The Red and Black

Issue date: 4/7/09 Section: Variety

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Founded in Rome, Italy, at the height of fascism, "Cinecittà," interpreted to mean the "city of cinema," was once a powerful weapon of propaganda.

It since has prevailed and transformed into what can be characterized today as the "Italian Hollywood."

In the hopes of enlightening young film connoisseurs of a genre that has seen little recognition - or to simply introduce students to Italian culture and language - the romance languages department is sponsoring "Cinecittà: Italian movies from the 21st Century," a month-long festival dedicated to Italian film.

"Italian cinema has this strong film coming from the neo-realist stage where they wanted to put their mark on the forties and fifties. After World War II, it moved into mainstream culture," said Lino Mioni, instructor in Italian for the Department of Romance Languages.

"Cinecittà is a place where all the studios are, and it's where many big U.S. movies were produced. Essentially, it is the Italian Hollywood."

A few American megaproductions include "Farewell to Arms," "Ben Hur," "The Talented Mr. Ripley," "Gangs of New York," "The Passion of the Christ" and many others.

"This is an exciting time for Italian cinema, which has frankly had a very mediocre reputation over the past two decades," said Richard Neupert, Wheatley Professor of the Arts and head of the film studies department.

Many American films made in Italy were not reflective of Italian culture, which led to a struggle for Italian filmmakers to claim their own cinematic territory.

"Italian neo-realism was one of the most important influences on world cinema, and now it seems to be inspiring a new generation to tell stories rooted in Italian culture and daily experience," Neupert said.

Continued...

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