Press Play: Italian classics
Film journalist Robin Broos has put together a personal selection of Italian classics: 3... 2... 1... Action!
Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem is more than just a funeral mass; it is a monument to Italian culture. We asked film journalist Robin Broos to put together a personal selection of Italian classics.
Discover them here: a series of cinematic gems that capture the essence of Italy – passion, beauty and tragedy.
Bicycle Thieves (1948)
Directed by Vittorio de Sica
Rome, shortly after the Second World War. Antonio finally gets a job as a bill poster, but to do so he needs a bicycle. When it is stolen, he sets off through the city with his young son Bruno in search of the thief. Vittorio De Sica’s neorealist masterpiece depicts post-war Italy in all its poverty and despair, but also in its humanity. The film received a special honour for best non-English-language film and is still regarded as one of the finest films ever made. Simple, direct and heart-wrenching: this is Italian cinema at its purest.
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La dolce vita (1960)
Directed by Federico Fellini
Journalist Marcello flits through 1960s Rome, in search of stories and meaning. Federico Fellini’s iconic film captures the decadence and emptiness of the post-war Italian elite. From Anita Ekberg in the Trevi Fountain to the nocturnal parties in ancient ruins. La dolce vita is a visual symphony that both fascinates and exposes. The film not only defines an era, but also the visual language of Italian cinema. And Nino Rota’s score is as melancholic as it is enchanting.
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The Leopard (1963)
Directed by Luchino Visconti
Sicily, during the post-war period. Prince Don Fabrizio witnesses the old aristocratic order giving way to a new Italy. Luchino Visconti’s epic (based on the novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa) is a reflection on change and loss. “If we want everything to stay as it is, everything must change,” says the prince. Burt Lancaster plays the aristocratic protagonist with dignity, against the backdrop of a Sicily that is a paradise in decline. The film won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and remains a landmark of Italian cinema.
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Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
Directed by Sergio Leone
Sergio Leone takes the American Western as his starting point and reimagines it as an Italian opera-style spectacle. A mysterious harmonica player arrives in a small town in the Wild West to settle a score with the ruthless Frank. Leone’s visual language – such as extreme close-ups, endless panoramas and silences that scream – becomes iconic. Ennio Morricone composes one of his most memorable scores, in which every character is given their own musical theme. *Once Upon a Time in the West* is not a western; it is a symphony of revenge and redemption.
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Cinema Paradiso (1988)
Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore
Another Ennio classic. Little Salvatore grows up in a Sicilian village where the Paradiso cinema is the cultural heart of the community. His friendship with the projectionist Alfredo changes his life. Giuseppe Tornatore’s loving tribute to cinema and nostalgia won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Ennio Morricone composed a score that is as tender as it is heart-wrenching. *Cinema Paradiso* celebrates not only the seventh art, but also the power of memories and the bittersweet pain of growing up.
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Luca (2021)
Directed by Enrico Casarosa
A bit of an odd one out on the list! Luca is an American animated film by an Italian director. Two sea monsters discover that, on land, they can transform into human boys. In the picturesque (and fictional) Italian coastal town of Portorosso, they experience a summer full of friendship, adventure and… gelato. Pixar director Enrico Casarosa, who grew up in Genoa himself, pays homage to the Italian Riviera of the 1950s. Every shot is bathed in the warm light of the Mediterranean, every scene exudes la dolce vita. From the colourful houses to the Vespas and Piazza Garibaldi, Luca celebrates Italian culture with a tenderness that touches both children and adults alike.
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