This is a list of movies available in the Foreign Language Center, to be used in the FLC by students enrolled in Italian lab classes at Mission College. Materials may NOT be removed from the Foreign Language Center.
Keep in mind that these are foreign films. Content of a violent or sexual nature may be different from American films with which you are familiar.
MOVIE DVDs or VIDEOS
(These movies qualify as full-length feature films that can be used for the personal response paper requirement for the Italian 1L or 2L lab courses.)
Allegro Non Troppo. In a riot of color and music, master animator Bruno Bozzetto offers his irreverent tribute to Disney's Fantasia. Transcending parody, this erotic, satiric, and delirious animated feature represents Bozzetto's vision of the world. In six distinct episodes, fantastic cartoon creatures march, slither, and bounce to the classical rhythms of Debussy, Dvorak, Ravel, Sibelius, Vivaldi, and Stravinsky. Perhaps most entrancing is the visualization of Ravel's Bolero, in which the dregs of a Coke bottle set forth a frenzied animal evolution across a surreal landscape. Maurizio Nichetti (The Icicle Thief; Volere Volare) stars in the equally wild live-action sequences that introduce each piece. For many critics, Allegro non troppo matches or surpasses the imagination and technique of Disney's masterpiece. (DVD In Italian with English subtitles, 85 minutes, Not Rated.)
The Bicycle Thief (Ladri di Biciclette) is about a man, a worker who must have a bike in order to work at his job. He is desperate, pawns everything to earn his bike, goes to work, has the bike stolen from him while his back is turned, and then goes on a search through Rome to find it. During his search, he views Rome in all its glories and sufferings, openly examining the destructive world which Man has made for himself. (DVD In Italian with English subtitles, 89 minutes, Not Rated.)
Bread and Chocolate is an uproarious comedy about an Italian immigrant working odd jobs in properous Switzerland and trying desperately to fit in. Though his work becomes increasingly degrading, he tenaciously refuses to give up and go home. Not suited for the society he aspires to, he's also unable to return to the world he left behind. (DVD In Italian with English subtitles, 110 minutes, Not Rated.)
Bread and Tulips. When a busy housewife is accidentally left behind while on vacation with her family, she decides to take a holiday on her own in Venice. Charmed by the city and her newfound freedom, she extends her stay, finding a job in flower shop, renting a room from a wistful waiter, and rediscovering her love of playing the accordion. But her solo sojourn does not sit well with her tyrannical husband who recruits an amateur detective to track her down and bring her back home. (DVD In Italian with English subtitles, 116 minutes, Rated PG-13 for brief language, some sensuality and drug references.)
Christ Stopped at Eboli (Cristo se è fermato a Eboli) is a stunning adaptation of the autobiographical novel by Carlo Levi, one of many intellectuals exiled by the Fascist government during World War II. Banished to Gagliano, an ancient mountain village in southern Italy, Levi discovers the stark beauty of the landscape, as well as the resilience of the peasants who have lived there for generations. Earthy Giulia is a housekeeper who teaches the sophisticated writer about the dignity of people who live close to the land. (DVD In Italian with English subtitles, 145 minutes, Not Rated.)
Ciao, Professore is the story of an upper-class teacher from conservative northern Italy who, due to a computer error, finds himself teaching third-grade truants at a ramshackle school in the south. Yet, along the way, the earnest professore learns some valuable lessons when he begins to see life through the fresh, vibrant eyes of his scrappy young students. (DVD In Italian with English subtitles, 93 minutes, Rated R for language.)
Cinema Paradiso. Giuseppe Tornatore's beautiful film about a little boy's love affair with the movies deservedly won an Oscar for Best Foreign Film and a Special Jury Prize at Cannes. Philippe Noiret plays a grizzled old projectionist who takes pride in his presentation of screen dreams for a town still recovering from World War II. When a child (Jacques Perrin) demonstrates fascination not only for movies but also for the process of showing them to an audience, a lifelong friendship is struck. This isn't just one of those films for people who are already in love with the cinema. But if you are one of those folks, the emotional resonance between the action in Tornatore's world and the images on Noiret's screen will seem all the greater--and the finale all the more powerful. (DVD In Italian with English subtitles, 174 minutes, Rated R.)
The Garden of the Finzi-Contini. Amid the ravages of WWII, the Finzi-Contini, a cultured Jewish family, languish in aristocratic splendor on their Eden-like estate in Ferrara, Italy. As the political atmosphere becomes increasingly hostile to its Jewish citizens, the handsome and carefree Finzi-Contini children turn their well-appointed home into a refuge for their young friends. In an atmoshphere of emotional instability, they play out a series of heart-breaking romantic rituals which spiral into tragedy as Fascism gradually descends upon their world. (DVD In Italian with English subtitles, 94 minutes, Rated R.)
Golden Door. Both epic and intimate, Golden Door is a stunning romantic drama about two very different people yearning for a better life in America at the turn of the 20th century. Sacrificing everything, Salvatore Mancuso, an innocent Sicilian peasant, begins his trans-Atlantic odyssey to the land of promise. During the perilous and grueling journey, he meets a beautiful and worldly Englishwoman, Lucy, and an unexpected romance blossoms. Looking forward to their new life together, neither is prepared for the realities of Ellis Island, where they'll stop at nothing to make it through the golden door into the America of their dreams. (DVD In Italian with English subtitles, 118 minutes, Rated PG-13.)
I'm Not Scared. For 10-year-old Michele, the familiar routines of childhood in his idyllic southern Italian village are about to be shattered by his chance discovery of an unspeakable crime. No one can be trusted and everyone's a suspect when a shocking secret is revealed in this hypnotic suspense thriller. (DVD In Italian with English subtitles, 101 minutes, Rated R.)
Life Is Beautiful. (La Vita è Bella) Winner of three Academy Awards, this extraordinary film is the story of Guido, a charming but bumbling waiter gifted with a colorful imagination and an irresistible sense of humor, who creates a beautiful life for his loving wife and young son. When the atrocities of World War II threaten their very existence, Guido uses these strengths to help his son and wife to survive an unthinkable ordeal. (DVD In Italian with English subtitles, 116 minutes, Rated PG-13.)
Mille Bolle Blu. A nostalgic and intimate recollection of a brief period of time in the lives of residents of a Roman apartment building. Beautifully filmed, well acted and tightly directed, the many vignettes of the events in the lives of several neighbors offer a captivating and touching look into both the Italian psyche and the Italian sociology. Humorous, poignant, and well-edited. All events revolve around a solar eclipse in the summertime.The children see the fun and the beauty of it, while the adults sense that it may mean more . . . perhaps the hope that the eclipse's special light will reveal solutions for their troubles. (Video In Italian with English subtitles, 83 minutes, Not Rated.)
The Monster (Il Mostro) is a monstrously funny comedy by Roberto Benigni. Loris is a man who is always willing to take a stab at something new, so he lets Jessica, an attractive stranger, move in. What he doesn't know is that Jessica is an undercover cop aiming to catch a suspected serial killer and certified sex fiend. And she'll do anything to get her man. (DVD In Italian with English subtitles, 112 minutes, Rated R.)
The Nanny (La Balia). At the dawn of the 20th century, a professor and his wife bear a child. But the mother cannot supply milk -- or even love -- to the child. So the professor hires an illiterate country girl as wet nurse and nanny. An explosive situation develops between the professor, the mother, the nanny, and the child. (DVD In Italian with English subtitles, 103 minutes, Not Rated.)
Night of the Shooting Stars is about a Tuscan village struggling against Nazi persecution during the last moments of World War II. Six-year-old Cecilia is fascinated by the world and everything in it. When her family must flee to the hills to escape the Nazis, it's the most exciting moment of her life! But excitement turns to terror as the Nazis close in. Little Cecilia prays for rescue on this, the Night of the Shooting Stars, an evening during which, it is said, all wishes are granted. (DVD In Italian with English subtitles, 107 minutes, Rated R.)
Padre Padrone. This powerful true tale of one boy's struggle out of isolation and silence is perfectly captured on film by the renowned Taviani brothers, Paolo and Vittorio (Night Sun; Good Morning, Babylon). The film is based on the autobiography by Gavino Ledda who, at the age of six, was taken from school into the mountains where his father enslaved him as a shepherd. Gavino eventually broke free, discovering the outside world and his own identity within it. A Grand Prize winner at the 1977 Cannes Film Festival. (DVD In Italian with English subtitles, 117 minutes, Not Rated.)
Il Postino (The Postman) is a romantic comedy about Mario, a bumbling mailman who's madly in love with the most beautiful woman in town ... and who's too shy to tell her how he feels. But when world-famous poet Pablo Neruda unexpectedly moves into town, Mario is inspired. With Neruda's help, he finds the right words to win the woman's heart. (DVD In Italian with English subtitles, 108 minutes, Rated PG.)
Respiro. Grazia is a carefree mother of three who soon becomes the focus of gossip among her neighbors in Lampedusa, a Mediterranean island paradise. While her fellow townspeople work and live hard, oblivious to their native paradise, Grazia alone is courageous enough to to blissfully embrace life's pleasures. Her wild, sensual and free-spirited behavior reflects the unrivaled beauty of her heavenly seaside village. Will she drive her friends and neighbors crazy, or draw them into her topsy-turvy wonderful world? (DVD In Italian with English subtitles, 95 minutes, Rated PG-13 for nudity and thematic elements.)
The Son's Room. Giovanni is a psychoanalyst who thought he had all the answers. In contrast to the worries and neuroses of his patients, Giovanni's reassuringly calm existence revolves around the security of his loving family and the comfort of his daily routines. When an unthinkable tragedy turns life upside down, he must somehow summon the courage to deal with his own grief while giving strength to those who need him most. (DVD In Italian with English subtitles, 100 minutes, Rated R for language and some sexuality.)
The Star Maker. Joe Morelli is the "star maker" -- a con man who travels from one small town to the next, claiming to be a talent scout for a top studio. Wherever he goes, people turn out in droves for a chance at being seen and becoming the world's next big-screen sensation! (DVD In Italian with English subtitles, 107 minutes, Rated R.)
La Strada. The bubbly, waiflike Gelsomina is a simpleton sold to the gruff, bullying circus strongman Zampanò as a servant and assistant. Treated no better than an animal, Gelsomina nonetheless falls in love with the brute Zampanò. When they join a small circus they meet Il Matto (literally, "the Fool"), a clown who enchants Gelsomina and relentlessly taunts Zampanò, whose inability to control his hatred of Il Matto leads to their expulsion from the circus and eventually to the film's fateful conclusion. Considered by many to be Federico Fellini's most beautiful and powerful film, La Strada was the first film to reveal the range of Fellini's wife, Guilietta Masina, as the child-like Gelsomina, the wide-eyed innocent whose generous spirit and love of life lead her to try to "save" the unfeeling, brutal Zampanò. (DVD In Italian with English subtitles, 108 minutes, Not Rated.)
OTHER DVDs/VIDEOS AVAILABLE IN THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER
(These materials are of interest for culture, travel or grammar, but not to be used for the personal response paper requirement for the Italian 1L or 2L lab courses. They DO, however, count toward your 24-hour requirement.)
Extreme Engineering: Venice Flood Gates The clock is ticking in Venice, Italy, as designers and engineers battle the elements to keep the canal-laden city from becoming the next Atlantis. The enormous undertaking calls for 79 steel floodgates -- each bigger than a football field and weighing over 300 tons -- to close off the encroaching Adriatic Sea at the three inlets to the Venice lagoon during times of high tide. But before the gates can go in, massive barrier walls must be built. It's a Herculean challenge, to be sure. But just as Venice's founders once defended the city from foreign invaders, these modern-day Venetians hope to erect colossal defensive walls to fend off the marauding sea. The question is -- can they be built before the water finally wins this centuries old struggle? (DVD In English, 50 minutes.)
Florence: A Musical Tour For those who have never been to Florence, this film will provide some of the ambience. It is not a teaching disc, but more of an experience. You do not have to study it, just sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds. For those who have visited Florence, it is a nice stroll through the lovely city. Maybe it would even spur one to go back! (DVD In English. 54 minutes.)
Galileo's Battle for the Heavens. At a time when heretics were burned alive for dissent, scientist Galileo risked his life to advance revolutionary concepts of the universe. Based on Dava Sobel's best-selling biography, Galileo's Daughter, this film offers a vivid re-imagining of Galileo's incredible achievements that forever changed the way we view our place in the universe. It also investigates the momentous personal and spiritual conflicts that Galileo faced -- particularly defending the controversial theory that the Earth revolves around the sun. (DVD In English, 120 minutes.)
Italians in America: Our Contribution is a captivating look at the contributions that Italians have made to American culture and society. This film honors the monumental and historic accomplishments of Italians in America through interviews with diverse celebrities, such as Pat Cooper, Robert Loggia, Geraldine Ferraro, Jack Scalia, Tommy LaSorda, Joe Paterno, and Gay Talese. (DVD In English, 105 minutes.)
Italy Revealed Journey through the heart of the picturesque country of Italy: a land stretching from the snow-capped peaks of the Alps to the sun-baked semi-desert of Sicily. Over the course of one year follow the lives and loves, trials and tribulations, and the hopes and dreams of a group of people who exemplify what it is to be Italian. You will meet a man pursuing his dream of becoming a gondolier in Venice; a volunteer rescue worker in the Italian Alps; a member of the Missoni family preparing for their new collection; a horse jockey who hopes to participate in Siena's Palio (a 90-second horserace which brings the neighborhoods of Siena to a fever-pitch); a young Roman girl who hopes to be the country's first female race car driver; and a young Sicilian man who is a free diver, hoping to become professional. (DVD In English. 100 minutes.)
Julius Caesar's Rome Throughout history, civilizations have come and gone, but few have altered the world as immensely as the Roman Empire. From its legendary founding by Romulus and Remus to its magnificent takeover of the Mediterranean to its eventual fall amidst the rise of Christianity, the many lasting influences of the Roman civilization remain with us today. (2-disk DVD In English. Total running time (both disks) 322 minutes.)
Learn to Speak Italian: Parla italiano? Nouns, Verbs, and Adjectives The Standard Deviants tackle the basics of Italian with LOTS of vocabulary, definite and indefinite articles, and conjugating verbs. Whether you're looking for a refresher or learning Italian for the first time, this DVD can help with an approachable, off-beat format that will build understanding and retention. (DVD In English/Italian, 105 minutes.)
Little Italy. Both an immigrant neighborhood and a state of mind, Little Italy embodies the formative experience of Italian immigrants in the United States -- indeed of every people that struggles to carve out a piece of the American Dream. Via interviews with such luminaries as Chazz Palmenteri, Robert Mondavi, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Gay Talese, this documentary offers a look at the history and culture of Italian-Americans: as it was, as it has been portrayed in the media, and as it remains today. (DVD In English, 60 minutes.)
Michelangelo: Artist and Man A&E’s Biography series delves into the life of the man whose art influenced the world. It covers the long life of this artist in its most important details. In a time when people had short lives and no education, Michelangelo managed to achieve greatness in sculpture, fresco painting, architecture, and poetry. (DVD In English. 50 minutes.)
Miraculous Canals of Venice Of all the world's great cities, none defies nature and logic like Venice. This jewel of western civilization, built in the water, stands bravely against time and tide, weathering the capricious floods that have endangered its very existence since its birth some 1500 years ago. How and why did Italians build a great metropolis in a lagoon? In this program from the A&E Channel, you'll explore how those first Venetians invented a whole new life for themselves in their ancient waterworld, and how they turned salty marshland into a city for the ages. (DVD In English, 50 minutes.)
Modern Marvels: The Colosseum. It was the most impressive building in the capital city of the greatest empire of the ancient world. It hosted epic and, to us, appalling, life and death encounters between gladiators, along with brutal spectacles that pitted men against exotic animals brought back from the remote corners of the Roman Empire. It could even be flooded for mock naval battles! This film from the History Channel journeys back in time for a look at Rome's Colosseum, an architectural and engineering masterpiece that has lost little of its power to inspire awe after 2,000 years. Scholars reveal how it was built and lead an all-access tour showcasing areas rarely seen by the public. Reconstructions show what it looked like in its heyday, when 80,000 spectators would congregate for the bloody entertainments, sheltered from the elements, if necessary, by a retractable roof! Modern designers and engineers reflect on the incredible legacy of this extraordinary structure, and we'll also trace its second life as one of the world's great tourist attractions. (DVD In English, 50 minutes.)
Pompeii: Buried Alive. 2000 years ago, Rome was an all-powerful empire and Pompeii was one of its prosperous provincial towns -- until Mount Vesuvius exploded in the largest eruption ever recorded. In a matter of hours, the thriving city was entombed under a thick layer of ash and debris, undiscovered for centuries. This film explores the remarkable city of Pompeii, recreating the events leading up to the explosion, and explaining how the ash kept the city and its inhabitants in a unique state of preservation. (DVD In English, 50 minutes.)
Rome: Engineering an Empire is a remarkable presentation from the History Channel that chronicles the spectacular and sordid history of the Roman Empire from the rise of Julius Caesar in 55 BC to its eventual fall around 537 AD. Detailing the remarkable engineering feats that set Rome apart from the rest of the ancient world, the program features extensive state-of-the-art CGI animation that will give viewers the chance to see Rome's greatest structures the way the ancient Romans saw them. The insights of engineers, archaeologists and historians from around the globe add rare depth to segments on Hadrian's Wall, Caesar's Bridge, the aqueducts, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Baths of Caracalla and more. (DVD In English, 100 minutes.)
