Hammer Michael's Italian Holiday Film Thread!

Hammer Michael

Feel free to ignore me, I'm boring.
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Shall be leaving these shores on Thursday evening for ten days in beautiful Italia, so thought I'd leave with an Italian-themed thread.

Best films either made in Italy or set in Italy?

Set it off by giving you a really really really really difficult clue as to where I , Missus Hammer and the Hammer Twins are off to - Death in Venice.

And yes, Spoony...I'll give you Sicily so that two of the greatest films ever made can be included!:D

Ciao everyone!:)
 
Hammer Michael said:
Forgot about that one!

Plan to watch Don't Look Now tomorrow evening to really get me in the mood!:D

Fan of Italian Neo-Realism, Spoony?
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Don't Look Now. I thought it was goodish. Although, it didn't half drag.

Italian Neo-Realism? not seen many in that genre, Hammer. Planning to watch a Fellini films, though.

Put on Les enfants du paradis, last night. Too tired to watch it, in all honestly but looks a cracking film.
 
olesmyhero said:
Italian Neo-Realism is good stuff. Loved the "trilogy" that Antonioni did. They're not for everybody, but you might appreciate the genre, Spoony.
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Antonioni's another, I'd love to check out.

What do you think of French New Wave? And any films you'd recommend in that genre?
 
Spoony said:
Antonioni's another, I'd love to check out.

What do you think of French New Wave? And any films you'd recommend in that genre?
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French New Wave is possibly my favorite of genres. Basically check out any Jean Luc Godard, Francois Truffaut film from about 1958 to 1965. There are some brilliant ones in there. Agnes Varda is also another one who made some decent movies, but on the whole I'm not a huge fan of her work.
 
olesmyhero said:
French New Wave is possibly my favorite of genres. Basically check out any Jean Luc Godard, Francois Truffaut film from about 1958 to 1965. There are some brilliant ones in there. Agnes Varda is also another one who made some decent movies, but on the whole I'm not a huge fan of her work.
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I'll add, Fellini, Bunuel, Antonioni, Truffaut and Godard on me to check out list.
 
olesmyhero said:
Italian Neo-Realism is good stuff. Loved the "trilogy" that Antonioni did. They're not for everybody, but you might appreciate the genre, Spoony.
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Spoony...have copied a link for you as a quick intro guide to Italian Neo-Realism...hope it helps fill in some gaps!:)http://www.greencine.com/static/primers/neorealism1.jsp

Can certainly recommend De Sica's classic 'Bicycle Thieves' and Rossellini's 'Rome: Open City' for starters. Might be worth doing a bit of background reading first to know how and why these particular films came to be made during the 1940s...fascinating contextual stuff (sorry, the film lecturer coming out in me!:o).

Might also want to try Visconti's 'Ossessione' - part Neo-Realism, part film noir...hard to track down in this country but you might get lucky with a download.;)
 
Will look into those, Hammer. And Bicycle Thieves' another on my to see list.

And I've heard of him, Ole. Not seen any of his films, yet. Any I should watch?
 
The Italian Job.. only the starting of it was in Italy, though.
 
olesmyhero said:
I've only seen one Visconti movie and it turned me off to watching anymore of his. Death in Venice has to be one of the most boring movies I've ever seen.
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Have to admit Death in Venice isn't one of my favourites (although Missus Hammer loves it), but I used it as a very obvious clue as to my holiday destination!!!:D

Can recommend La Scorta, Spoony, if you like Mafia/gangster films. 1993 film and based on real police investigation into La Cosa Nostra activities. Good action film and cracking dialogue...well, I liked it anyway!:D
 
Hammer Michael said:
Have to admit Death in Venice isn't one of my favourites (although Missus Hammer loves it), but I used it as a very obvious clue as to my holiday destination!!!:D

Can recommend La Scorta, Spoony, if you like Mafia/gangster films. 1993 film and based on real police investigation into La Cosa Nostra activities. Good action film and cracking dialogue...well, I liked it anyway!:D
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Were you trying to find a nice young man like the guy in the movie?
 
by the way, whose idea did Nolan nick for Following and Memento? I mean the reverse chronology idea. I'm sure it was done by a Japanese director, first.
 
olesmyhero said:
Were you trying to find a nice young man like the guy in the movie?
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Errr...can I take the 'fifth' on that?:lol:

The film is actually set about two miles up the coast from where we are staying at Lido de Jesolo.

Great soundtrack, though, for all the film's faults.
 
olesmyhero said:
Rashamon by Kurosawa was told in different versions that went back in time for each version of the story.
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Rashamon had conflicting narratives - the same event from five or six character's perspectives - but I'm not sure it went back in time like Memento...might be wrong as its many years since I saw it.:confused:
 
Some good Italian films:

Amarcord by Fellini I love because of the characters.
La vita e bella by Roberto Benigni won an Oscar and is a beautiful film about a Jewish Italian man sent to a Nazi death camp in WW2.
Io non ho paura is a pretty decent newish flick about a kidnapping in Sardinia.

But my favorite Italian film has to be Il Camorista. One of the best gangser movies ever made. It's about the Naples mafia and pretty much based on a true story. "Il professore" the main carachter is based on Raffaele Cutolo who was a mean fecker. I have been trying to find a subbed version but so far no luck.
 
loved il deserto Rosso by Anotnioni, Rome: open city was pretty good although I only saw the second half of it because i'm not so good at being on time for lectures

edit: add La Strada by Fellini in the mix too
 
Ivor Ballokov said:
loved il deserto Rosso by Anotnioni, Rome: open city was pretty good although I only saw the second half of it because i'm not so good at being on time for lectures

edit: add La Strada by Fellini in the mix too
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Sure you're not one of my students!!!:D

Do yourself a favour and watch the first half when you have a chance...great film, considering the conditions under which it was made.
 
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