La Dolce Vita Comes To Newcastle 

By Jeannette McMahon - 26 October 2012

ABC NEWCASTLE  

 

Newcastle is gearing up to celebrate all things Italian, but in particular its wonderful films.

 

The Newcastle Italian Film Festival will be held on November 16, 17 and 18 and will feature screenings of seven recent Italian films at the Tower Cinemas in King St. 

 

The movies include Caesar Must Die by veteran directors the Taviani brothers, which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.

 

Peformed by convicted criminals and set in a prison, it blurs the boundaries between drama and reality.

Also showing is Reality, which was screened at Cannes and won the grand jury prize at this year's Toronto International Film Festival.

 

It's a biting satire on reality television and Italian culture.

 

Welcome to the South has been a box-office smash in Italy, and is a comedy playing on the age-old rivalry between the north and the south.

 

This year's festival will include the presentation of a community award and tribute to Margaret and Theo Goumas, for their services to Newcastle's cinema scene.

 

Movies won't be the only attraction, with the Cosmopolitan Crown Street Affair being held opposite the cinema on Saturday, November 17 from 1pm to 11pm.

 

Crown St will come alive with Italian music, food, drink, art and entertainment right through the afternoon and evening.

 

Italy continues to be a great inspiration for filmmakers, with Woody Allen's latest movie, To Rome with Love, a reflection of his great fondness for Italian cinema.

 

In a recent interview the director spoke of his admiration for films such as Vittoria De Sica's The Bicycle Thief, which he calls the supreme Italian film and one of the greatest films in the world.

 

Woody is also a fan of Michelangelo Antonioni's Blow-Up from 1966, set in the glamorous world of fashion photography in swinging London, and loves Fellini's Amarcord, in which the great director recreates his childhood.

 

While those three would appear on any list of the top Italian directors, others that have had a huge influence are Bernardo Bertolucci, best known for the stunning visuals of The Last Emperor, Roberto Rossellini who was one of the most important neo-realist directors, Franco Zeffirelli who's best known for Romeo and Juliet, and the king of the spaghetti westerns, Sergio Leone.

 

For the average movie fan, though, it's Italy's film stars who are most familiar.

 

Rudolph Valentino, who was born and raised in Italy, was the first male heartthrob of the silver screen. After only five years of starring in silent movies, he was so adored that his premature death caused riots and even suicides among his fans.

 

The next most famous Italian actor is Marcello Mastroianni, best known for his work with Fellini, and his roles in iconic films such as La Dolce Vita (The Sweet Life) and 8 1/2.

 

But it's Italy's bombshell actresses who have made the biggest impact on the screen.

 

After shooting to stardom with an Academy Award for her role in 1960's Two Women, Sophia Loren became the greatest Italian movie star of all time, playing opposite the likes of Cary Grant and becoming an international symbol of glamour and sensuality.

 

Gina Lollobrigida and Claudia Cardinale also achieved fame, and together with Loren popularised the Italian look, which took America and other countries by storm.

 

The look included dark, wavy hair which prompted many blondes to head to the salon to become brunette, heavy eye make-up, push-up or padded bras to enhance the cleavage, hoop earrings, low-cut peasant blouses, flared skirts and flat shoes or sandals.

 

The male equivalent featured silk shirts and suits, dark sunglasses and hats.

 

The fascination with Italy in the 1950s and 60s extended not just to movies and fashion but also cars and music, with the likes of Dean Martin, Mario Lanza and Al Martino topping the charts.

 

Italian-themed films such as Three Coins in the Fountain , which produced a hit song for Frank Sinatra, featured romantic stories played out against the beautiful backdrop of Rome.

 

In recent decades, however, the influence of Italian cinema has waned somewhat.

 

The nation's movie industry had a futuristic, avant-garde beginning in the early years of last century, then the Cinecitta period in the 1930s under Mussolini saw cinema thrive, with a small town built exclusively to make films.

 

Neorealism exploded soon after the war, and aimed to depict the difficult financial and moral conditions in Italy at the time. Films were shot outdoors, on the devastated roads of a defeated country, and the cruelty of life was explored in masterpieces such as The Bicycle Thief and Umberto D.

 

Next followed a period of "pink neorealism", with lighter comedy elements, and then the craze for "sword-and-sandal" epics, which were low-budget costume/adventure dramas that often had Biblical themes.

 

Spaghetti westerns then captured the movie world's imagination, and were filmed in Europe with limited budgets but stunning visuals.

 

The most popular were those made by Sergio Leone, starring Clint Eastwood and featuring the haunting music of Ennio Morricone.

 

During the 60s and 70s, directors such as Dario Argento made Italy's mark with classic horror films, but by the 1980s Italian cinema was in crisis, divided into "art" and "trash" films.

 

However, since the early 90s there has been a revival in the fortunes of Italian cinema, with films such as Cinema Paradiso, Mediterraneo and Life is Beautiful winning awards and acclaim.