Italian directors Marco and Antonio Manetti, a.k.a. the Manetti Bros. and best known for the “Diabolik” franchise, are producing the next film by “Orlando” filmmaker Daniele Vicari. The film, titled “You Get Tired of Killing,” is based on the life of a real-life gangster who grew tired of being in charge of running the Mafia’s dirty business.
Speaking exclusively with Variety at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, where they are the subject of a career-spanning retrospective, the directing duo confirmed “You Get Tired of Killing” is in pre-production. The film is being produced by Mompracem, the production company run by the Manettis alongside German sales company Beta Film and actor/producer Pier Giorgio Bellocchio, the son of Italian director Marco Bellocchio.
Vicari, whose previous work includes “Diaz — Don’t Clean Up This Blood,” “Velocità Massima” and Venice Film Festival award-winning “The Human Cargo,” joins a growing talent roster at Mompracem.
Speaking exclusively with Variety at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, where they are the subject of a career-spanning retrospective, the directing duo confirmed “You Get Tired of Killing” is in pre-production. The film is being produced by Mompracem, the production company run by the Manettis alongside German sales company Beta Film and actor/producer Pier Giorgio Bellocchio, the son of Italian director Marco Bellocchio.
Vicari, whose previous work includes “Diaz — Don’t Clean Up This Blood,” “Velocità Massima” and Venice Film Festival award-winning “The Human Cargo,” joins a growing talent roster at Mompracem.
- 2/3/2024
- by Rafa Sales Ross
- Variety Film + TV
Kino Lorber has picked up all rights in the U.S. to a trilogy of stylish Italian crime movies — Diabolik, Diabolik – Ginko Attacks! and Diabolik – Who Are You? — based on the popular Italian comic book of the same name.
The series follows the adventures of Diabolik, an infallible, ruthless master thief. All three films are directed by Italian brothers Marco and Antonio Manetti (Love and Bullets). The first film, released in 2021, features The Old Guard and The Eight Mountains star Luca Marinelli as Diabolik. Italian-Canadian actor Giacomo Gianniotti (Grey’s Anatomy) plays the master thief in the 2022 sequel Diabolik – Ginko Attacks! Monica Bellucci (The Matrix, The Apartment), Eva Kant (The Invisible Witness) and Valerio Mastandrea (Perfect Strangers) are among the European ensemble cast. Diabolik – Who Are You? is currently in post-production.
“Diabolik is one of the most beloved characters in Italian pop culture, a sharp and stylish master thief who...
The series follows the adventures of Diabolik, an infallible, ruthless master thief. All three films are directed by Italian brothers Marco and Antonio Manetti (Love and Bullets). The first film, released in 2021, features The Old Guard and The Eight Mountains star Luca Marinelli as Diabolik. Italian-Canadian actor Giacomo Gianniotti (Grey’s Anatomy) plays the master thief in the 2022 sequel Diabolik – Ginko Attacks! Monica Bellucci (The Matrix, The Apartment), Eva Kant (The Invisible Witness) and Valerio Mastandrea (Perfect Strangers) are among the European ensemble cast. Diabolik – Who Are You? is currently in post-production.
“Diabolik is one of the most beloved characters in Italian pop culture, a sharp and stylish master thief who...
- 2/18/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Kino Lorber has acquired all rights in the U.S. to “Diabolik,” “Diabolik – Ginko Attacks!” and “Diabolik — Who Are You?” from Beta Cinema at the European Film Market in Berlin. The movies are based on the smash-hit Italian comic-book series about a ruthless master thief, which has sold more than 150 million copies worldwide.
The stylish crime-comic adaptations are written and directed by Marco and Antonio Manetti. “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Marvel’s Avengers” actor Giacomo Gianniotti stars in “Diabolik — Ginko Attacks!” and “Diabolik — Who Are You?,” and Luca Marinelli (“The Old Guard”) in the first installment, “Diabolik.” Monica Bellucci stars in the role of Altea, Miriam Leone as Eva Kant, and Valerio Mastandrea as Inspector Ginko.
Richard Lorber, president and CEO of Kino Lorber, said: “’Diabolik’ is one of the most beloved characters in Italian pop culture, a sharp and stylish master thief who has entertained audiences since his comic book...
The stylish crime-comic adaptations are written and directed by Marco and Antonio Manetti. “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Marvel’s Avengers” actor Giacomo Gianniotti stars in “Diabolik — Ginko Attacks!” and “Diabolik — Who Are You?,” and Luca Marinelli (“The Old Guard”) in the first installment, “Diabolik.” Monica Bellucci stars in the role of Altea, Miriam Leone as Eva Kant, and Valerio Mastandrea as Inspector Ginko.
Richard Lorber, president and CEO of Kino Lorber, said: “’Diabolik’ is one of the most beloved characters in Italian pop culture, a sharp and stylish master thief who has entertained audiences since his comic book...
- 2/18/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
The Traitor director Marco Bellocchio on Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese: “Unlike the great tradition of American Mafia movies and their use of imagery, here all characters are true characters and events that actually happened that we then manipulated or re-elaborated.” Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Marco Bellocchio’s The Traitor (Il Traditore), co-written with Valia Santella, Ludovica Rampoldi, Francesco Piccolo, and Francesco La Licata, produced by Simone Gattoni and Giuseppe Caschetto, and starring Pierfrancesco Favino as Tommaso Buscetta, received four European Film Award nominations. Best Film, Best Director (won by Yorgos Lanthimos), Best Screenwriter (won by Céline Sciamma for Portrait Of A Lady On Fire), and Best Actor (won by Antonio Banderas in Pedro Almodóvar’s Pain And Glory).
Alba Rohrwacher (in Dormant Beauty) on Marco Bellocchio: “I can say he is one of my masters. He taught me a lot.”
Before The Wonders: Alice and Alba Rohrwacher retrospective...
Marco Bellocchio’s The Traitor (Il Traditore), co-written with Valia Santella, Ludovica Rampoldi, Francesco Piccolo, and Francesco La Licata, produced by Simone Gattoni and Giuseppe Caschetto, and starring Pierfrancesco Favino as Tommaso Buscetta, received four European Film Award nominations. Best Film, Best Director (won by Yorgos Lanthimos), Best Screenwriter (won by Céline Sciamma for Portrait Of A Lady On Fire), and Best Actor (won by Antonio Banderas in Pedro Almodóvar’s Pain And Glory).
Alba Rohrwacher (in Dormant Beauty) on Marco Bellocchio: “I can say he is one of my masters. He taught me a lot.”
Before The Wonders: Alice and Alba Rohrwacher retrospective...
- 12/9/2019
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The American Film Institute announced today the films that will screen in the World Cinema, Breakthrough, Midnight, Shorts and Cinema’s Legacy programs at AFI Fest 2015 presented by Audi.
AFI Fest will take place November 5 – 12, 2015, in the heart of Hollywood. Screenings, Galas and events will be held at the historic Tcl Chinese Theatre, the Tcl Chinese 6 Theatres, Dolby Theatre, the Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre at the Egyptian, the El Capitan Theatre and The Hollywood Roosevelt.
World Cinema showcases the most acclaimed international films of the year; Breakthrough highlights true discoveries of the programming process; Midnight selections will grip audiences with terror; and Cinema’s Legacy highlights classic movies and films about cinema. World Cinema and Breakthrough selections are among the films eligible for Audience Awards. Shorts selections are eligible for the Grand Jury Prize, which qualifies the winner for Academy Award®consideration. This year’s Shorts jury features filmmaker Janicza Bravo,...
AFI Fest will take place November 5 – 12, 2015, in the heart of Hollywood. Screenings, Galas and events will be held at the historic Tcl Chinese Theatre, the Tcl Chinese 6 Theatres, Dolby Theatre, the Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre at the Egyptian, the El Capitan Theatre and The Hollywood Roosevelt.
World Cinema showcases the most acclaimed international films of the year; Breakthrough highlights true discoveries of the programming process; Midnight selections will grip audiences with terror; and Cinema’s Legacy highlights classic movies and films about cinema. World Cinema and Breakthrough selections are among the films eligible for Audience Awards. Shorts selections are eligible for the Grand Jury Prize, which qualifies the winner for Academy Award®consideration. This year’s Shorts jury features filmmaker Janicza Bravo,...
- 10/22/2015
- by Melissa Thompson
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Dear Danny,Martial-arts extravaganzas and avant-garde poetry—and folks back home ask why I love festivals! And I absolutely concur with your allusion to the pleasures of mysterious art. Case in point: Marco Bellocchio’s Blood of My Blood, an enigmatically bifurcated tale I thoroughly relished even as much of its precise meaning escaped me. A characteristically searching image (a heavy wooden door opening into sunlight, then closing) launches the film’s first half, which takes place in the director’s hometown of Bobbio in the 17th century, with the Italian Inquisition in full swing. A soldier (Pier Giorgio Bellocchio) steps into a convent to inquire about his twin brother, a monk who’s been buried in a donkey graveyard after having committed suicide. Locked behind cloistered walls is the reason for the man’s death, a young nun (Lidiya Liberman) who supposedly bewitched him and is now undergoing medieval...
- 9/18/2015
- by Fernando F. Croce
- MUBI
★★★☆☆ Italian director Marco Bellocchio makes his return with Blood of My Blood (2015), another typically anomalous effort being theme rather than plot-driven. Divided into two distinct parts, it's bound together by recurring actors and the vampiric Count Basta (Roberto Herlitzka). The first half of the film is set in the 17th century and tells the story of Benedetta (Lidiya Liberman), a young nun from the convent of Bobbio, accused of witchcraft and worshipping Satan. Man of arms Federico Mai (Pier Giorgio Bellocchio) attends her trial, which is conducted by Father Cacciapuoti (Fausto Russo Alesi) and to which an unnamed mysterious figure (Roberto Herlitzka) is witness for a brief moment.
The second half opens in contemporary Bobbio, where the convent is now a decrepit prison secretly inhabited by shady Count Basta (Hetlitzka again). Tax inspector and con man Federico Mai (Pier Giorgio Bellocchio) together with Russian millionaire Ivan Rikalkov (Ivan Franek) try...
The second half opens in contemporary Bobbio, where the convent is now a decrepit prison secretly inhabited by shady Count Basta (Hetlitzka again). Tax inspector and con man Federico Mai (Pier Giorgio Bellocchio) together with Russian millionaire Ivan Rikalkov (Ivan Franek) try...
- 9/10/2015
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
"Blood of my Blood, the new film from the Italy’s Marco Bellocchio, plays out like a beautifully turned novella—or perhaps two," begins the Telegraph's Robbie Collin. "This pair of lightly supernatural stories rhyme with each other across time, in ways that are oblique but sensually attuned." Cineuropa interviews the director: "In addition to Roberto Herlitzka, Alba Rohrwacher and Federica Fracassi, the film stars your daughter Elena Bellocchio, son Pier Giorgio Bellocchio and brother Alberto Bellocchio." Bellocchio: "I couldn’t not cast them, it came naturally to me. Your children are the blood of your blood, they’re the ones you have to face up to. You live a part of your life with them, you experience hopes and dreams, disappointments and joy together." We have more reviews, the trailer and clips. » - David Hudson...
- 9/10/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
"Blood of my Blood, the new film from the Italy’s Marco Bellocchio, plays out like a beautifully turned novella—or perhaps two," begins the Telegraph's Robbie Collin. "This pair of lightly supernatural stories rhyme with each other across time, in ways that are oblique but sensually attuned." Cineuropa interviews the director: "In addition to Roberto Herlitzka, Alba Rohrwacher and Federica Fracassi, the film stars your daughter Elena Bellocchio, son Pier Giorgio Bellocchio and brother Alberto Bellocchio." Bellocchio: "I couldn’t not cast them, it came naturally to me. Your children are the blood of your blood, they’re the ones you have to face up to. You live a part of your life with them, you experience hopes and dreams, disappointments and joy together." We have more reviews, the trailer and clips. » - David Hudson...
- 9/10/2015
- Keyframe
Exclusive: New Alba Rohrwacher drama among trio.
Indie sales powerhouse The Match Factory has struck a three-film deal with Cannes regular Marco Bellocchio, which includes the acclaimed director’s next two films and his directorial debut Fists in the Pocket (I Pugni in Tasca).
Alba Rohrwacher, star of Hungry Hearts and The Wonders, is set to reteam with the Dormant Beauty director on Blood of my Blood (Sangue Del Mio Sangue).
The actress stars alongside Filippo Timi (Vincere), Roberto Herlitzka (The Great Beauty), Pier Giorgio Bellocchio and Lidyia Liberman in the film currently near completion which Bellocchio describes as a story about “love for the past and the need to make a clean break with it”.
The film is a co-production between Simone Gattoni of Kavac Film, Beppe Caschetto of Ibc Movie, Tiziana Soudani of Amka Films Production, Fabio Conversi of Barbary Films and Rai Cinema.
The deal will also include Sweet Dreams (Fai Bei Sogni) - announced...
Indie sales powerhouse The Match Factory has struck a three-film deal with Cannes regular Marco Bellocchio, which includes the acclaimed director’s next two films and his directorial debut Fists in the Pocket (I Pugni in Tasca).
Alba Rohrwacher, star of Hungry Hearts and The Wonders, is set to reteam with the Dormant Beauty director on Blood of my Blood (Sangue Del Mio Sangue).
The actress stars alongside Filippo Timi (Vincere), Roberto Herlitzka (The Great Beauty), Pier Giorgio Bellocchio and Lidyia Liberman in the film currently near completion which Bellocchio describes as a story about “love for the past and the need to make a clean break with it”.
The film is a co-production between Simone Gattoni of Kavac Film, Beppe Caschetto of Ibc Movie, Tiziana Soudani of Amka Films Production, Fabio Conversi of Barbary Films and Rai Cinema.
The deal will also include Sweet Dreams (Fai Bei Sogni) - announced...
- 5/14/2015
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Sleepytime Drama: Bellocchio Messy Message Movie
After yet another career peak with his 2009 film Vincere, Italian auteur Marco Bellocchio continues his examination of Italian society with Dormant Beauty, a treatise on Italy’s hot button issue of euthanasia. Bellocchio managed to score one of the cinema’s most talented actresses ever to appear on screen when he signed French actress Isabelle Huppert (no stranger to Italian cinema (see a 1996 Goethe adaptation, Elective Affinities from Vittorio and Paolo Taviani), so it’s so unfortunate that this latest endeavor is so unconvincing in all regards.
At the core, based on a true story, the film revolves around three separate storylines, all going on in the last 8 days of Eluana Englaro’s life in February, 2009. Her father, Beppe Englaro, had decided to take his daughter off of life support after she’d been in a coma for 17 years, which divided the country concerning...
After yet another career peak with his 2009 film Vincere, Italian auteur Marco Bellocchio continues his examination of Italian society with Dormant Beauty, a treatise on Italy’s hot button issue of euthanasia. Bellocchio managed to score one of the cinema’s most talented actresses ever to appear on screen when he signed French actress Isabelle Huppert (no stranger to Italian cinema (see a 1996 Goethe adaptation, Elective Affinities from Vittorio and Paolo Taviani), so it’s so unfortunate that this latest endeavor is so unconvincing in all regards.
At the core, based on a true story, the film revolves around three separate storylines, all going on in the last 8 days of Eluana Englaro’s life in February, 2009. Her father, Beppe Englaro, had decided to take his daughter off of life support after she’d been in a coma for 17 years, which divided the country concerning...
- 6/6/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Marco Bellocchio at the 2013 Open Roads: New Italian Cinema for Dormant Beauty (Bella Addormentata): "So the issue, the theme of awakening back to life is very present." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
The Museum of Modern Art and Luce Cinecittà organized by Jytte Jensen, Curator in the Department of Film at MoMA, and Camilla Cormanni and Paola Ruggiero of Luce Cinecittà are presenting Marco Bellocchio: A Retrospective running from April 16 - May 7, 2014. This is the third collaboration, following exhibitions for Pier Paolo Pasolini and Bernardo Bertolucci.
Il Gattopardo luncheon for Marco Bellocchio in New York Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
The opening night screening of The Wedding Director (Il Regista di matrimoni) starring Sergio Castellitto, Donatella Finocchiaro, and Sami Frey was introduced by Marco Bellocchio. Tonight, Bellocchio and Maya Sansa will introduce Dormant Beauty (Bella Addormentata) which stars Isabelle Huppert, Toni Servillo, Alba Rohrwacher, Pier Giorgio Bellocchio and Sansa at MoMA.
At...
The Museum of Modern Art and Luce Cinecittà organized by Jytte Jensen, Curator in the Department of Film at MoMA, and Camilla Cormanni and Paola Ruggiero of Luce Cinecittà are presenting Marco Bellocchio: A Retrospective running from April 16 - May 7, 2014. This is the third collaboration, following exhibitions for Pier Paolo Pasolini and Bernardo Bertolucci.
Il Gattopardo luncheon for Marco Bellocchio in New York Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
The opening night screening of The Wedding Director (Il Regista di matrimoni) starring Sergio Castellitto, Donatella Finocchiaro, and Sami Frey was introduced by Marco Bellocchio. Tonight, Bellocchio and Maya Sansa will introduce Dormant Beauty (Bella Addormentata) which stars Isabelle Huppert, Toni Servillo, Alba Rohrwacher, Pier Giorgio Bellocchio and Sansa at MoMA.
At...
- 4/17/2014
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
La Monaca (La Prigione di Bobbio)
Director: Marco Bellocchio
Writer: Marco Bellocchio
Producer: Simone Gattoni
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available
Cast: Ambra Angiolini, Pier Giorgio Bellocchio, Lidiya Liberman, Alberto Bellocchio
Bellocchio-ian themes of the church, the state and politics appear will likely all be sewn into a project that the Italian helmer has been trying to get off the ground for some time now and the reasoning for this is that after a glossed biopic-truth story of Bella addormentata, Marco Bellocchio is, according to Variety, working in “the free-flowing spirit” of Sorelle Mai (a rare experimental film in his filmography) and uses a mix of both professional and non-pro actors. In terms of incarcerated or held against their will female figures, look for La Monaca to be definitely be less-polished than Vincere.
Gist: Based on the true tale of a 17th century noblewoman forced to become a nun, but whose...
Director: Marco Bellocchio
Writer: Marco Bellocchio
Producer: Simone Gattoni
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available
Cast: Ambra Angiolini, Pier Giorgio Bellocchio, Lidiya Liberman, Alberto Bellocchio
Bellocchio-ian themes of the church, the state and politics appear will likely all be sewn into a project that the Italian helmer has been trying to get off the ground for some time now and the reasoning for this is that after a glossed biopic-truth story of Bella addormentata, Marco Bellocchio is, according to Variety, working in “the free-flowing spirit” of Sorelle Mai (a rare experimental film in his filmography) and uses a mix of both professional and non-pro actors. In terms of incarcerated or held against their will female figures, look for La Monaca to be definitely be less-polished than Vincere.
Gist: Based on the true tale of a 17th century noblewoman forced to become a nun, but whose...
- 2/25/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Always a favorite of ours, French actress Isabelle Huppert has taken things to the next level this year, juggling a handful of arthouse/festival flicks from filmmakers such as Hong Sang-Soo, Brilliante Mendoza and Michael Haneke, with upcoming roles in more mainstream efforts such as that in "Dead Man Down" opposite Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace, David Gordon Green's upcoming "Suspiria" remake, and two-parter "The Disappearnce Of Eleanor Rigby" with Jessica Chastain. Falling under the first category of Huppert's recent choices is the actress' teaming with Italian helmer Marco Bellocchio ("Vincere," "Fists In The Pocket") on "Dormant Beauty," which now has a teaser trailer on the eve of its appearance at the Lido later this month. The film also stars Toni Servillo ("Il Divo"), Alba Rohwacher ("I Am Love"), Michele Riondino and Pier Giorgio Bellocchio, and is inspired by the...
- 8/2/2012
- by Simon Dang
- The Playlist
Toronto – On July 24th, Piers Handling, CEO and Director of Tiff, and Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director, unveiled some of the films that will headline the 37th Toronto International Film Festival.
According to Bailey, Tiff 2012 will include the “most diverse Gala programme to date with films from Japan, China, India, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Italy, USA and Canada”.
Handling describes this year’s festival as looking “particularly strong” with a wide variety of work from “established and emerging filmmakers.”
Toronto audiences will be first in line to see many “exciting and prestigious films” with further announcements slated in the coming weeks. Until then, here is a sample of what you can expect to see:
Looper (Opening Night film, World Premiere)
Rian Johnson, USA
Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Jeff Daniels
Directed by Rian Johnson (Brick, The Brothers Bloom), Looper is a futuristic action thriller set in a...
According to Bailey, Tiff 2012 will include the “most diverse Gala programme to date with films from Japan, China, India, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Italy, USA and Canada”.
Handling describes this year’s festival as looking “particularly strong” with a wide variety of work from “established and emerging filmmakers.”
Toronto audiences will be first in line to see many “exciting and prestigious films” with further announcements slated in the coming weeks. Until then, here is a sample of what you can expect to see:
Looper (Opening Night film, World Premiere)
Rian Johnson, USA
Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Jeff Daniels
Directed by Rian Johnson (Brick, The Brothers Bloom), Looper is a futuristic action thriller set in a...
- 8/1/2012
- by Justin Li
- SoundOnSight
Following the Toronto International Film Festival line-up earlier this week, the 69th Venice Film Festival has weighed in with their choices this morning. Outside of films also premiering at Tiff — including most notably Ramin Bahrani‘s At Any Price and Terrence Malick‘s To the Wonder – they have a strong batch of films not at that fest. We have the highly anticipated next feature from Olivier Assayas (Summer Hours, Carlos), titled Something In The Air, as well as Brian De Palma‘s sensual thriller Passion with Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace.
Then things get a little silly with Harmony Korine‘s James Franco and Selena Gomez gangster/party film Spring Breakers. Rounding out the other major titles are Susanne Bier following up her Oscar win with Love Is All You Need and Spike Lee’s Michael Jackson documentary Bad 25. The lack of Paul Thomas Anderson‘s heavily rumored The Master...
Then things get a little silly with Harmony Korine‘s James Franco and Selena Gomez gangster/party film Spring Breakers. Rounding out the other major titles are Susanne Bier following up her Oscar win with Love Is All You Need and Spike Lee’s Michael Jackson documentary Bad 25. The lack of Paul Thomas Anderson‘s heavily rumored The Master...
- 7/26/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
After a remarkable presence at Cannes Film Festival this year, Indian cinema hasn’t had much luck with the prestigious Venice International Film Festival.
The festival, headed by new Director Alberto Barbera announced its lineup today, but no Indian film figures in any of the sections.
The 69th edition of the festival will run from August 29-September 8, 2012. Mira Nair’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist will be the opening film.
In its 2011 edition, the festival had screened Sonchidi by Amit Dutta and Anhey Ghorhey da Daan(Alms of the Blind Horse) by Gurvinder Singh in the Orizzonti (New Horizons) section.
Films in Competition:
Olivier Assayas – APRÈS Mai (Something In The Air)
France, 122′
Clément Métayer, Lola Créton, Félix Armand
Ramin Bahrani – At Any Price
USA, UK, 100′
Zac Efron, Dennis Quaid, Kim Dickens, Heather Graham
Marco Bellocchio – Bella Addormentata
Italy, France, 115′
Toni Servillo, Isabelle Huppert, Alba Rohrwacher, Michele Riondino, Maya Sansa, Pier Giorgio Bellocchio
Peter Brosens,...
The festival, headed by new Director Alberto Barbera announced its lineup today, but no Indian film figures in any of the sections.
The 69th edition of the festival will run from August 29-September 8, 2012. Mira Nair’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist will be the opening film.
In its 2011 edition, the festival had screened Sonchidi by Amit Dutta and Anhey Ghorhey da Daan(Alms of the Blind Horse) by Gurvinder Singh in the Orizzonti (New Horizons) section.
Films in Competition:
Olivier Assayas – APRÈS Mai (Something In The Air)
France, 122′
Clément Métayer, Lola Créton, Félix Armand
Ramin Bahrani – At Any Price
USA, UK, 100′
Zac Efron, Dennis Quaid, Kim Dickens, Heather Graham
Marco Bellocchio – Bella Addormentata
Italy, France, 115′
Toni Servillo, Isabelle Huppert, Alba Rohrwacher, Michele Riondino, Maya Sansa, Pier Giorgio Bellocchio
Peter Brosens,...
- 7/26/2012
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
Toronto – On July 24th, Piers Handling, CEO and Director of Tiff, and Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director, unveiled some of the films that will headline the 37th Toronto International Film Festival.
According to Bailey, Tiff 2012 will include the “most diverse Gala programme to date with films from Japan, China, India, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Italy, USA and Canada”.
Handling describes this year’s festival as looking “particularly strong” with a wide variety of work from “established and emerging filmmakers.”
Toronto audiences will be first in line to see many “exciting and prestigious films” with further announcements slated in the coming weeks. Until then, here is a sample of what you can expect to see:
Looper (Opening Night film, World Premiere)
Rian Johnson, USA
Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Jeff Daniels
Directed by Rian Johnson (Brick, The Brothers Bloom), Looper is a futuristic action thriller set in a...
According to Bailey, Tiff 2012 will include the “most diverse Gala programme to date with films from Japan, China, India, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Italy, USA and Canada”.
Handling describes this year’s festival as looking “particularly strong” with a wide variety of work from “established and emerging filmmakers.”
Toronto audiences will be first in line to see many “exciting and prestigious films” with further announcements slated in the coming weeks. Until then, here is a sample of what you can expect to see:
Looper (Opening Night film, World Premiere)
Rian Johnson, USA
Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Jeff Daniels
Directed by Rian Johnson (Brick, The Brothers Bloom), Looper is a futuristic action thriller set in a...
- 7/25/2012
- by Justin Li
- SoundOnSight
Jayne Mansfield.s Car
Piers Handling, CEO and Director of Tiff, and Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of the Toronto International Film Festival, made the first announcement of films to premiere at the 37th Toronto International Film Festival. Films announced include titles in the Galas and Special Presentations programmes. The announced films include 17 Galas and 45 Special Presentations, including 38 world premieres.
Toronto audiences will be the first to see the world premieres of films from directors Andrew Adamson, Ben Affleck, David Ayer, Maiken Baird, Noah Baumbach, J.A. Bayona, Stuart Blumberg, Josh Boone, Laurent Cantet, Sergio Castellitto, Stephen Chbosky, Lu Chuan, Derek Cianfrance, Nenad Cicin-Sain, Costa-Gavras, Ziad Doueiri, Liz Garbus, Dustin Hoffman, Rian Johnson, Neil Jordan, Baltasar Kormákur, Shola Lynch, Deepa Mehta, Roger Michell, Nishikawa Miwa, Ruba Nadda, Mike Newell, François Ozon, Sally Potter, Robert Pulcini & Shari Springer Berman, Eran Riklis, David O. Russell, Gauri Shinde, Ben Timlett & Bill Jones & Jeff Simpson, Tom Tykwer & Andy Wachowski & Lana Wachowski,...
Piers Handling, CEO and Director of Tiff, and Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of the Toronto International Film Festival, made the first announcement of films to premiere at the 37th Toronto International Film Festival. Films announced include titles in the Galas and Special Presentations programmes. The announced films include 17 Galas and 45 Special Presentations, including 38 world premieres.
Toronto audiences will be the first to see the world premieres of films from directors Andrew Adamson, Ben Affleck, David Ayer, Maiken Baird, Noah Baumbach, J.A. Bayona, Stuart Blumberg, Josh Boone, Laurent Cantet, Sergio Castellitto, Stephen Chbosky, Lu Chuan, Derek Cianfrance, Nenad Cicin-Sain, Costa-Gavras, Ziad Doueiri, Liz Garbus, Dustin Hoffman, Rian Johnson, Neil Jordan, Baltasar Kormákur, Shola Lynch, Deepa Mehta, Roger Michell, Nishikawa Miwa, Ruba Nadda, Mike Newell, François Ozon, Sally Potter, Robert Pulcini & Shari Springer Berman, Eran Riklis, David O. Russell, Gauri Shinde, Ben Timlett & Bill Jones & Jeff Simpson, Tom Tykwer & Andy Wachowski & Lana Wachowski,...
- 7/24/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
By Sean O’Connell
Hollywoodnews.com: Earlier, we brought you a snapshot glance at the first wave of programming announced for the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. Shortly after, the fest released a thorough breakdown of the Galas and Special Presentations for this year’s event, which kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 6.
So far, 17 Galas and 45 Special Presentations have been announced, including 38 world premieres. Andrew Adamson, Ben Affleck, David Ayer, Maiken Baird, Noah Baumbach, J.A. Bayona, Stuart Blumberg, Josh Boone, Laurent Cantet, Sergio Castellitto, Stephen Chbosky, Lu Chuan, Derek Cianfrance, Nenad Cicin-Sain, Costa-Gavras, Ziad Doueiri, Liz Garbus, Dustin Hoffman, Rian Johnson, Neil Jordan, Baltasar Kormákur, Shola Lynch, Deepa Mehta, Roger Michell, Nishikawa Miwa, Ruba Nadda, Mike Newell, François Ozon, Sally Potter, Robert Pulcini & Shari Springer Berman, Eran Riklis, David O. Russell, Gauri Shinde, Ben Timlett & Bill Jones & Jeff Simpson, Tom Tykwer & Andy Wachowski & Lana Wachowski, Margarethe von Trotta, Joss Whedon and...
Hollywoodnews.com: Earlier, we brought you a snapshot glance at the first wave of programming announced for the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. Shortly after, the fest released a thorough breakdown of the Galas and Special Presentations for this year’s event, which kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 6.
So far, 17 Galas and 45 Special Presentations have been announced, including 38 world premieres. Andrew Adamson, Ben Affleck, David Ayer, Maiken Baird, Noah Baumbach, J.A. Bayona, Stuart Blumberg, Josh Boone, Laurent Cantet, Sergio Castellitto, Stephen Chbosky, Lu Chuan, Derek Cianfrance, Nenad Cicin-Sain, Costa-Gavras, Ziad Doueiri, Liz Garbus, Dustin Hoffman, Rian Johnson, Neil Jordan, Baltasar Kormákur, Shola Lynch, Deepa Mehta, Roger Michell, Nishikawa Miwa, Ruba Nadda, Mike Newell, François Ozon, Sally Potter, Robert Pulcini & Shari Springer Berman, Eran Riklis, David O. Russell, Gauri Shinde, Ben Timlett & Bill Jones & Jeff Simpson, Tom Tykwer & Andy Wachowski & Lana Wachowski, Margarethe von Trotta, Joss Whedon and...
- 7/24/2012
- by Sean O'Connell
- Hollywoodnews.com
2012′s Toronto International Film Festival is set to officially announce its initial line-up later today, but Variety let the cat out of the bag, at least partially; and it’s quite astounding. Most of our most-anticipated films of the year will be premiering at the Canadian festival, notably Terrence Malick‘s To the Wonder, Wachowskis & Tom Tykwer‘s epic-sounding Cloud Atlas, Rian Johnson‘s Looper (which will open the fest), Ben Affleck‘s Argo, Dereck Cianfrance‘s The Place Beyond the Pines and much, more more.
Coming from Sundance, the only mentioned film was Ben Lewis‘ John Hawkes-starring The Sessions, while Cannes premieres include Matteo Garrone‘s Reality, Thomas Vinterberg‘s The Hunt, Pablo Larrain‘s No and Jacques Audiard‘s Rust and Bone. One of the biggest surprises is a new film from Noah Baumbach, starring Greta Gerwing titled Frances Ha. There’s also The Avengers director Joss Whedon...
Coming from Sundance, the only mentioned film was Ben Lewis‘ John Hawkes-starring The Sessions, while Cannes premieres include Matteo Garrone‘s Reality, Thomas Vinterberg‘s The Hunt, Pablo Larrain‘s No and Jacques Audiard‘s Rust and Bone. One of the biggest surprises is a new film from Noah Baumbach, starring Greta Gerwing titled Frances Ha. There’s also The Avengers director Joss Whedon...
- 7/24/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Is there anyone whose worked with a more diverse range of helmers in recent times than Isabelle Huppert? Probably not. Brilliante Mendoze, Hong Sang-soo, David O. Russell, Michael Haneke, Joachim Lafosse, Oliver Assayas, Raul Ruiz, Anna Fontaine and Claire Denis are just some the folk she's teamed with over the last decade or so, and only this morning she added David Gordon Green to the list, signing on to his remake of "Suspiria." And hot on its heels, another European helmer is now added to the list, in the shape of "Vincere" director Marco Bellocchio.
The duo will unite for "Dormant Beauty," a film inspired by the controversial true story of a woman named Eluana Englaro who died in 2009 after living in a vegetative state for 17 years, which sparked major debate on euthanasia in Italy. In actuality, though, Bellocchio's tale follows an over-the-hill actress (Huppert) caring in her home for her beautiful daughter,...
The duo will unite for "Dormant Beauty," a film inspired by the controversial true story of a woman named Eluana Englaro who died in 2009 after living in a vegetative state for 17 years, which sparked major debate on euthanasia in Italy. In actuality, though, Bellocchio's tale follows an over-the-hill actress (Huppert) caring in her home for her beautiful daughter,...
- 5/16/2012
- by Simon Dang
- The Playlist
After making his directorial debut four decades ago with “Fists in the Pocket,” Italian filmmaker Marco Bellocchio has tackled many genres and styles, but one consistent characteristic has been his savage socio-political themes and undertones. His 2010 film, “Vincere,” proved to be the most explosive yet, capturing disgraced Italian leader Benito Mussolini’s rise to power from his abandoned wife’s perspective, and now he plans to do it again, this time with one of the world’s most talented actresses in tow.
Cineuropa reports that Bellocchio will explore the right-to-die issue with “Sleeping Beauty,” which follows three interconnected storylines against the backdrop of Italy’s 2009 Eluana Englaro controversy. “The Best of Youth” scribe Stefano Rulli and novelist Veronica Naimo supplied the script, which follows in one storyline a retired movie star, played by Isabelle Huppert, as she cares for her comatose daughter, and in another thread, Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher...
Cineuropa reports that Bellocchio will explore the right-to-die issue with “Sleeping Beauty,” which follows three interconnected storylines against the backdrop of Italy’s 2009 Eluana Englaro controversy. “The Best of Youth” scribe Stefano Rulli and novelist Veronica Naimo supplied the script, which follows in one storyline a retired movie star, played by Isabelle Huppert, as she cares for her comatose daughter, and in another thread, Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher...
- 5/15/2012
- by Charlie Schmidlin
- The Playlist
British actress Rebecca Hall poses during the photocall for the movie 'The Town' at the 67th annual Film Festival in Venice, Italy, 08 September 2010. The movie by Us director Ben Affleck is presented out of competition at the festival running from 01 to 11 September 2010. Epa/Claudio Onorati Italian actors Elena Bellocchio (L) and Pier Giorgio Bellocchio (R) pose during the photocall for the movie 'Sorelle mai' at the 67th annual Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, 08 September 2010. The movie by Italian director Marco Bellocchio is presented out of competition at the festival running from 01 to 11 September 2010. Epa/Claudio Onorati British actress Rebecca Hall poses during the photocall for the movie 'The...
- 9/8/2010
- by James Wray
- Monsters and Critics
And finally it started! The 67th Venice Film Festival, one of the most prestigious, and, by the way, the oldest film festival in the world, kicked off tonight at 7:00 p.m. in the Palazzo del Cinema featuring impressive Opening ceremony, hosted by the Italian actress Isabella Ragonese.
Black Swan made its world premiere as the opening film, bringing the American director Darren Aronofsky back to the Lido, where he won the top Golden Lion prize with The Wrestler (2008).
Of course, we already have some interesting reviews to share with you, for example this one (that comes from Variety):
“A wicked, sexy and ultimately devastating study of a young dancer’s all-consuming ambition, “Black Swan” serves as a fascinating complement to Darren Aronofsky’s “The Wrestler,” trading the grungy world of a broken-down fighter for the more upscale but no less brutal sphere of professional ballet.”
Let us remind...
Black Swan made its world premiere as the opening film, bringing the American director Darren Aronofsky back to the Lido, where he won the top Golden Lion prize with The Wrestler (2008).
Of course, we already have some interesting reviews to share with you, for example this one (that comes from Variety):
“A wicked, sexy and ultimately devastating study of a young dancer’s all-consuming ambition, “Black Swan” serves as a fascinating complement to Darren Aronofsky’s “The Wrestler,” trading the grungy world of a broken-down fighter for the more upscale but no less brutal sphere of professional ballet.”
Let us remind...
- 9/2/2010
- by Fiona
- Filmofilia
Screened
Toronto International Film Festival
TORONTO -- In "Good Morning, Night" (Buongiorno, Notte), Marco Bellocchio dramatizes one of the most traumatic events in recent Italian history -- the kidnapping and murder of its former prime minister, Aldo Moro, by a Red Brigade faction in 1978. The writer-director's inquiry into this tragedy makes for a moving and intelligent film, but the dark story never feels fully realized. Bellocchio experiments with a number of fictional methods to penetrate the minds of his characters, but not all work -- and some add confusion rather than clarity.
Nevertheless, this film will be a must-see in its native land, while festival exposure here and in Venice should lead to theatrical releases in many international territories. The film is certainly one of the better attempts by a European filmmaker to grapple with the terrorist activity that plagued Western Europe in the '70s.
The film's early moments depict two of the kidnappers, Ernesto Pier Giorgio Bellocchio, the director's son) and Chiara (Maya Sansa), posing as a married couple to rent a large Roman apartment with an underground garage. Here they plan to sequester their victim. Under the leadership of Mariano Luigi Lo Cascio), Primo (Giovanni Calcagno) and the other two design and construct a hiding place behind a bookshelf wall.
The bloody shootout and kidnapping in broad daylight occur off camera. Chiara learns about it from a TV news bulletin, which alerts her to her colleagues' success and to the imminent arrival of a houseguest.
Moro (Roberto Herlitzka) languishes in the flat for 55 days. During this time, his kidnappers conduct fruitless negotiations with authorities. Moro even writes to the pope to gain concessions that would win his release.
While all of this is happening, Bellocchio imagines conversations between Moro and his communist kidnappers, chiefly their ideologue leader Mariano, a dialogue in which the two parties talk past each other. The story is told from the point of view of Chiara, the cell's only woman. Her doubts about the group's action grow with each passing day. She experiences flashbacks (in black-and-white) to the struggle against fascism during World War II, which lead her to wonder whether her colleagues' radical ideology is uncomfortably akin to the fascists'.
At her job in a library, she develops a relationship with a young man (Paolo Briguglia) who just happens to have written a screenplay about a similar terrorist kidnapping. What Bellocchio wants to achieve here is never clear, nor is the police arrest of her colleague ever explained.
Having trouble sleeping at night, Chiara experiences dreams when she does fall asleep in which Moro roams freely about the apartment, checking out books in the bookshelf, and later, a fantasy in which she frees him before her pals can kill him.
As the film moves back and forth between these hallucinations and the tense boredom of the waiting period, during which the cell's members start to suspect one another, the movie loses some of its grip on the audience. Bellocchio's impressionistic approach never quite jells with the more realistic account of the terrorists' methodology. One also wishes that at least one terrorist would offer a cogent rationale for their actions. Indeed, only Chiara seems able to question their motives and goals.
A movie about the Moro incident should be unsettling, and this one is. The failure of ideology to justify such a crime is clearly dramatized by Bellocchio. The actors convey the blindness of much of the European radical left of that era to the consequences of such acts. In the way Bellocchio lights and shoots the claustrophobic flat, he makes clear that everyone is a prisoner there, not just Moro.
GOOD MORNING, NIGHT
A Filmalbatos/RAI Cinema production in association with Sky
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Marco Bellocchio
Producer: Marco Bellochio, Sergio Pelone
Director of photography: Pasquale Mari
Production designer: Marco Dentici
Music: Riccardo Giagni
Costume designer: Sergio Ballo
Editor: Francesca Calvelli
Cast:
Chiara: Maya Sansa
Mariano: Luigi Lo Cascio
Aldo Moro: Roberto Herlitzka
Enzo: Paolo Briguglia
Ernesto: Pier Giorgio Bellocchio
Primo: Giovanni Calcagno
Running time -- 108 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Toronto International Film Festival
TORONTO -- In "Good Morning, Night" (Buongiorno, Notte), Marco Bellocchio dramatizes one of the most traumatic events in recent Italian history -- the kidnapping and murder of its former prime minister, Aldo Moro, by a Red Brigade faction in 1978. The writer-director's inquiry into this tragedy makes for a moving and intelligent film, but the dark story never feels fully realized. Bellocchio experiments with a number of fictional methods to penetrate the minds of his characters, but not all work -- and some add confusion rather than clarity.
Nevertheless, this film will be a must-see in its native land, while festival exposure here and in Venice should lead to theatrical releases in many international territories. The film is certainly one of the better attempts by a European filmmaker to grapple with the terrorist activity that plagued Western Europe in the '70s.
The film's early moments depict two of the kidnappers, Ernesto Pier Giorgio Bellocchio, the director's son) and Chiara (Maya Sansa), posing as a married couple to rent a large Roman apartment with an underground garage. Here they plan to sequester their victim. Under the leadership of Mariano Luigi Lo Cascio), Primo (Giovanni Calcagno) and the other two design and construct a hiding place behind a bookshelf wall.
The bloody shootout and kidnapping in broad daylight occur off camera. Chiara learns about it from a TV news bulletin, which alerts her to her colleagues' success and to the imminent arrival of a houseguest.
Moro (Roberto Herlitzka) languishes in the flat for 55 days. During this time, his kidnappers conduct fruitless negotiations with authorities. Moro even writes to the pope to gain concessions that would win his release.
While all of this is happening, Bellocchio imagines conversations between Moro and his communist kidnappers, chiefly their ideologue leader Mariano, a dialogue in which the two parties talk past each other. The story is told from the point of view of Chiara, the cell's only woman. Her doubts about the group's action grow with each passing day. She experiences flashbacks (in black-and-white) to the struggle against fascism during World War II, which lead her to wonder whether her colleagues' radical ideology is uncomfortably akin to the fascists'.
At her job in a library, she develops a relationship with a young man (Paolo Briguglia) who just happens to have written a screenplay about a similar terrorist kidnapping. What Bellocchio wants to achieve here is never clear, nor is the police arrest of her colleague ever explained.
Having trouble sleeping at night, Chiara experiences dreams when she does fall asleep in which Moro roams freely about the apartment, checking out books in the bookshelf, and later, a fantasy in which she frees him before her pals can kill him.
As the film moves back and forth between these hallucinations and the tense boredom of the waiting period, during which the cell's members start to suspect one another, the movie loses some of its grip on the audience. Bellocchio's impressionistic approach never quite jells with the more realistic account of the terrorists' methodology. One also wishes that at least one terrorist would offer a cogent rationale for their actions. Indeed, only Chiara seems able to question their motives and goals.
A movie about the Moro incident should be unsettling, and this one is. The failure of ideology to justify such a crime is clearly dramatized by Bellocchio. The actors convey the blindness of much of the European radical left of that era to the consequences of such acts. In the way Bellocchio lights and shoots the claustrophobic flat, he makes clear that everyone is a prisoner there, not just Moro.
GOOD MORNING, NIGHT
A Filmalbatos/RAI Cinema production in association with Sky
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Marco Bellocchio
Producer: Marco Bellochio, Sergio Pelone
Director of photography: Pasquale Mari
Production designer: Marco Dentici
Music: Riccardo Giagni
Costume designer: Sergio Ballo
Editor: Francesca Calvelli
Cast:
Chiara: Maya Sansa
Mariano: Luigi Lo Cascio
Aldo Moro: Roberto Herlitzka
Enzo: Paolo Briguglia
Ernesto: Pier Giorgio Bellocchio
Primo: Giovanni Calcagno
Running time -- 108 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Screened
Toronto International Film Festival
TORONTO -- In "Good Morning, Night" (Buongiorno, Notte), Marco Bellocchio dramatizes one of the most traumatic events in recent Italian history -- the kidnapping and murder of its former prime minister, Aldo Moro, by a Red Brigade faction in 1978. The writer-director's inquiry into this tragedy makes for a moving and intelligent film, but the dark story never feels fully realized. Bellocchio experiments with a number of fictional methods to penetrate the minds of his characters, but not all work -- and some add confusion rather than clarity.
Nevertheless, this film will be a must-see in its native land, while festival exposure here and in Venice should lead to theatrical releases in many international territories. The film is certainly one of the better attempts by a European filmmaker to grapple with the terrorist activity that plagued Western Europe in the '70s.
The film's early moments depict two of the kidnappers, Ernesto Pier Giorgio Bellocchio, the director's son) and Chiara (Maya Sansa), posing as a married couple to rent a large Roman apartment with an underground garage. Here they plan to sequester their victim. Under the leadership of Mariano Luigi Lo Cascio), Primo (Giovanni Calcagno) and the other two design and construct a hiding place behind a bookshelf wall.
The bloody shootout and kidnapping in broad daylight occur off camera. Chiara learns about it from a TV news bulletin, which alerts her to her colleagues' success and to the imminent arrival of a houseguest.
Moro (Roberto Herlitzka) languishes in the flat for 55 days. During this time, his kidnappers conduct fruitless negotiations with authorities. Moro even writes to the pope to gain concessions that would win his release.
While all of this is happening, Bellocchio imagines conversations between Moro and his communist kidnappers, chiefly their ideologue leader Mariano, a dialogue in which the two parties talk past each other. The story is told from the point of view of Chiara, the cell's only woman. Her doubts about the group's action grow with each passing day. She experiences flashbacks (in black-and-white) to the struggle against fascism during World War II, which lead her to wonder whether her colleagues' radical ideology is uncomfortably akin to the fascists'.
At her job in a library, she develops a relationship with a young man (Paolo Briguglia) who just happens to have written a screenplay about a similar terrorist kidnapping. What Bellocchio wants to achieve here is never clear, nor is the police arrest of her colleague ever explained.
Having trouble sleeping at night, Chiara experiences dreams when she does fall asleep in which Moro roams freely about the apartment, checking out books in the bookshelf, and later, a fantasy in which she frees him before her pals can kill him.
As the film moves back and forth between these hallucinations and the tense boredom of the waiting period, during which the cell's members start to suspect one another, the movie loses some of its grip on the audience. Bellocchio's impressionistic approach never quite jells with the more realistic account of the terrorists' methodology. One also wishes that at least one terrorist would offer a cogent rationale for their actions. Indeed, only Chiara seems able to question their motives and goals.
A movie about the Moro incident should be unsettling, and this one is. The failure of ideology to justify such a crime is clearly dramatized by Bellocchio. The actors convey the blindness of much of the European radical left of that era to the consequences of such acts. In the way Bellocchio lights and shoots the claustrophobic flat, he makes clear that everyone is a prisoner there, not just Moro.
GOOD MORNING, NIGHT
A Filmalbatos/RAI Cinema production in association with Sky
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Marco Bellocchio
Producer: Marco Bellochio, Sergio Pelone
Director of photography: Pasquale Mari
Production designer: Marco Dentici
Music: Riccardo Giagni
Costume designer: Sergio Ballo
Editor: Francesca Calvelli
Cast:
Chiara: Maya Sansa
Mariano: Luigi Lo Cascio
Aldo Moro: Roberto Herlitzka
Enzo: Paolo Briguglia
Ernesto: Pier Giorgio Bellocchio
Primo: Giovanni Calcagno
Running time -- 108 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Toronto International Film Festival
TORONTO -- In "Good Morning, Night" (Buongiorno, Notte), Marco Bellocchio dramatizes one of the most traumatic events in recent Italian history -- the kidnapping and murder of its former prime minister, Aldo Moro, by a Red Brigade faction in 1978. The writer-director's inquiry into this tragedy makes for a moving and intelligent film, but the dark story never feels fully realized. Bellocchio experiments with a number of fictional methods to penetrate the minds of his characters, but not all work -- and some add confusion rather than clarity.
Nevertheless, this film will be a must-see in its native land, while festival exposure here and in Venice should lead to theatrical releases in many international territories. The film is certainly one of the better attempts by a European filmmaker to grapple with the terrorist activity that plagued Western Europe in the '70s.
The film's early moments depict two of the kidnappers, Ernesto Pier Giorgio Bellocchio, the director's son) and Chiara (Maya Sansa), posing as a married couple to rent a large Roman apartment with an underground garage. Here they plan to sequester their victim. Under the leadership of Mariano Luigi Lo Cascio), Primo (Giovanni Calcagno) and the other two design and construct a hiding place behind a bookshelf wall.
The bloody shootout and kidnapping in broad daylight occur off camera. Chiara learns about it from a TV news bulletin, which alerts her to her colleagues' success and to the imminent arrival of a houseguest.
Moro (Roberto Herlitzka) languishes in the flat for 55 days. During this time, his kidnappers conduct fruitless negotiations with authorities. Moro even writes to the pope to gain concessions that would win his release.
While all of this is happening, Bellocchio imagines conversations between Moro and his communist kidnappers, chiefly their ideologue leader Mariano, a dialogue in which the two parties talk past each other. The story is told from the point of view of Chiara, the cell's only woman. Her doubts about the group's action grow with each passing day. She experiences flashbacks (in black-and-white) to the struggle against fascism during World War II, which lead her to wonder whether her colleagues' radical ideology is uncomfortably akin to the fascists'.
At her job in a library, she develops a relationship with a young man (Paolo Briguglia) who just happens to have written a screenplay about a similar terrorist kidnapping. What Bellocchio wants to achieve here is never clear, nor is the police arrest of her colleague ever explained.
Having trouble sleeping at night, Chiara experiences dreams when she does fall asleep in which Moro roams freely about the apartment, checking out books in the bookshelf, and later, a fantasy in which she frees him before her pals can kill him.
As the film moves back and forth between these hallucinations and the tense boredom of the waiting period, during which the cell's members start to suspect one another, the movie loses some of its grip on the audience. Bellocchio's impressionistic approach never quite jells with the more realistic account of the terrorists' methodology. One also wishes that at least one terrorist would offer a cogent rationale for their actions. Indeed, only Chiara seems able to question their motives and goals.
A movie about the Moro incident should be unsettling, and this one is. The failure of ideology to justify such a crime is clearly dramatized by Bellocchio. The actors convey the blindness of much of the European radical left of that era to the consequences of such acts. In the way Bellocchio lights and shoots the claustrophobic flat, he makes clear that everyone is a prisoner there, not just Moro.
GOOD MORNING, NIGHT
A Filmalbatos/RAI Cinema production in association with Sky
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Marco Bellocchio
Producer: Marco Bellochio, Sergio Pelone
Director of photography: Pasquale Mari
Production designer: Marco Dentici
Music: Riccardo Giagni
Costume designer: Sergio Ballo
Editor: Francesca Calvelli
Cast:
Chiara: Maya Sansa
Mariano: Luigi Lo Cascio
Aldo Moro: Roberto Herlitzka
Enzo: Paolo Briguglia
Ernesto: Pier Giorgio Bellocchio
Primo: Giovanni Calcagno
Running time -- 108 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 9/22/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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