![]() Without knowing how this scene will develop, it reminded me of another memorable scene from Mario Monicelli’s 1958 I Soliti Ignoti – Big Deal in Madonna Street (considered the first Italian comedy film). In fact, the opening scene shows a bunch of workers, led by Nicola hurriedly making their way to be the first to scavenge a lopsided ship in the bay. This comic relief coupled with a dose of bitter social criticism, is in fact the classic ingredients of the Commedia all’italiana – Italian comedy – of early 60s. I especially liked that tactic employed with the role of the grandmother (Aurora Quattrocchi), that most of the film has minor presence, but then comes to life in a big way, in a single scene later. Cipri’s screenplay offers each member of the Ciraulo family, “close-up scenes” for the audience to better understand their personality and drivers. I also liked the use of vulgar and grotesque characters, almost Fellinians, to carry the tragic-comic ambience of the film. Cipri has this amazing talent to use external plot, positioned as distant as possible from the core plot, and then change the plausible connection between the two, at last moment. Every time, I thought I figured the probable outcome of a scene, it ended up different. Yes, we have all seen this tactic being used in so many other films and our brain is already trained to identify certain patterns that will lead to certain outcomes. The first thing that came to mind, is the innovative story within a story plot line. That adds a poetic frame to the scavengers’ lives Instead, I will focus on elements that captured my attention.Ĭipri’s story-within- a-story tactic is also visually mirrored in a few close shot scenes, like this one, thatĪfter stabilizing the dialog, the camera zooms out to reveal another distant layer. I won’t go any further sharing the plot to keep the experience fresh for those of you will happen to see the film. In short, a heavy name that here is in conflict with the son’s naïve character. In that film, the over ambitious Tancredi, played by Alain Delon, during the tumultuous years of Italy’s Risorgimento. It also reminded me of another famous Tancredi from Luchino Visconti’s 1963 Il Gattopardo – The Leopard. However, Tancredi – a typical Sicilian name – that I find carries complete opposite associations: the name means “deep thought or advice” or the one who thinks hard before providing advice. Nicola, wishes that his son, aged 21, will become more assertive and take charge of the business, so he can take over and provide for the family. ![]() The dominating father, Nicola (Toni Servillo) makes a living with his passive son Tancredi ( Fabrizio Falco) – scavenging old metal from abandoned ships. In this film, based on a novel by Roberto Alajmo, Cipri leverages these foundations to tell the story of the Ciraulo family that lives in a poor housing project in Palermo. The series illustrated the rough Sicilian reality of marginalization, suffering and passive acceptance, through caricatured and grotesque characters. Organized by Dennis Lim and Dan Sullivan, Film Society and by Carla Cattani, Griselda Guerrasio, and Monique Catalino, Istituto Luce Cinecittà.This year, I kicked off my cinematic journey with a debut film by Daniele Cipri, a Sicilian director from Palermo, known for his award-winning Cinico TV series, he co-produced with Franco Maresco for RAI 3. Open Roads: New Italian Cinema is co-presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Istituto Luce Cinecittà. Experience the best of today’s Italian cinema, with in-person appearances by many of the filmmakers. As always, the series includes both commercial and independent fare, ranging from a vérité documentary to a superhero movie, outrageous comedies to gripping dramas. This year also marks the 40th anniversary of Ettore Scola’s brilliant Ugly, Dirty and Bad, which will return to the screen in a beautiful new digital restoration. The 2016 edition strikes a satisfying balance between emerging talents and esteemed veterans, including feature debuts by Carlo Lavagna (Arianna) and Adriano Valerio (Banat) the latest from Gianni Zanasi (The Complexity of Happiness), documentary filmmaker Gianfranco Pannone (The World’s Smallest Army), and Vincenzo Marra (First Light) and the final work from the late cult director Claudio Caligari (Don’t Be Bad, Italy’s submission for the 2015 Best Foreign Language Oscar). For 16 years, Open Roads has proudly offered North American audiences the most diverse and extensive lineup of contemporary Italian film available.
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