce Vita, while an exaggeration of this search, shows how Italians turned to other things such as sex and materialism, as replacements for Christianity in 1960s Italy. Marcello’s hedonism and futile pursuit of purpose manifests itself in his sexual conquests. The provocative final scenes of the film take place at the orgy -- complete with a striptease performed by the hostess. Marcello -- wearing a white suit like some sort of priest, he preaches his critiques and ideas to the people around him, urging the guests into exhibitionism, simply for his own sake. He is unable to maintain an objective viewpoint while recording the lives of the rich and famous and gets swept up by the luxurious quality of the nightlife in Rome.

I'm Not Scared

I found the use of lighting and scenery in I'm Not Scared to be one of the most striking parts of the cinematography. Many of the scenes depicted the children playing in the open fields. These scenes are very light and airy. On the other hand, the scenes when Michele is with Filippo, including the last scene, are very dark and mysterious. Scenes of light innocent childhood are contrasted to scenes of dark violence. The dramatic changes in lighting and scenery help to emphasize the contrast between the two lives Michele and Filippo are living. I also noticed most scenes when adults are present, whether it be in the house or in the last scene, the lighting appears to be darker than when the scene is only characterized by children. I believe this is to emphasize the innocence and purity of the children, while their parents are corrupted by violence and darkness.

Im not scared

The first thing that struck me about Im not scared was the beauty of the film. As Michele races bikes and explores the exquisite countryside, however, there is a darker side that is presented in this ominous thriller. In fact, it gets to be so overwhelming that Michele's mother makes him promise to "get away" from what is actually an objectively serene lifestyle and surrounding environment. As well, Michel's menacing father figure acts as another representation of the contradictions between what we as an audience are presented with and what is actually happening in Michele's life. The beautifully depicted landscape and Michele's realizations within it make it a coming of age film because as Michele continues to process his situation, he learns to trust his own instincts instead of following blindly the authority of his parents or remain stuck in the blissful unawareness of childhood. I think the beautiful landscape is meant to represent Michel's childhood innocence, and the grimly depicted authoritative figures showcase his ability to surpass the idea of following blindly which is an important part of growing up.

My Brother Is An Only Child

I thought it was interesting to observe how Accio's life at home predisposed him for an attraction to the fascist party. Both of his parents made no effort to conceal their favoritism for Manrico and Victoria. When Accio returns from his failed stint at seminary school, Victoria has moved into his room. Additionally, while Victoria is permitted to go to classical school, Accio is forced to go to technical school like his brother (despite having followed through on his end of his deal with his father). Accio is also tormented by his brother's relationship with Francesca. He is frequently subjected to the sounds of the couple's lovemaking whilst doing his schoolwork. For the aforementioned reasons, Accio feels as though he is constantly "getting the short end of the stick." Rejected by his own family, his fascist mentor Mario acts as a father figure to Accio and indoctrinates him with fascist ideals. His feelings of alienation are assuaged by the sense of belonging and purpose that the fascist party gives him. The card he receives from the party serves as a symbol in the film (he later tears it up and joins the communist party).

My Brother is an Only Child

My Brother is an Only Child depicts the polarizing relationship between two brothers in the midst of political chaos between Italy's fascist and communist parties. The thing I found most interesting to witness was the character arc for Accio. He doesn't necessarily learn any lesson or become a better person. Once a fascist and then a communist, he still resorts to acts of violence and crime. He is even willing to aid his brother Manrico by bringing money to him after two years of hiding. It is not until the end of the film that Accio is able to use his controversial methods for what is just: stealing the keys to the redistributed homes that the poor Italians in his neighborhood need. He truly takes on the role that his brother would have played, learning to identify with the person he was.

My Brother Is an Only Child

This film captures the true violence that took place in Italy during the 1960s. The violence that is shown between the left and the right is very intense and brutal, and represents the total belief people felt at this time. This film stood out to me because it displays how during times of poverty, war, and disagreement, people will go to extreme extents for whatever they believe in, and how "mob mentality" can take over due to the lack of hope that exists in their minds. I found it to be powerful showing the brutality and violence that took place, as well as creating a story of brothers (one of the closest relationships that a person can experience) choosing opposite sides. This helped develop the fact that people can go against their own family during these hard times, and forget what truly matters to them, simply because of corruption. I thought this storyline was very interesting and powerful.

My Brother Is an Only Child

While watching the film My Brother Is an Only Child, I was caught off guard when the audience followed the story of Accio.  During the whole first half of the movie, I was expecting Accio to turn into a redeemable character and see the error of his ways. Instead the audience was shown his whole descent into the Fascist party, not at all shying away from the rage and violence that defined him. Initially, I felt as though it would have made the film easier to watch if instead of following Accio, the audience instead followed his brother, Manrico. If the entirety of the film was only the events of a Fascist, enraged Accio, I would still feel this way, but that doesn't happen. Instead the audience is treated to a redemption arc for Accio and Manrico's slower descent into political revolution and societal abandonment. With the context of this ending, the audience's anticipation and hope for Accio's betterment is fulfilled thereby making a more satisfying film.

Life is Beautiful

The film, "Life is Beautiful" is a perfect example of how you can mix tradegy and comedy to enhance the drama of the film. There is a lot of controversy surrounding this film due to the fact that it does have comedy even though it is meant to be a movie about the holocaust, but I think that the comedy used was in no way satirical, but was used to enhance the tradegy in the film. With Guido's character, he was the main source of comedy for the film. He was percieved by the audience as a very kind, supportive, theatrical, and loving father and husband, so his death at the end of the movie was even more tragic because of how much the audience had already connected with his character. There are many movies out there about the holocaust that have been turned into comedy that are much "worse" than this film. For example, "The Producers," and "Inglorious Bastards" are both movies that take the holocaust and make it funny, but not in a mocking way towards the people that were affacted. The comedy used in movies like this are almost always making a mockery of Hilter and the Nazi Party. An argument could be made that this was a way of coping from the tradgey that occured.

My Brother is an Only Child

My Brother is an Only Child presented a new relationship for us to analyze in comparison to the other Italian films we have watched thus far. Rather than a father and son film, we watched the story of two brothers. There are similarities of the brother and brother relationship to that of previous father and son relationships because Manrico as the older brother often takes on a fatherly role to Accio by telling him what to do and what to believe. Accio reacts with anger often like a disobedient child. However, the brother and brother relationship differs from previous father and son relationships in that both brothers are constantly competing –in political ideology and in relationships- presenting a new layer to the dynamic. The way the two brothers’ characters evolve by the end of the film appears to parallel the brothers characters at the beginning of the film. Accio is now seen as the more levelheaded and charismatic brother in comparison to his original violent and outspoken character at the beginning. In contrast, Manrico is now the political fugitive in comparison to his original charismatic character. After watching this movie, I can’t help but question the brothers’ relationships with their sister. Violetta is not necessarily a central character and her relationship with her brothers is not explored much throughout the film. What do you think Violetta’s character does to progress the plot of the film or was she not an essential character?

Stealing Beauty

Stealing Beauty is an interesting coming of age film, focused around a 19-year-old girl, Lucy Harmon. However, many argue that, while Lucy can be seen as the main character of the film, she also seems to be a "catalyst" for the other characters of the film, rather than a strong main character. As Lucy develops as a young woman, some may view her role to be more important as a character who helps those around her develop and grow, maybe even without them realizing. Her youthfulness and beauty are major factors that play a key role in influencing those around her realize things about themselves, that, in some cases, put them at peace with the negative future they are guaranteed to experience. Lucy herself, is on a journey to find the boy in which she thinks she loves, and wishes to lose her virginity to, as well as discover the meaning behind her late mothers poem and find her father in Italy. The ending of the film is very different from the previous films that we have watched, for everything that is problematic for the main character at the beginning of the film is resolved at the end, which is uncommon for Italian films. I found this to be very surprising when watching the film, as well as quite interesting. In conclusion, I enjoyed this film, and was intrigued by the fact that it was more similar to a Hollywood film in the sense that the ending gave us a clear-cut conclusion, however it also had the feeling of an Italian film, that the average American viewer may not feel comfortable with when first watching this film.

Stealing Beauty: The Italian Bachelorette

Bertolucci's Stealing Beauty, an Italian film deemed international for its English-speaking characters and happy ending, proved to be one of the stories that I wasn't as invested in so far this semester. The plot took a while to pick up, and the movie was littered with too many characters of little depth. However, I was able to get into the story once the drama grew. Having the ability to speak with our classmates during the screening was a big plus, as we were all able to give our two cents on where the plot was going to lead. In the end, watching the film was an enjoyable experience. I just think that any deep meaning behind this one of Bertolucci's lesser stories would be a bit contrived.

Life is Beautiful

The first time I watched Life is Beautiful was in English class in 8th grade during a unit in which we were researching literature and art on the Holocaust. Watching it a second time, years later and living in Italy, has been a much different experience. I talk with my host family a lot about the films we watch in this class, as they are huge cinema fans (especially my host father). They'll never stop talking about La Dolce Vita and Fellini's visionary talent; and other movie choices for the class they applaud with "Bellisimo!". My host family has made it clear their distraught hatred for Life is Beautiful. When they first said this, I was surprised because I knew the success and fame of the movie. When I pry and ask why they hate the movie, the answer is clear cut and should've been more obvious to anyone: it's not right to make such a light-hearted and comedic film regarding something so tragic as the Holocaust. When I watched the movie earlier in life, I didn't think of this point at all; I thought it was a loving movie regarding father and son and triumph over evils of the world. This time though, I held my host family's view points in mind and the movie did seem some sorts of disrespectful. Although the humor and light-heartedness was a major plot point in the movie and idea of father-son relationship, I feel the movie is out of taste trivializing an event of the magnitude.

Tragedy and Comedy in Life is Beautiful

The fusion of tragedy and humor in Roberto Binigni’s film “Life is Beautiful” made it both an intriguing and difficult film to watch. The movie certainly had poignant cinematic qualities to it but it was challenging as a viewer to look past the combination of Guido’s energetic antics, the music and sound effects, and humorous tone overall contrasted with the dark realities of the Holocaust later on in the film. Particularly at the beginning, the movie had a light hearted sitcom-like feel to it. However, it still managed to address serious issues and events in history. This further made me wonder why our American culture separates comedy and tragedy into such opposed genres without overlap. Shakespeare and other famous works have successfully merged them but most modern American cinema and television tends to stray away from this. Although it was difficult because I was not used to it, I thought the overlap of these qualities was relatively effective. In other words, I think the duality served to humanize Guido and those around him and represent them as regular and normal people in a difficult situation rather than distant sad figures in a tragedy. 

Life is Beautiful

The aspect of the film, Life is Beautiful, that I found most intriguing is the use of parallels between the first part and second part of the film. In the first part, Guido uses his imagination and storytelling skills to woo Dora. Then in the second part, he uses those same skills to make his son, Giosue, believe the concentration camp is a game. Guido also uses the Schopenhauer Method throughout the whole film. However, the outcome of the method is more vital in the second part when he ensures a dog does not discover Giosue’s hiding place. Whereas in the first part, Gido practices the method by making Ferruccio wake up and Dora look at him at the opera. Another example of parallels is the use of the fascist salute. In the opening scene Guido attempts to warn a crowd as his car barrels into them by waving his hands. The crowd assumes he is giving them a fascist salute. This is a subtle indication that this film is not as lighthearted as it appears. Then in the second part of the film the salute is used more obviously while at the concentration camp. The parallels in this movie are important in crafting Guido as a character who throughout his life has attempted to make others happy with humor despite their current condition. The parallels also indicate to the viewer that the second part of the movie will be much less enjoyable, however Guido will attempt to make it just as lighthearted as the first part.