Bologna, 17 June 2023 – In the American (or Italian-American) cinematic imagination, in Italy is always Heat, Maybe that’s why so many ‘summer’ movies are set in Italy. Yet the idyllic fantasy with which Italy is represented sometimes catches up with reality, though fictional imagination, almost as much to the point of defining its distinctive features as our own films already do. are over And then there are the timeless classics, like movies by spielberg and pastel colors Wes Anderson and passion Woody Allen,
here you are 15 movies Which explains the ‘seasons of love’ through the lens of the seventh art, to be seen – strictly in summer – to beat the heat. have a shot bologna,
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call me by your name (2017)
Summer 1983, “Somewhere in Italy”. “Call Me by Your Name” tells the summer love story of Elio (Timothée Chalamet), an introverted and sensitive boy, and Oliver (Armie Hammer), a twenty-four-year-old American Jew who is good-looking, charismatic and easygoing. Director Luca Guadagnino touches the sensitive strings of the human soul, with a plot somewhere between dreamy and poignant, elegant and never out of line. But the true poetry of the film is the ‘Italian-style’ summer atmosphere, an idyllic setting captured by masterful photography. The soundtrack, the Oscar 2017 award, closes the circle of the perfect summer movie.
A Bigger Splash (2015)
Same director, different genre. Luca Guadagnino takes us back to Italy, this time to the island of Pantelleria. The protagonist, Marianne Lane (Tilda Swinton), is a rock legend who, after an operation on her vocal cords, decides to spend a holiday with her boyfriend Paul (Mathias Schoenaerts), a young photographer with a drunken past and behind There is a suicide attempt. , Their stay is interrupted by the arrival of Harry (Ralph Fiennes), an extroverted record producer and wine lover, Marianne’s ex-boyfriend, along with their daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson), whose existence she did not know existed. The film then takes a noir turn, but we don’t add anything so as not to spoil the surprise.
The Dark Daughter (2021)
Maggie Gyllenhaal’s first assignment, “The Dark Daughter,” is a 2021 film based on Elena Ferrante’s novel of the same name. It was presented in competition at the 78th Venice Film Festival. While vacationing in Greece, middle-aged college professor and renowned translator Leda Caruso (Olivia Colman) meets Nina (Dakota Johnson), after Nina’s three-year-old daughter, Elena, disappears momentarily on the beach. A young mother Leda finds Elena and returns her to Nina, who expresses her growing weariness and unhappiness. The sight of the small family leads the woman to leave herself in memory: when she had to face motherhood for the first time.
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
A great classic from the late 90’s. Set in the 1950s, “The Talented Mr. Ripley” stars – still very young – Jude Law as young heir Dickie Greenleaf, Matt Damon as Tom Ripley, a young American of modest extraction and good culture, and Gwyneth Paltrow, Dickie’s girlfriend Marge. Tom Ripley is commissioned by Ricky’s shipowner father to bring his son home from Italy in exchange for $1,000. But Mr. Ripley will fall in love with the Italian sweet life and beyond. Everything else is to be discovered.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
Two young American tourists, Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Christina (Scarlett Johansson), are in Barcelona for the summer. At an art show, they meet Spanish painter Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem). Here the man comes forward and offers the two girls to spend the weekend with him, drinking, eating and making love. Vicky, with reluctance and rancor towards the artist, refuses due to her impending marriage to Doug, while Cristina accepts and persuades her friend to leave for Oviedo. One of Woody Allen’s masterpieces, released in cinemas in 2008. It is rumored that Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem fell in love on the set of this film.
Shanti (2002)
“Paz” is the strip invented by Andrea Pazienza, who died in 1988, and is a cult favorite of comics fans. Bologna, late 70s. The three stories are intertwined and run parallel in a single day, from four o’clock in the morning until the morning of the next day. There are three characters: Pentothal (Claudio Santamaria), a very lazy southern artist, Enrico Fibeschi (Max Mazzotta), an off-the-book student, Massimo Zanardi (Flávio Pistilli), another run-down and almost spoiled student. All three stories tell of the restlessness of that generation and their way of protesting against a type of society and life that does not satisfy them.
Do the Right Thing (1989)
“Do the Right Thing” is a 1989 film written, produced, directed and starring Spike Lee. Starring an ensemble cast, the film focuses on the eruption of racial tensions in a Brooklyn neighborhood on a particularly hot day. Considered one of the African-American director’s best films, its release generated much controversy: for some critics, in fact, the film incited young African-Americans to revolt in working-class neighborhoods. However, it was nominated for two Academy Awards. for Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor (Danny Aiello). Also in this film we meet very young or just beginning actors who made cinema history: John Turturro, Samuel L. Jackson, Giancarlo Esposito and many others.
August Vacation (1996)
Paolo Virgi is back in Ventotene (an island in Lazio) to shoot part two of this cult film from the 1990s, so it’s the perfect time to revisit him or find out. After his debut behind the camera with La Bella Vita, Virgi confirmed his official touch with “August Holidays”, a bitter comedy centered on the holidays of a group of Italians on the right and the left. A brilliant portrait of Italian society embellished by artists led by Silvio Orlando, Sabrina Ferilli, Ennio Fantastici and Laura Morante.
Gunday (1985)
From the talents of Richard Donner, Chris Columbus and Steven Spielberg comes one of the most beloved classics of the eighties. The story of a group of teenagers destined to rewrite the adventure film in their coveted search for a treasure map. In the wake of Hooligans, the cult Netflix series “Stranger Things” was born.
Mediterranean (1991)
In 1992 Gabriele Salvatores won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film with Mediterraneo, the adventure of a group of Italian soldiers who land on a Greek island during World War II. A classic interpreted by Diego Abtantuono, Giuseppe Cederna and Claudio Bisio that positions Gabriele Salvatores among the greatest writers of Italian cinema.
Jaws (1975)
Another Steven Spielberg classic, with questionable special effects of course. But “Low Jaws” must be recovered for the love of the cinematography.
The Graduate (1967)
An essential classic of the world filmography with a very young Al Pacino and a soundtrack by Simon & Garfunkel: In the summer after college, an indecisive young man falls under the spell of the mature Mrs. Robinson.
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
Wes Anderson’s films can be lumped into the “comfort movie” category, i.e. films set in pleasant locales, intensely satisfying photography with pastel colors, undemanding plots and kinks in the background. “Moonrise Kingdom” tells of a young love during the time of the Scouts. This is the right movie to watch if you are looking for something good but not “too demanding”. In short, perfect for summer.
500 Days Together (2009)
“(500) Days of Summer” (500) Days of Summer is a 2009 romantic comedy film directed by Marc Webb. Starring Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the film marks the directorial debut of the director, who is best known for directing music videos. Starring Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, this film wins over even the hardiest of hearts with its slightly dreamy tale of a love that lasts just under a summer.
Oh mother! (2008)
Oh mother! is a 2008 film directed by Phyllida Lloyd. Film adaptation of the musical of the same name based on the music of the Swedish group ABBA, story and screenplay by Katherine Johnson. Like the music, the film’s title is taken from Abba’s song Mamma Mia. It’s impossible to resist the allure of Meryl Streep, after a few minutes you’ll already be singing and dancing.