Golden Door Review

In its basic outline the story told in the Golden Door, Emanuele Crialeses beautiful dream of a film, is hardly unfamiliar. Some version of this immigrants tale  setting out from the old country, crossing the Atlantic in steerage, arriving at Ellis Island  is part of the family history of millions of Americans. But what makes Mr. Crialeses telling unusual, apart from the gorgeousness of his wide-screen compositions, is that his emphasis is on departure and transition, rather than arrival.

His film takes its English title from the Emma Lazarus poem about the Statue of Liberty, but the lady in the harbor, like the rest of America (apart from Ellis Island), remains unseen as the director takes us up to the door but not through it. The Italian title, Nuovomondo, means new world, but this too is a bit misleading. It is the Old World that dominates this chronicle of Italian peasants striking out for a future they can barely imagine, and the achievement of the movie is to immerse the modern viewer in a way of perceiving the world that has nearly been forgotten. You may have looked at stiff, yellowing pictures of ancestors from a century ago and wondered what they thought and felt, and it is this kind of curiosity that Golden Door comes remarkably close to satisfying.

In the days before aviation the physical distance between rural Italy and New York City was vaster than it is now, but Golden Door is as much about time travel as it is about the geographical kind. Salvatore Mancuso (Vincenzo Amato) and his family effectively live in the Middle Ages, cut off from nearly every manifestation of modernity. When Salvatore strikes up conversations below decks, he is startled to learn that people from other villages speak a common language. This movie is packed with drama and life altering situations. It is very well put together and to me seems quite historically acurate. I loved this film!

Bread and Chocolate Review

This film was interesting in many ways. It will touch all immigrants of any nationality. Those who have made the transition to a new country, tried to find a job and build a new life outside their home will be profoundly moved by this beautifully crafted movie, which is funny and tragic at the same time.

The story is, anyhow, hard to misunderstand: it is the tragic story of a poor Italian immigrant in wealthy, picture-perfect Switzerland. Nino is a man who needs a permanent visa in order to be able to bring his wife and son to his new adopted country. He has worked for three year as a “guest worker” (Gastarbeiter) and now needs his big break. The initial scene of the movie is a pearl and sets the tone for the whole film. Nino walks in a city park on his day off; the park, like the whole country, is pure perfection…A sunny day (rare in Switzerland, to be honest), sailboats floating on the peaceful lake, beautiful children playing quietly, picnics and picnic baskets from which picture-perfect food is extracted, birds chirping, even a string quartet playing live music for the picnickers. Here comes Nino, transfixed by the harmonious spectacle of this wonderful society. Happy to be part of this beauty, dressed out of respect in his best suit and a tie, he sits under a tree to enjoy the peace, pulls out a sandwich from his pocket, and bites….this makes a rather heavy crunch…and, suddenly, the music stops, the musicians are looking at him puzzled, a lady holding a cake turns to him with a rather stern expression; bottom line, the whole park stops and lets him know politely that he does not belong.

Poor Nino does his best as a temporary waiter: he is set to compete with a Turkish man for the only permanent job available. What follows are the comical adventures of the two in the restaurant, trying to look good in front of the owner and make their adversary look bad. To be perverse, the employer has arranged a joint apartment (or rather a single dilapidated room) for the two men to share.

The movie has many funny aspects to it as well as a lot of truth. The ending where he died his hair blonde to fit in in Germany was quite comical.

Gomorrah (Camorra) Review

This factual yet drama based film was a huge advancement in Mafia film history. The average U.S citizen is somewhat enformed about the Mafia and organized crime. But what people usually dont know is that the Mafia was originated in Sicily and is actually quite different from the Camorra who is a mafia like organized crime ring that is native to Campania or modern day Naples, Italy.

The main things seperating the Camorra and the Mafia is their strutcture. The Mafia having a more ladder like structure where every group of soilders has a captain or capo to answer to. In the Camorra there is a head don and then below that everyother man is equal of power.

This film was ground breaking in it's ability to capture a very documentary, realism styled film, viewing very real, very serious issues this world has with organized crime. This gave viewers a not so stereotypical view into the life of 5 Camorra members and how the crime ring has for the most part negitivley effected their lives. The choice to use two teens as some of the main characters to show just how young of an age and how directly this evil crime syndacite is affecting. This was a very crucially realistic and brute way to captivate the imagination of the audience.

Night of the Shooting Stars Review

The bond between father and son made a great impact of the film. The realistic shots of the fighting and the war was pretty good. There was a lot of killing which is expected. When the young boy died it was sad but predictable. The father was a "Gabadots" throughout the film. He intised his son to be involved in the same shit he was which was uncalled for due to his age and nature.

The movie basically thrived under the Germans aggressiveness throughout the film. The Italians were simply no match for them. They were running and hiding almost the entire film. From woods, to churches, to the middle of the street. And everywhere they went the Germans followed and blew everything to pieces. This was a little fake it seemed and the Germans seemed almost too filled with hate and anger that it almost didnt seem to have a motive?  Maybe this is just what I think.

Bicycle Thief Review

     The re-occuring theme here in most Italian cinema is the good sided nature that Italians bring to the silver screen. They are romantically known for their compassion and painstaking love they have towards another family memeber or dear friend. Although this film is not a romance film, it reflect on that light in all the right places. I agree the movie could be a bit of a bore and depressing but the black and white film doesn't do it any justice. I think that this poor father and husband is doing everything he can to welcome his family into the world, his wife is very patient but still over consumed with everyday frsuteration. the bike also plays as a wonderful symbol or acting devise on screen, the amount of sacrafise and desperation all put into this one tool to be the deciding factor wheather this family will make it or crack is amazing on film.

Rome Open City Review

   Don Pietro is a Priest who also sides with the rebels. He excepts the fact that he must assist these violent and brutal men but knows morally that his heart lies with God and noone else. Don Pietro stands for the two sided man and the two sides every man can take with his own life, good and evil. Pina is the wife of Marcello and fiancee of Francesco. She is depicted as a strong woman, who desires the comfort of a man and father. This to me is somewhat obscured because she truley disires exactly what she claims she doesnt want, to be tied down. It is sad that she dies at the end of the film but the true grusome ending adds the the over all dramatic and twisted depth that this dark movie has. What Don Pietro meant when he said "It's not hard to die well, it's hard to live well." was that life is truley what you make it. Your daily struggles in the big picture are only fragments of what life is all about, if you allow this dim outlook to ruin your time here on earth then dying cowardly isnt much of a great option either. 

Ciao Professore Review

The Professors character in the movie seems like he is seeking some sort of higher pleasure, that he is not only teaching to feed the youth of our nation but also that he gets his jollys from teaching. He is very well with kids and he knows this, through his own frusteration and greed he attempts a transfer to another school in a neighboring town, but we he stays with the students for a little time he knows he is there only and last hope and takes back his transfer.

  We have only got to about half of the movie but so far the children in the school play a huge part in the film. They to me stand for another part of the professors life seeing how he is very lonely and it doesnt seem like he has mucbh family. I predict that later on in the film he will still be with these same kids, or maybe get transfered against his will and he and the children figure a way to get him back as their teacher? who knows.

    

The Leopard Review Part II

    Though I have expressed minor feelings about this film, I feel as if I still have not yet got my true emotions out about how I feel. I was somewhat confused by the order things occured in the movie. Any scene that envolved a ball room dance, or a dance hall scene it completely was irrelevant to what Don Fabrizo or a man of his stature in the position he was in at the time. His times would be full of struggle and constant unsurence of what was to happen. Not to mention Fabrizo's careless attitude towards what revolutionary movement was going on in Italy at the time. It seemed all he was concerned about towards the end of the film was with which valid mistress Don Tancredi was going wedd. The ending was also confusing, especially Tancredi's last scene where he seems to be carelessly wondering down an alley from an abandoned court yard. The movies Historical effort was valid and it was all filmed in a timely chronological order. I wish Garabahaldi was more envolved with the film, to see him an action would have been spectacular

        
                                      

The Leopard Review

   "The Leopard" a classic Italian cinema piece made in 1962. It was an attempt at a modern make of a Sicilian land/Feutal lord, fighting for his exsistance in the world during the new Italian Revolution. The movie closely follows the characters of Don Fabrizo, the Prince of Sardina. Also his clever whitted so called nephew, Don Tancredi, faced with the classic love dilema of marrying for money, power and beauty, or to stay envolved with close family and wed for ambigious  love.

   The movie did have a sence of humor to it, which did contrast nicely with the long, drawn out monologous. The battle scenes were not very intense, the most intense of them was towards the begining, when Garabahldi's 1000 Red Shirts took march on Sicily. Everything tended to be over dramatic but still well played. Don Fabrizo was a cgood captivation of a blue collard Prince during a time period of such change and chaos.  Part I 

Bread and Tulips Review + Article Question

1.  Read the "Rascaroli passage" inside this folder which gives a definition of European road movies.  To what extent, and why, does the film Bread and Tulips fall within this genre? Are you able to discern in this film "the European reality of a mosaic of nations, cultures, languages and roads which are separated by geographical, political, and economic boundaries and customs"? 

This movie fits the European Road Movie qualities well. It follows a middle aged woman named Rosalba and her adventures she goes on through Italy. What makes this movie a particularly well fit is in part reason because Rosalba is an average Italian citizen not some sort of rebel or outcast. Another reason is due to how well this movie exsposes Italy geographically, putting heavy influence of the numerous cultures, languages, art work of different heritage influences such as Greek. This movie does a really good job at portraying all characteristics of a European Road movie.

2. Compare how the film/camera portrays the city of Venice (destination) and the city of Pescara (from which the main character has left and returns)?  What are the differences and similarities?

Pescara, Rosalba's home village or town, is portrayed in a very condisending, low level society, with a lagging image of the rise of technology. The colors used are somewhat a little more dull and less vibrant, even though the film is mostly shot in a very vibrant and extreme solor sence. Venice however, is portrayed as a very well manicured and well kept place. With well kept people, with proper speak, and a law abiding way of life. This is a great contrast the director uses to captivate what Rosalba has and what she's known her whole life, oppose to what she has been wanting, craving and looking for in her life.

3.  What discoveries does Rosalba make in the film, about her own identity and about her culture?

Rosalba slowley but surely discovers what a dull and managed life she lives. She is constantly being pushed and commanded around by her brute of a husband and her children more towards the begining show her little respect/affection. She discovers her grand past of her grandparents and what they went through living in Italy in a previous time frame. She gets much more in touch with her roots and who she is as a person. She also see's what true love feels like and how a real healthy relationship functions. Rosalba becomes one with the idea that she can live her life how she wants, and not fit into so many stereotypes about woman and what they can and cannot do.

"Caterina In The Big City" Review

The movie "Caterina In The Big City" was a very interesting film about a young girl who lived on the small wimpering outskirts of Italy and moves to the big city of Rome. Caterina moves to Rome due to her fathers out of synch job as a teacher at a small highschool. Her father, quits his job and moves to Rome to allow Caterina start school in the big city. Caterina's father is extremly over protective and tries to manipulate Caterina by always telling her whats right and wrong and what she should be doing. He also tries to develop connections of work and business through Caterina's high class friends and their parents.

For my review this week I wanted to focus on not a certain question but more so on Caterina herself and what she had to do in order to succeed amoungst her peers and to succeed overall in general.

Caterina has to face many opsticals within the movie, and to me one of the greatest troubles she faced was de aling with her father. Throughout the entire film he was constantly persistant about telling Caterina what to do in certain situations. Towards the begining her Father was even telling her what to specifically do in a certain situation. Caterina also has to deal with the demeaning girls and boys at her new school in the big city of Rome. There were two different clicks to join both controlled by the two head girls of the school, or most popular. These two girls, or two different sides for Caterina to choose at school represents the two different sides to political powers in Italy in Rome at the time. Caterina also not to mention has to deal with her father pestering her with trying to develop work connections for him through the politically envolved girls at the school. Caterina handles most of the issues in the movie, for a young teenage girl handling all of these new events happening in her life. I give her a lot of credit! Please comment or let me know your thoughts on how you thought Caterina handled what was dished to her.

Fellini's La Dolce Vita Review

1.) It is said that this film abandons traditional modes of narrative/plot, and conventional notions of characters development. Give exaples from the film to support or oppose

I do believe this to a certain degree but still feel like throughout the entire film there was little to no narration at all, and the plot jumps from place to place. Lke in the opening scene where there is a large Jesus statue hanging from a helicopter and there flying from place to place allowing people to be in "Awe" at it. Fellini does a brilliant job developing Marcello's sense of stability and sexual subduction. He has almost a James Bond feel to him, this was all put together very well.

2.) What is the underlying theme or themes of this film?

To me, the main notion or theme of this film is that everything we do is for a reason or to benefit someone in someway. The title "La Dolce Vida" or the "Sweet Life" is a minor configuration of the movies exstensive meaning. The freedom most characters show, coming and going at will, entering almost any desirable destination, this film truley captures what we would consider a sweet or lavish life, with much excessability.

3.) Choose one scene in the film that you feel is an essential moment, or a turning point. Describe the visual elements and cinematic style if you can.

I feel that the scene when Sylvia or Anita Ekinburg was in the Trevii Fountian in Marcello's dream sequence was a huge turning point in the movie and a great scene as well. Fellini shows the audiance this key turning point which allows Marcello to verify what parts of life are real and are not from here on. This visual element of Sylvia at the fountain is known as "Juxtaposition", Fellini is famous for this lovely comparison of a lovely attractive woman against  flawless beautiful backdrop. The cinematic style is that of a twist, there are some scenes that capture a sence of Neorealism but the dream sequences and ellucive landscapes allow a real creative outlook on the film.


Bondanella on Fellini 

La Dolce Vita means the Sweet Life. It refers to the exstensive accesablilty the characters have in the film to go and do what they want. The condition of Italy at the time was poor, right after the World War things were in rough shape. Italy was a decaying city.

Bondanella compares Fellini to Picaso because they are both talented artists, and view their work as art and not take it to serious or literal like an average job. They extract from within. They share the artistic vision of roman.

The importance of the term paparazzi in the film is huge. This term first came up in this film and established an exstensive vocabulary for the term now. It gave this movie a fast paced theme and even added to the effect of illusiveness or that the life these characters are living are that of fame or surreal like.

The plot of the film is very chaotic and all over the place. Mostly in Italy and Rome itself. This allows for the surrealism of Italy magnificant landscapes and romantic vistas to really show through in this film. Fellini knew all of these minor details all help everything come together.

Marcello is his own man, and will be reguardless of any mans requests. It is too late for him to change into anything he already isnt already. He is a man of distress, adventure, sex appeal and in life for the over all chase and exhilleration. His sexuality is strongly depicted through the beauty of Sylvia. And the entire movie was built off of Marcello's intellectual persuits.

Roman Holiday Review:

a. How are Italy and Italians represented in the film? Can you distinguish any stereotypes in this representation?

Mainly the people in the movie Roman Holiday are depicted or represented as going on a perminant vacation. They are all for the most part middle class and were portrayed in a comical manor. Most of the men in the film are depicted as romantics. All the Italians portrayed are done so in a stereotypical manor.

b.  Is there a political message to the film?  What is it? Think of US economic and political expansion into Europe through the Marshall plan. Think about Princess Ann’s references to the European Union.

Princess Ann represents Europe right after the end of World War II. Mostly being unsure of what to do, the character Joe represents America as a whole and how Joe (America) was using Ann (Europe) to get what he wanted. This relates to the Marshall Plan because the Untied States were trying to help rebuild Europe after the second world war, and were in Europe doing so. 

c.  Is this a love story, or a bildungsroman (growing up story)?  

I believe that Roman Holiday is both a love story and a growing up story. That developing love occuring between Joe and Ann proves that this movie falls under the catagory of a love story. It is also a growing up story due to Ann's process of realizing what she needs to do in her life and undertake her responcibilities as ruler.

d.  Choose one scene you feel is crucial to the film, and describe what cinematic qualities make it powerful and compelling.  

When Ann was shown at the press conference is truley displayed the true responcibility Ann really has as a lead power figure. Not to mention she finally realized the love affair between Ann and Joe wouldn't work out. This was the ultimate realization point in the movie.

Italy Through Film

My name is Brett Solimine, I am a junior here at FSU and I am currently an English Theater major. After school I am hoping to test my skills in acting. I was originally interested in this class naturally due to my passion for cinema of old and new. I am also very passionate about my Italian heritage, I am half Sicilian and half Nepolidad, (or from Naples,Italy). Italian cinema deffenitly has played an inspirational role in me wanting to become an actor and I look foward to opening up my views to differen't styled films this semester.