Vittorio De Sica explores Italian romance past, present, and future in his award-winning film starring Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni.
Category: Podcast: Cinema Italiano
Episode #31: The Wonders (Alice Rohrwacher, 2014)
A struggling family of bee farmers get the chance to represent their way of life on a TV competition show.
Episode #30: Stromboli (Roberto Rossellini, 1950)
Ingrid Bergman experiences the land of God in Roberto Rossellini’s 1950 film.
Episode #29: La terra trema (Luchino Visconti, 1948)
Luchino Visconti’s second film follows a Sicilian fishing family who strives to rise up out of poverty, but face hardships at every turn.
Episode #28: Two Sicilian Love Stories by Pietro Germi
Pietro Germi goes to Sicily with “Divorce Italian Style” and “Seduced and Abandoned,” critiquing law & society against the backdrop of decaying aristocracy and the rise of the mafia.
Episode #27: The Hand of God (Paolo Sorrentino, 2021)
“The Hand of God” is a semi-autobiographical tale a young man in Naples whose life is transformed when a terrible tragedy pushes him from an idyllic childhood to somber adulthood.
Episode #26: The Great Beauty (Paolo Sorrentino, 2013)
This sprawling work examines Roman high society, as well as broader themes of artistry, beauty, and experiences both individual and collective.
Episode #25: I vitelloni (Federico Fellini, 1953) & I basilischi (Lina Wertmüller, 1963)
Discussing two tales of young men, directionless and in limbo, and exploring their thematic similarities & differences.
Episode #24: Domenica d’agosto (Luciano Emmer, 1950)
Discussing this example of “pink neorealism” as well as its themes of class, regionalism, and more.
Episode #23: Luca (Enrico Casarosa, 2021)
“Luca” has rich overtones of a coming out story dealing with identity and acceptance, as well as numerous references to Italian culture, music, and more cinema italiano.
Cinema Italiano Podcast 