Latest news with #Cinecittà
Mint
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
‘After The Fox': When a neorealist directed a classic Peter Sellers comedy
Vittorio De Sica walks on to the set, a vast expanse of sand. Handsome, hair perfect, dressed in a suit, he graciously acknowledges the crew clapping, and says, 'Please, save the applause for when I'm finished." He sets up the shot: Moses leading the slaves out of Egypt. As a crane lifts his chair up, he says through the megaphone, 'I need more sand in the desert," an instruction his assistant dutifully repeats. This is the kind of the joke you'd expect in a film written by Neil Simon and starring Peter Sellers. But what might surprise some is that After the Fox is directed by De Sica himself. In the 1940s, he was one of the central figures of the neorealist movement in Italian cinema, which prioritised location shooting, non-professional actors and social themes. His unadorned, emotional films, which included Shoeshine (1946), Bicycle Thieves (1948) and Umberto D. (1952), made him one of the most famous directors in the world. How did De Sica end up making a silly slapstick caper? Well, the star asked for him. Simon, already a successful New York playwright, found his maiden screenplay about a fake director in Italy optioned by British actor Peter Sellers, who wanted to work with De Sica. But it's also true that De Sica, though best known for his neorealist films, was a wide-ranging director with a particular fondness for comedies. He came aboard the project with Cesare Zavattini, writer of Rosselini's Rome, Open City and many of De Sica's own 1940s and '50s classics. Aldo Vanucci, played with fake Italian accent and real gusto by Sellers, is a master thief in semi-retirement. Tempted by the thought of one last job, he agrees to help move the gold—arriving by ship in Italy—from a recent robbery in Cairo. The trouble is, he's only just broken out of jail and the police are looking for him. Hiding from the Carabinieri in a movie theatre, he stumbles upon a solution. Aldo and his cronies turn up in the seaside village of Sevalio (with equipment stolen from the De Sica Moses film), telling everyone the famous director Federico Fabrizi is there to shoot a film with Hollywood star Tony Powell (Victor Mature) and new sensation 'Gina Romantica", actually Aldo's cinema-mad sister (Britt Ekland). The plan is to use the production as cover until they get hold of the gold bars and escape. The scene where Aldo/Fabrizi convinces Tony to join his extremely sketchy production is played for laughs, but the scenario isn't that far-fetched. Italy was a common destination for American films and actors in the 1950s and 1960s, so much so that a term was coined: 'Hollywood on the Tiber". A lot of these actors were B-graders back home, who got to be in Italian Westerns and pepla (historical epics) and be treated like stars. Bigger names came down as well: to enjoy the glamour of Rome, shoot in the legendary Cinecittà studio, and to work with famous directors like De Sica. The film has the unmistakable sardonic zing of Neil Simon; when Gina gushes about Tony being a good kisser, Aldo says, 'Do you know how many good kissers are starving in Italy?" But no one could accuse De Sica and Zavattini of not being good sports. After the Fox gleefully parodies the kind of cinema they made their reputation with. 'What's neorealism?" Tony asks his agent (Martin Balsam). 'No money" is the instant response. The first Sevalio residents Aldo meets are a group of women washing clothes. 'How my heart goes out to these poor forgotten people," he says—neorealism in a nutshell. In a climactic court scene, the emotional language Zavattini once used is turned on its head for a typical Simon put-down: 'Should they be punished because they want to feed the hunger of an empty soul?" Aldo asks, referring to the villagers. 'Yes," the judge replies. 'Take them away." De Sica must have enjoyed even more skewering a movement he had no association with. New Wave Italian cinema, with its themes of alienation and soul-searching, was in vogue then, and presented an irresistible target (in 1963, American critic Pauline Kael wrote a critical piece called 'Come-dressed-as-the-sick-soul-of-Europe parties: La Notte, Last Year at Marienbad, La Dolce Vita"). For their first scene, Aldo tells Tony and Gina to do nothing, just sit silently at a lone table on a beach; he calls it 'a comment on the lack of communication in our society", a jab that seems especially aimed at the stylish, despairing films of Michelangelo Antonioni. All the inside jokes and jabs can't sour After the Fox, which remains silly, sunny and busy from start to finish. Sellers, whose 100th birth anniversary is this September, is sublime as the scheming, quick-thinking Aldo, the exact opposite of his bumbling Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther films. But everyone else is fantastic too, from Victor Mature gamely sending himself up to the commedia dell'arte detective duo. The film looks ravishing in DeLuxe colour, cinematographer Leonida Barboni taking advantage of the seaside views and Piero Tosi's fetching costumes. As I watched this film on a BFI Blu-ray, beautifully restored, I thought how wonderful it would look on a big screen. And it struck me that not only has it been years, maybe decades, since there was a good-looking studio-backed comedy out of Hollywood, but that full-fledged comedies have mostly receded from the theatrical landscape. It's a huge loss. There's nothing like rocking with laughter in unison with a hundred other people.
New York Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘Finally Dawn' Review: A Night to Remember in Rome
In 'Finally Dawn,' a black-and-white World War II playing onscreen gives way to a richly hued scene of sisters Mimosa (Rebecca Antonaci), Iris (Sofia Panizzi) and their mother, Elvira (Carmen Pommella), sitting in a Roman cinema arguing the merits of Italian neorealism versus Hollywood's star-dusted fare. As the three women leave the theater, a man approaches and proposes that the Iris audition as an extra for an American-produced sand-and-sandal epic filming at Cinecittà studios. The writer and director Saverio Costanzo sets this movie about the movies and their allure in the 1950s, a period when Cinecittà was called Hollywood on the Tiber. If Iris's future brightens, Mimosa's appears to dim. But after a bit of dumb luck and a series of backlot mishaps, Mimosa becomes a 'featured extra.' And soon she is swept up into the world of the movie star Josephine Esperanto (Lily James), her self-serious co-star Sean Lockwood (Joe Keery), the up-and-coming starlet Nan Roth (Rachel Sennott) and Josephine's confidant, Rufus Priori (Willem Dafoe). Casting an inky shadow over Mimosa's long night — which resembles an abduction as much as it does an adventure — is the recent discovery of a dead actress. This is the director's nod to the 1953 murder of Wilma Montesi, a 21-year-old woman, which captivated the Italian press. The death is also a wink toward Federico Fellini's 'La Dolce Vita.' 'Finally Dawn' is at its most intriguing as Costanzo entrusts his curly haired, wide-eyed naïf to maneuver the looking glass of Italian versus Hollywood cinema. Hint: Italy comes off more soulful. Finally DawnNot rated. In English and Italian, with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 59 minutes. In theaters.
Harpers Bazaar Arabia
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Harpers Bazaar Arabia
Roman Holiday
Aquazzura x Mytheresa Capture La Dolce Vita in the Iconic Home of Italian Cinema The Eternal City proved a delightfully befitting destination to celebrate the longstanding partnership between Aquazzura and Mytheresa, and to mark the release of their latest capsule collection, in early July. A guestlist,comprised of royals, international celebrities, influencers and friends of the brand, descended on the Roman capital for a two-day experience beginning with an al fresco dinner at Cinecittà Studios – the iconic home of Italian cinema. Edgardo Osorio, Founder and Creative Director of Aquazzura, and Michael Kliger, CEO of Mytheresa, welcomed the likes of Diane Kruger, Stella Maxwell, Lady Kitty Spencer, Marchioness Emma Thynn, Princess Eugenia of Hannover, Lady Lola Bute, Countesses Sarah, Victoria and Melissa von Faber-Castell, Princess Antonella D'Orleans-Bourbon, Begum Khan, Bethy Lagardère, Alex Rivière, Jessica Kahawaty, Tamara Kalinic, Eugenia Silva, Nieves Alvarez, Victoria Iglesias, and Harper's Bazaar amongst many others, for a two-day celebration that proved as fantastical as its Roman host venue. Home to such epics as Ben-Hur, La Dolce Vita, Roman Holiday, and Cleopatra, Cinecittà set the scene for an opening night of revelry, and one in which beauty and theatricality took centre stage. Guests meandered down a pathway of bold red and white stripes; surrounded by a film set featuring grand colonnades of an ancient Roman temple, against a soundscape of rousing cinematic scores, providing a heady mix of glorious gravitas and modern day magic. A striking installation, Aquazzura's first retrospective (but not its last, Edgardo promises Bazaar), featuring 300 pairs of archival shoes in a cacophony of colours, stretching out like a rainbow meadow under the gaze of a Roman temple, was dazzling. The epic nature of the venue manifested itself in a plethora of leading lady worthy silhouettes and styles, all capped off with Aquazzura shoes and bags, with several guests also donning sunglasses from Aquazzura's newly released inaugural eyewear collection; the latest chapter in its craftsmanship-driven, sun-drenched universe. At dinner, guests were greeted by a dreamy Riviera Aquazzura Casa table setting resplendent with pink and fuchsia peonies, jatropha, and celosia, alive with refined textures and vibrant shades, capturing the best kind of Mediterranean outdoor dining experience; complete with a handheld fan to keep the heat at bay. The cinematic venue, buzzing with notions of fantasy turned reality, truth and fiction, paved the way for philosophical musings over supper, before a live DJ transformed the historic setting into a dance floor— hair down, fans raised, feet poised, in a dizzying display of sequins, feathers, and cascading laughter that might have been scripted by F. Scott Fitzgerald and directed by Federico Fellini himself. Osorio, having arrived from a wedding in Comporta via a birthday party in Italy and ahead of a holiday in Saint-Tropez, danced the night away in Aquazzura loafers. His secret to staying fresh on a demanding schedule? 'Ice baths.' The following morning saw guests reconvene at the newly opened Aquazzura Bar in the midst of the enchanting garden of the Hotel de Russie — marking the closing chapter of a whirlwind Roman novella. Capturing the essence of La Dolce Vita, the secret oasis, inspired by the Aquazzura Casa Secret Garden tableware collection, proved the perfect setting for flowing conversation and a veritable smorgasbord of Italian delicacies punctuated with Aquazzura x MyTheresa branded lemons; a beautifully chic touch. Guests took shade from the blistering sun under the iconic black and white striped umbrellas lining the exterior, and Secret Garden themed custom awnings on the interior, flanked by bespoke Portuguese tiles, hand-painted with delicate lemon motifs. Hearts full, memories made, we departed for Fiumicino airport – with more than one guest contemplating an Osorio-endorsed ice bath. Photography by Lucas Possiede
Geek Tyrant
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Intriguing Trailer for 1950s-Set Drama FINALLY DAWN Featuring Lily James, Joe Keery and Willem Dafoe — GeekTyrant
After a 2023 Venice Film Festival debut, Samuel Goldwyn Films has debuted the US trailer for the Italian film Finally Dawn , featuring the star-studded cast that includes Lily James, Willem Dafoe, Rachel Sennott, Joe Keery, Alba Rohrwacher, Michele Bravi, and Rebecca Antonaci. The film is written and directed by Saverio Costanzo ( Private , In Memory of Me , Auschwitz 2006 , In Treatment , My Brilliant Friend ). The synopsis reads: 'Rome, 1953. The night after the murder of Wilma Montesi, several people linked to a sword-and-sandal film set in ancient Egypt that is being shot at Cinecittà find themselves sharing many moments: Mimosa (Rebecca Antonaci), a simple Roman girl, about to marry a man who is liked more by his family than by her, who initially showed up at Cinecittà only to be an extra; Josephine Esperanto (Lily James), the star of the film, a veteran of classic Hollywood who feels threatened by the new generation of 'naturalistic' actors represented by Sean Lockwood, another protagonist of the film; Rufus Priori, an American gallery owner & friend of Josephine's, who will lead the unlikely group on their journey throughout the night.' This looks like an interesting original story. It debuted at a couple of film festivals in 2023, so it's weird we haven't heard more about it. But you'll have the chance to view it now, as it hits select US theaters and VOD on July 18th. Check out the trailer below:
Fashion Network
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Fashion Network
Brunello Cucinelli: Soon to be a major motion picture
Add "docudrama star" to the list of Brunello Cucinelli 's professions, alongside designer, brand builder, philanthropist and savant. Cucinelli will make his film debut in December in Rome when he unspools a film on his life and career by Giuseppe Tornatore, an Oscar winner with "Cinema Paradiso" for best foreign film in 1988. 'I thought if I was going to make a film, I had better work with the best. And, well, Giuseppe is magic. Too many people get films made about them when they are dead. Better when you are alive, as I am,' enthused Brunello on Wednesday in his elegant stand at Pitti. The Umbria-born entrepreneur revealed that shooting for the autobiographical film had already begun in 2023 in his hinterland – the towns of Magione, Solomeo and Castel Rigone, clustered around the regional capital Perugia. The evolution of Cucinelli's story, from his modest beginnings to his consecration as the 'king of cashmere,' will be presented on the big screen. 'Cinema Paradiso is a little like the story of my life,' said Cucinelli, who grew up in a working family before going on to build Italy's latest global sartorial brand. "Cinema Paradiso" narrates the story of a successful film director who returns to his small hometown in Sicily for the funeral of his mentor. Its ending is one of the most beautiful in the history of film. Cucinelli also divulged that he had called on the skills of composer Nicola Piovani, another Italian Oscar winner for "Life Is Beautiful" in 1997, for the soundtrack. The news emerged as Brunello unveiled a subtle yet very substantial switch in his aesthetic – baggy pants. New trousers cut with double pleats, and a lower, looser waist. 'More like this,' explained Brunello as he opened his jacket to reveal the trousers' lower waistline, and how he had displaced buttons an inch lower on the jacket of his six-button chalk stripe linen suit. Believe it or not, Cucinelli even showed worn and ever-so-ripped jeans, practically an insurrection in his bible of style. His informal evening breaks new ground with matinee idol jackets with satin-free shawl lapels. While the color palette also has plenty of kick–orange, apricot, royal blue, and coral red. Overall, think fluid yet sartorial. But the biggest news will come in early December when Brunello unveils his docudrama. Tornatore's most recent film was a biopic on Italy's most famous composer for cinema, Ennio Morricone. Next, Giuseppe and Brunello will head to Rome for the cinematic debut in the capital's legendary film studio – Cinecittà – in the first week of December. Roll over, David Beckham and Michael Jordan; there is a new docudrama designer sheriff in town.
