Vittorio Taviani Movies
Italian filmmaker Vittorio Taviani and his younger brother Paolo (1931- ) might just as well be joined at the hip; it is all but impossible to write of one brother without mentioning the other. The son of an anti-fascist lawyer who suffered mightily during the Mussolini years, Vittorio attended the University of Pisa, studying law while brother Paolo majored in liberal arts. Once the Tavianis developed an interest in cinema (Vittorio was inspired by a screening of Rossellini's Paisa), they became professionally inseparable. In 1950, the brothers established a Pisa cinema society with their future collaborator Valentino Orsini. In concert with screenwriter Cesare Zavattini, Vittorio and Paolo directed the 1954 short subject San Miniato, Iuglio 44 (1954), about Nazi atrocities in Italy. Together once more with Orsini, the brothers directed their first feature in 1962, A Man For Burning. The modus operandi of Vittorio and Paolo is to work on their screenplays together, then take turns directing individual scenes, never interfering with each other's creative choices. Recurring themes in their films include war, anti-fascism, traditionalism vs. modernism, marriage, divorce, and life among the working poor in the Southern Italian region of Tuscany. The Tavianis have won Cannes Film Festival awards for Padre Padrone (1977) and Night of the Shooting Stars (1983); the latter film was also honored with a citation from the National Society of Film Critics. In 1987, the brothers made their first American film, Good Morning Babylon (1987), a perceptive homage to Hollywood's salad days. On his own (surprise!), Vittorio Taviani played a supporting role in 1994's The True Life of Antonio H.. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 2008
Director Olivier Jahan offers an glimpse into The Director's Fortnight, a sidebar of the Cannes Film Festival conceived by a group of filmmakers known as the Société des Réalisateurs de Films who sought to counter the academism of the main part of the world-renowned festival. Pierre-Henri Deleau, the one-time artistic director of the Société des Réalisateurs de Films, and as his successor Olivier Père take movie lovers behind the scenes as the dedicated group of filmmakers prepare for the 2007 Director's Fortnight. Archive footage, film clips, and interviews with over two-dozen directors offer a comprehensive look at forty years of cinematic rebellion. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2007
As adapted from the roman by Antonia Arslan and co-directed by legendary Italian brothers Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, The Lark Farm marks one of the few international features to tackle the Armenian genocide head-on. The story (with its thematic parallels, in the early scenes, to De Sica's 1970 Garden of the Finzi-Continis) concerns the Avakian clan. An Armenian family living an affluent lifestyle and periodically shuttling back and forth between their two comfortable homes, the Avakians feel convinced that the rising tide of Turkish hostility on the horizon means little to them and will scarcely affect their day to day. Indeed, The Avakians ignore the warning signs, and set about preparing for a family reunion with the impending visit of two well-to-do sons - landowner Aram, who resides in Turkey, and Assadour, a physician living in Venice. Lo and behold, these illusions come crashing down when a Turkish military regiment crops up at the house, annihilates every male member of the family and forces the ladies to trek off into the Syrian desert, where they will be left to rot. Meanwhile, a handsome Turkish officer (Alessandro Preziosi) falls for Aram's daughter and makes an aggressive attempt to deliver her and her family from certain death, even as the circumstances surrounding him attest to the astounding difficulty of this goal. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paz Vega, Arsinée Khanjian, (more)
- 2006
Marcello Mastroianni (1924-1996) was arguably the most famous and respected leading man in the history of Italian cinema. A favorite of such directors Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti and Michelangelo Antonioni, Mastroianni's fame in Europe extended to the United States, where he was nominated for three Academy Awards and frequently starred opposite another celebrated Italian player, Sophia Loren. Filmmakers Mario Canale and Annarosa Morri offer a look at the public and private sides of this legendary actor in the documentary Marcello: A Sweet Life, which features archival interviews with the actor alongside reminiscences from his family, friends and colleagues. Interview subjects include actresses Claudia Cardinale and Anouk Aimee, directors Ettore Scola, Mario Monicelli and Lina Wertmuller, and Marcello's daughters Barbara Mastroianni and Chiara Mastroianni. Marcello: A Sweet Life received its world premiere at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Paolo Taviani and his brother Vittorio Taviani wrote and directed this made-for-TV adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's final novel. Wealthy and privileged Prince Dmitri Nekhludov (Timothy Peach) is called to serve on the jury of a woman accused of prostitution and murder. When the accused is brought forward, Nekhludov discovers to his surprise that the streetwalker is Katusha Maslova (Stefania Rocca), a peasant woman he led into a brief affair many years ago. Maslova has been charged with the poisoning of a local merchant, but she firmly declares her innocence. Nekhludov and his fellow members of the jury find in Maslova's favor, but the judge overturns their verdict on a technicality, and she is sentenced to life at hard labor. Agonized that his seduction of a once-innocent girl led her down a path of such grim consequences, Nekhludov sets out to change his life in a bid to somehow right the wrong he's done to Maslova. Risurrezione was originally screened in a three-hour version designed for television broadcast in Europe, though it was reported that a shorter cut was being prepared for theatrical exhibition. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stefania Rocca, Timothy Peach, (more)
Novellas by Luigi Pirandello provided the source for this Italian anthology of two tales written and directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani. "Felice," set in Rome of the '30s, focuses on former opera baritone Felice (Antonio Albanese), now an accountant at the Teatro dell'Opera. Felice roars with laughter during his sleep, prompting his suspicious Russian wife (Elena Ghiaurov) to leave him. Abrasive opera director Migliori (Luca Zingaretti) has a daily ritual of tormenting crippled Rambaldi (Giuseppe Cederna). Since Felice has dreamed of joining Migliori in this humiliation, he is overcome with guilt when Rambaldi commits suicide. Felice makes plans to drown himself, but his future brightens after he finds romance with former chorus girl Nora (Sabrina Ferilli). "Two Kidnappings" begins in contemporary Sicily with a mobster holding a youth (Steve Spedicato) hostage to prevent his Mafia turncoat father from naming names but then segues to a kidnapping of 100 years earlier at the same location. Originally a three-parter, the third tale was filmed and edited but later deleted from the final release version. Nicola Piovani's orchestral score includes selections from Rossini. The Taviani brothers previously adapted Pirandello in their 1984 Kaos. Shown at the 1998 Venice Film Festival , the 1998 Toronto Film Festival, and the 1998 New York Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonio Albanese, Sabrina Ferilli, (more)
This French-Italian romantic drama is faithfully based on an early 19th century Goethe novel about the destruction of a married couple. They are Charlotte and Edouard, an aristocratic couple who married late in life and happily lives in a lovely Tuscan villa. Their peaceful, marital bliss is interrupted when Othon (Edourd's closest friend) and his goddaughter Ottilie, who was raised in a convent, arrive for an extended visit. The pregnant Charlotte immediately finds herself drawn to Othon while Edouard is attracted to the girl. As they act upon their impulses a tragedy ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Isabelle Huppert, Jean-Hugues Anglade, (more)
- 1994
This unique Italian pseudo-documentary deftly blends fact with fiction in its portrait of stage, screen, and television actor Alessandro Haber (a.k.a. Antonio Hutter). Haber, considered one of Italy's finest comic actors, has worked with some of the greatest Italian directors of all time including, Bertolucci, Mastroianni, Michele Placido, and Nanni Loy. Film clips and interviews are interspliced throughout the film and the line between the truth and the story behind the comic actor's life is delightfully blurred. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alessandro Haber, Adriana Innocenti, (more)
In Fiorile (US title: Wild Flower), Italy's Taviani brothers once again dissect the manners and mores of the Tuscany region. The story is predicated on a 200-year-old family curse. During the Napoleonic era, Elizabetta "Fiorile" Benedetti (Galatea Ranzi) discovers that her own brother Corado (Claudio Bigagli) is responsible for the crime for which her lover Jean (Michael Vartan) was executed. The embittered Fiorile places a curse on the Benedetti family, declaring that none of her brother's direct descendants will ever achieve true happiness. Over the next two centuries, the Benedettis' ill-gotten wealth increases, but they lose the love and respect of their neighbors. In fact, most people prefer to call the Benedetti family the "Maledettis," or the Cursed Ones. The film's final episode occurs during World War II, as Grandpa Massimo Benedetti (Renato Carpentieri), the last family member directly affected by the curse, relates his tale of woe to a pair of youngsters. Will the curse die with Massimo, or will the innocent young ones be forced to carry it into the next generation? Fiorile is not the sort of movie one sits back and relaxes with, despite its leisurely pace; those willing to work with the film, however, will be amply rewarded. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claudio Bigagli, Galatea Ranzi, (more)
In this film, Tolsoy's classic story Father Sergius is translated from 19th century Russia to 19th century Italy. As in the original story, Sergio (Julian Sands) is a nobleman and a military cadet who is posted in a position close to the (in this case Neapolitan) throne. He is about go through with an arranged marriage linking him with a higher-ranking noblewoman (Natassja Kinski) when he discovers that she has been the King's mistress. Disgusted, he renounces the world and becomes a churchman and a hermit. At his hermitage, he encounters a woman who considers any priest, especially an ascetic one, fair game. She attempts to seduce him and he nearly succumbs, narrowly avoiding that fate by chopping off a finger, in a scene harking back directly to the 1918 Russian silent classic Otets Sergey. Soon after that, he begins to acquire a reputation as a miracle worker. However, by now he has succumbed to his ever-present demon of sexual temptation in the form of a conniving young girl, and he knows he is not worthy of the adulation he is receiving. Devastated by his lapse, he leaves the hermitage and wanders around Italy as a homeless beggar. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julian Sands, Nastassja Kinski, (more)
- 1987
- PG13
The always innovative Taviani Brothers pay homage to another unique filmmaker, D. W. Griffith, in Good Morning, Babylon. Vincent Spano and Joaquim de Almeida star as Nicola and Andrea Bonnano, the latest in a long line of Tuscany-born cathedral builders. Emigrating to America, the brothers settle in Los Angeles in 1915, even as director Griffith (Charles Dance) is preparing his epic production Intolerance. The boys are hired to help construct the massive sets for the film's Babylonian sequence (hence the title), for no other reason than the fact that Griffith is impressed by Italian craftsmanship. As the film progresses, Nicola and Andrea assimilate to their new surroundings, even launching a romance with a pair of pretty movie extras. On the verge of continuing the family tradition, the boys' ambitions are cut short by events well beyond their control. Still, their past artistic accomplishments, like those of their forebears, survive the ages -- but only on the ethereal silver screen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Spano, Joaquim de Almeida, (more)
Italy's fraternal filmmaking team of Paolo and Vittorio Taviani whip up another multistoried slice of life in Kaos. "Life," in this case, is seen from the peculiar perspective of author Luigi Pirandello, four of whose pieces are herein adapted. "The Other Son" finds Margarita Lozano making the best of her rocky relationship with her son, who was the product of a rape. "Moonstruck" (no relation to the Cher vehicle of the same name) deals with a newlywed woman who is adversely affected by the full moon. The comedy team of Franco and Ciccio star in "The Jar," a fable concerning a feudal landlord and a merry-prankster jar manufacturer. And in "Conversing with Mother," the Tavianis go their usual route of forcing their characters to face the present by confronting the past by having Pirandello himself (Omero Antonutti) converse with the ghost of his long-departed mother (Regina Bianchi). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Margarita Lozano, Claudio Bigagli, (more)
- 1982
- R
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In Tuscan lore, the evening of August 10th is la notte di san lorenzo (the night of the shooting stars). Each of these stars is believed to grant one wish. In this celebrated film by Italy's Taviani brothers, a woman asks for the words to tell her son about that same night during the last days of World War II. The Nazis occupied Italy and the fascists had mined her small Tuscan village of San Martino. Skeptical of the fascists' promise that all peasants will be safe in San Martino's cathedral, a group of villagers opt to leave and search for the Italian partisans and advancing American forces. Among those to depart is the woman, then only six years old. La Notte di San Lorenzo is the story of the villagers' remarkable exodus, the fate of those left behind, and the partisan struggle against fascism -- lyrically intertwined with their thoughts, loves, fears, and memories, as well as the fantasies of a young girl experiencing the tragedy she perceives to be her greatest adventure. ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Omero Antonutti, Margarita Lozano, (more)
- 1979
The Italian "directing siblings" Paolo and Vittorio Taviani were responsible for this intriguing slice of working-class life. Saverio Marconi plays Giovanni, a Milan youth who heads to poverty-plagued Tuscany to sell some property. Giovanni falls in with several smalltown "rebels", including clerk Eugenia (Isabelle Rosselini in her film debut) and activist Enzo (Michele Placido). A romantic triangle ensues, followed by grandiose dreams of establishing a Utopian youth society--until Reality makes a wake-up call. The Tavianis had originally wanted to film The Meadow with amateur actors, but ultimately gave up trying to coax workable performances from these novices and went with professionals. The film was released in Italy as Il Prato. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michele Placido, Saverio Marconi, (more)
Based on an autobiographical book by Gavino Ledda, Padre Padrone is filmed in Sardinian, a regional Italian dialect. The film concentrates on a young, barely literate shepherd boy, who lives under the thumb of his tyrannical peasant father. Rescued from his family--and his isolated lifestyle--when called for military service, the boy eventually emerges as a brilliant scholar. Filmmakers Paolo Taviani and Vittorio Taviani have always displayed an uncanny knack for perfectly capturing the manners, mores and thought processes of Southern Italy's working poor. Though the protagonist's father is clearly the villain of the piece, the Tavianis endeavor to understand and explain his point-of-view and the traditional values that have compelled him to treat his son so harshly. Filmed in a stark, straightforward fashion Padre Padrone went on to become the first film ever to win both the Golden Palm and the International Critics' Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Omero Antonutti, Marcella Michelangeli, (more)
- 1973
In Allonsanfan, the director/brother team of Paolo Taviani and Vittorio Taviani weave a witty and occasionally melancholic tale of 19th century radicalism in Italy. Marcello Mastroianni stars as Fulvio, a middle-aged man swept up in a extremist political movement. The more he protests that he wants no part of politics, the deeper he becomes enmeshed in the Cause. This film might make an intriguing companion piece to the earlier Mastroianni film The Organizer (63), in which he portrays one of the very radical types that his character in Allonsanfan so zealously repudiates. The title refers to the phonetic spelling of "Alons enfants," the first two words of the French "Marseillaise". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marcello Mastroianni, Lea Massari, (more)
Anarchism, socialism, anarcho-socialism: there were enough different varieties of these three political philosophies to fuel hundreds of political movements in late 19th-century Europe. This Italian film looks at the life of one committed radical anarchist from this period. Giulio Manieri is true to his principles and his cause, and he attempts to get a revolution going in a small provincial town. The people, alas, are apathetic, and instead of instigating a revolution, Giulio finds himself imprisoned in solitary confinement for 10 years. When he is transferred to group imprisonment and finally meets contemporary political prisoners, they have nothing but disdain for his beliefs. Their disagreements are unimportant when it becomes clear that an even more radical scheme is brewing. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1969
This symbolic film underscores the struggles between a group of visionaries versus the Establishment while wondering about the survival of humankind. A group of young men manage to escape a volcano eruption on their small island. Seeking a new life, they stop at an island between their destroyed island and the mainland. This island is run by Renno, the community leader who offers the men help and a boat to continue their journey. The group conspires to panic the islanders with fear of another volcano eruption in order to take over the abandoned island. Renno has the men jailed for creating a disturbance, but after their terms are served, the men betray Renno by killing off the male population and escaping with the surviving women. The two apparently go off to pursue their utopian ideals where there is one woman for every two men. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gian Maria Volontè, Lucia Bosé, (more)
- 1967
This political Italian drama is set after the death of that country's communist leader, Palmiero Togliatti. It is a time when the glory days of communism have passed and the party is trying to settle into the serious business of running a country. The film takes an episodic approach to chronicle the widely varying effects the leader's death had upon the people. In one of the vignettes a wife embarks upon a lesbian affair with one of her husband's former lovers. In another story, a Venezuelan radical abandons the wealthy Italian woman he has been sleeping with so he can go back home and help his cause. More stories follow. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ferrucio de Ceresa, Lucio Dalla, (more)
- 1962
Three novice directors went in together to write and direct this routine drama about the Mafia in Sicily. Salvatore (Gian Maria Volonte) lives in a rural environment on the island, and when he becomes fed up with Mafia tactics, he swings into action. First he convinces the farmers and workers that they can band together, and then he convinces them to go on strike against their exploitative employers. The results bring tragedy in their wake, but the beginnings of a unified stance against the mobsters takes hold. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gian Maria Volontè, Didi Perego, (more)
