Visit Italy With Movies

Monica Vitti, two souls of a unique artist

Written by simona.campobasso18 Maggio 2023

5 David di Donatello, 3 Silver Ribbons, 12 Golden Globes, 1 ciak d’oro, 1 Golden Lion.

During the 60s, Ms Vitti embodied the neurosis of Italian society, only to cure them with laughs and comedy during the 70s. After graduating at the Rome’s National Academy of Dramatic Arts, Monica worked first in the theatre and then as a voice actor. Cinema came after being noticed by Michelangelo Antonioni, who became her partner in life and at work.

Antonioni wanted her for his “trilogy of incommunicability”, three black and white films, with unforgettable scenes and roles. Consequently these film became an important part of the history of Italian cinema. In the first movie, L’Avventura (1960), Vitti is the tormented Claudia; La Notte(1961) she is the girl who seduces Marcello Mastroianni. Finally L’Eclisse (1962), she plays Vittoria, a young literary translator.

In 1967, her relationship with Antonioni was over and Ms Vitti decided to reinvent herself, acting in comedy movies. The very popular Commedia all’Italiana – allowing the public to discover an unusual side of herself. She acted in comedies with directors like Roger Vadim, Luciano Salce, Tinto Brass. Mainly thanks to her acting skills, Ms Vitti managed to create unforgettable comedy characters and roles that have become part of the history of Italian cinema. The great Adelaide in Dramma Della Gelosia by Ettore Scola or Ninì Tirabusciò in “La donna che Inventò la Mossa” ,Teresa in “Teresa la Ladra”. She also performed along with the most famous comedians of the times, from Alberto Sordi to Ugo Tognazzi.

Two more unforgettable performances of the great actress are In “La ragazza con la pistola”, directed by Mario Monicelli. Here Monica is Assunta Patanè, a Sicilian girl who moves to the UK, seeking revenge after being abandoned. In addition, “La pacifista” directed by Miklós Jancsó when she acted with Pierre Clémenti. Monica Vitti was not only a great artist, but also a genuine Italian, given that constant dichotomy between comedy and drama. Undoubtedly, she was perfect and credible in both dramatic and comedic roles, making people laugh and cry like no one else. Monica Vitti was a unique artist. She embodied the two souls of Italy, the perpetual changing between drama and farce, comedy and tragedy, sadness and happiness.

Discover clips with Monica Vitti at www.visititalywithmovies.com and her incredible films at www.movieitalyplus.com

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Visit Italy With Movies

Fernando Di Leo, the director who inspired Quentin Tarantino

Written by simona.campobasso18 Maggio 2023

Screenwriter and director, Fernando di Leo is one of the most interesting authors of Italian cinema from the 1960s onwards. Master of garish, intricately plotted, ultra-violent stories about pimps and petty gangsters. Di Leo explored the political extremism and mafia corruption in Italy during the 1970’s.

After briefly working in Rome’s film school Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, Fernando Di Leo wrote several scripts for Westerns, often uncredited. This included work on A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More. Later on, di Leo specialized in the noir genre and was inspired by the violent novels of Giorgio Scerbanenco. Afterwards, he was fiercely committed to making movies that addressed contemporary social and political issues.

One special admirer is Quentin Tarantino. Who modeled Pulp Fiction’s three-variations-on-a-theme structure on Di Leo’s “Milieu trilogy”: Caliber 9 (1972). A small-time gangster long-suspected of stealing $300,000 from a Milanese boss . The film, The Italian Connection, offers some early models for the wisecracking, laconic hitmen played by John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson in Pulp Fiction.

Tarantino recalled “One of the first films I watched was pivotal to my choice of profession was I Padroni della Città (Mister Scarface). I had never even heard the name Fernando Di Leo before. I just remember that after watching that film I was totally hooked. I became obsessed and started systematically watching other films directed by Di Leo. I owe so much to Fernando in terms of passion and filmmaking”.

Watch the full movie at www.movieitalyplus.com or watch the clips at www. visititalywithmovies.com

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