The so-called B movies of 1960s and 1970s Italian cinema have recently seen a revival, thanks largely to Quentin Tarantino and our culture’s post-modern tendency of digging out all that is old – the trashier the better – and make it new again. In the 1980s, when the future director of Reservoir […]
During his career, Paolo Villaggio played the role of Fantozzi. A comical, weird, and quirky ordinary man. Italians loved it. Indeed, the character of Fantozzi represented the ordinary and everyday man. He was the comic symbol of Italians. “Sei un Fantozzi” “You are a Fantozzi.” Yes, this character was so […]
The world of acting stretches far beyond the sound stages of Beverly Hills and picturesque film locations across Europe. Many of the world’s most famous and well-known actors and actresses are of Italian descent, but here are a few Italian-born contributors who have added their flair to the world’s […]
Carlo Verdone – Biography & Filmography Italian actor and director, Carlo Verdone Carlo Verdone was born in Rome on November 17, 1950. His father, Mario Verdone, was a professor of cinema and a drama critic who passed along his love for theater to his child. With his younger brother Luca, […]
Paolo Villaggio is an Italian actor who became famous especially thanks to his portrayal of the unfortunate and pathetic Fantozzi. Villaggio has been protagonist of more than 80 films, an amazing career for which he received, in 1992, the Leone D’Oro alla carriera and the Festival del Cinema di Venezia. […]
Dario Argento – The Hitchcock of Giallo Part I Dario Argento Dario Argento was born on September 7, 1940 in Rome. His father was the film producer, Salvatore Argento, and his mother was a fashion model named Elda Luxardo. Although many people may believe otherwise due to Dario’s stance as the […]
Dario Argento – The Hitchcock of Giallo Part II Dario Argento with his daughter Asia By 1985, the Dario/Daria relationship was winding down. That year saw the release of Phenomena (US Title – Creepers). This was the debut film of the young, future Oscar-winner, Jennifer Connelly. She played […]
Giovanna Mezzogiorno Italy had excellent actresses in the past, from the legendary Anna Magnani to Monica Vitti, but for a while the talented actress arena was pretty empty. Have you ever dreamt to get one special wish granted by a genie, something on the lines of ‘you can marry whoever […]
Mario Bava was born on July 31, 1914 in Sanremo, Italy. His birth occurred only one day after Germany declared war on France and Russia after the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, that is, one day after the beginning of World War I. His father, Eugenio Bava, was […]
Profile and Filmography of Lamberto Bava Lamberto Bava was born on April 3, 1944 in Rome. He is the son of acclaimed Italian horror-film director, Mario Bava (Black Sunday and Diabolik) and the grandson of Eugenio Bava, a cameraman and optic effects specialist who worked during the days of silent cinema in Italy. […]