Being able to draw up a ranking of the best Italian films in the world is at least a difficult task. For this appointment with the blog of "Teach me Italians" we will discover not only the most popular films in Italy and abroad but also those awarded by critics, not always far-sighted.
Several historical periods were addressed, for an Italian cinema able to show itself in all its splendor during neorealism without forgetting the much-loved spaghetti westerns that have consecrated Sergio Leone among the most beloved directors in the world.
C’era una volta in America (1984) – Some of the most beautiful Italian films of all time could only bear the signature of Sergio Leone. These include "Once Upon a Time in America" and "Once Upon a Time in the West", two films that are part of the "trilogy of time", together with "Giù la testa".
Among the interpreters of Once Upon a Time in America, considered a masterpiece of world cinema are Robert De Niro, James Woods and Elizabeth McGovern. Drawing inspiration from Harry Grey's 1952 novel The Hoods, the film chronicles the life and adventures of criminal David "Noodles" Aaronson over forty years. From the Jewish ghetto to the organized underworld, passing through the years of prohibition in New York, the film that made history manages to set a gangster story against the background of a world in full evolution. The end of an era of well-being and lawlessness is told by Leo through friendship, love, melancholy and even violence.
C’era una volta il West (1968) - Once Upon a Time in the West is the first film in the trilogy. The protagonist is a former prostitute widowed and heiress of a land also disputed by a tycoon who asks for the help of a ruthless murderer to grab it. The picture of characters is completed by a local bandit and a man who plays the harmonica, all united by ties and revenge.
Claudia Cardinale, Henry Fonda, Gabriele Ferzetti, Jason Robards and Charles Bronson give life to a nostalgic and sensationalist film: progress breaks into an ancient world, made of settling scores. Sergio Leone tells us about the West that no longer exists, making it immortal, thanks also to the soundtrack by Ennio Morricone.
Ladri di Biciclette (1948) – A masterpiece of neorealism directed, produced and scripted by Vittorio De Sica, who for this occasion chose to film the spontaneity of many non-professional actors, making one of the best Italian films ever. The film tells the story of a man who lives from his work thanks to his bicycle, which one day is taken from him. Desperation pushes the protagonist to wander around the city with his family, looking for the stolen vehicle, hoping to find it. In a world where the boundaries between good and evil are too often blurred, man decides to steal a bicycle in turn and just when the ending inevitably seems to turn for the worst, a gesture of humanity will instill new hope in the future. Vittorio De Sica managed to photograph with raw realism the social reality of Rome in the immediate post-war period, made up of simple, supportive, open and genuine, spontaneous and above all familiar people.
Rocco e i suoi fratelli (1960) - Luchino Visconti expertly directs one of the most famous films, inspired by the stories of Il ponte della Ghisolfa by Giovanni Testori who wants to pay homage to the figure of Rocco Scotellaro, poet representative of the struggle of southern peasants. A popular melodrama, in black and white, set in a Milan that is not at all welcoming, reluctant and closed in front of the different, the southern, the "terrone".
Alain Delon plays Rocco, who with his brothers and widowed mother moves to Milan from Lucania. Between ups and downs, deep dramas and sudden twists, everyone will take their own path, and those fingers will slowly break away from the hand that united them all.
I soliti ignoti (1958) - With this film by Mario Monicelli the genre of Italian Comedy was born, which focuses laughter on the everyday life of ordinary people, on contemporary society, in which the public can recognize itself.
Two silver ribbons and a nomination for the 1959 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Film, thanks also to the extraordinary interpretation of a stellar cast, among which stand out Vittorio Gassman, Marcello Mastroianni and Totò.
The plot is simple, but of immediate impact: an improvised group of thieves plans a robbery against a pawnshop agency. The five "usual unknowns" turn to an expert criminal on probation, ready to reveal all the tricks of the trade. For guaranteed and timeless laughter.
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