Ciro Esposito Movies
- 1994
A differently-abled African girl becomes a champion swimmer in this upbeat Italian family drama based on a true story of Gadalla Gubara, a young Sudanese swimmer who despite a crippled leg, swam 22 miles in the 1974 Capri-Naples long distance race. She came in fourth. In the film, the story is set in South Africa and the protagonist is named Sarah. After her wealthy parents send Sarah to an elite school, she must face both racism, and discrimination because she is crippled. Still, she is encouraged to swim by her trainer Gershe, a burned out sportswriter with a drinking problem. He does a good job though and Sarah is soon ready to participate in the race. Problems ensue when the South African Swimming Federation does not let her enroll because of her disability and skin color. Gershe and his partner do not give up and somehow, Sarah finds herself in the race. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kim Engelbrecht, Giulio Brogi, (more)
Lina Wertmuller's Ciao Professore was released in Italy as Il Speriamo che me la Cavo. Paolo Villago plays an urbane, supercillious schoolteacher who hopes to be assigned to an upper-crust district. Instead, a bureaucratic snafu ships Villago to the impoverished town of Corzano. Of the fifteen third-graders in his class, only three show up on the first day of school. Fortified with condescention and disgust, Villago personally sets out to collect his deliquent students. He discovers that most of them are absent because they're forced on a daily basis to hustle for their very survival; in some instances, the kids are their familys' sole support. Villago not only develops a stronger understanding and bond with the children, but he also ends up adopting their street smarts in a moment of crisis. Based on Me, Let's Hope I Make It, a collection of essays written by Neapolitan street kids and edited by Marcello D'Orta, the location-filmed Ciao Professore is one of Lina Wertmuller's most benign and life-affirming efforts. Enhancing its appeal is the use of non-professionals for most of the secondary roles. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Paolo Villaggio, Ciro Esposito, (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, Rovi
- Starring:
- Claudio Bigagli, Galatea Ranzi, (more)
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