CINEMA ITALIAN STYLE 2016
Cinema, fashion, food excellence and social commitment will be protagonists at the 12th edition of Cinema Italian Style, the Los Angeles showcase for the best Italian movies of the year, supporting the Italian entry to the Academy Awards® 2017 – Best Foreign Language Film, FIRE AT SEA (FUOCOAMMARE), by Gianfranco Rosi, Berlin International Film Festival Golden Bear winner, finalist at the IDA Awards, acclaimed by film critics and supported by international testimonials such as Bernardo Bertolucci and Meryl Streep. The opening night film documents the massive influx of refugees to the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, and the constant rescue actions Italy has accomplished for 20 years.
In a 10 day marathon full of events, public will have the possibility to be immersed in the Italian culture by discovering digitally restored masterpieces like THE EASY LIFE (Il Sorpasso) by Dino Risi (as anticipation of the celebrations for the centennial of his birth that will kick off on December 14th at the Museum of Modern Art in New York), or dig deeply into the life of fashion icon Franca Sozzani, legendary editor in chief of Vogue Italy for 28 years, in the biopic directed by her son Francesco Carrozzini: FRANCA: CHAOS AND CREATION. Both events are part of the official AFI FEST presented by Audi program, as well as the World Cinema Masters in Conversation on November 17th, between Director Gianfranco Rosi and Alberto Barbera, Director of the Venice International Film Festival.
Ten titles, selected by Artistic Curator Laura Delli Colli with American Cinematheque’s Director of Programming Gwen Deglise, will then be presented as part of the official program of Cinema Italian Style 2016 at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, at the presence of directors and actors. Ivan Cotroneo will disclose ONE KISS also to the USC students in a discussion about homophobia and bullying in school. Paolo Genovese’s PERFECT STRANGERS, a sensation in Italy for its look at the chaos that cell-phone revelations can wreak, will be represented by actress Kasia Smutniak. Romance plays a role in several films, though not without complications, as Gabriele Muccino will explain in occasion of the screening of SUMMERTIME. Young Daphne Scoccia, a real surprise, first time on screen, is electrifying as a young woman in love with a fellow prisoner in Claudio Giovannesi’s FIORE. Couples are the focus of two of the series’ most distinctive films, though romance is nowhere in sight. Micaela Ramazzotti and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi are patients exploring the world beyond their psychiatric hospital in LIKE CRAZY by Paolo Virzì’s and Edoardo De Angelis, introducing INDIVISIBLE, explores the feelings of Siamese twin singers, whose lives reach a crossroads when told they could be surgically separated. Supehero and sports movies may not be the first things that come to mind when thinking about Italian cinema, but Gabriele Mainetti will explain the central idea of creating THEY CALL ME JEEG, in which small-time crook Claudio Santamaria falls into the Tiber River, where contact with toxic waste gives him big-time superpowers. Matteo Rovere’s ITALIAN RACE follows a 17-year-old girl as she tries to save her family’s car-racing business. In director Massimiliano Bruno’s THE LAST WILL BE THE LAST, actress Paola Cortellesi is a woman who is fired for becoming pregnant. In Stefano Sollima’s crackling crime thriller SUBURRA, politicians and the underworld commingle in a high-stakes real estate deal. The series also includes short films selected in collaboration with Rome Creative Contest Festival. Other appointments will explore the link between cinema and cuisine, as many different activities in Los Angeles will be part of 1,300 worldwide events organized for the first edition of the EXTRAORDINARY ITALIAN TASTE – First Italian Cuisine in the World Week. Michelin Star Chef Cristina Bowerman (From Glass Hostaria and Romeo in Rome, and President of the newborn “Ambasciatori del Gusto” association) will be introducing this new yearly opportunity to meet with Italian food excellence on November 16that the Italian Cultural Institute in Los Angeles, followed by the opening of the photographic exhibition “Recipes and Portraits of Actors”,produced by Rai Cinema, by international renewed photographer Stefano Guindani, who’ll be on stage as well. On November 23rd a rich series of documentaries will close the Cinema Italian Style 2016 edition, including the presentation of WHEN ITALY ATE IN BLACK AND WHITE – CINECITTARIO by Andrea Gropplero di Troppenburg: 20 recipes from the 20 Italian regions in the post war era; HARRY’S BAR by Carlotta Cerquetti, about the Venetian worldwide famous bar, and the short film FOOD FOR THOUGHT by Davide Gentile.
Cinema Italian Style, created in 2004 by Gwen Deglise, Dennis Bartok (American Cinematheque) and Camilla Cormanni (Luce Cinecittà), is co-presented by the American Cinematheque and Luce Cinecittà, under the auspices of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism, in collaboration with the Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles, the Italian Trade Agency and the Italian Cultural Institute. Supported by Alcantara and The Leading Hotels of the World. Media partner: Variety. Charity partner: Fondazione Francesca Rava N.P.H. Italia.
PROGRAM
November 14th
At 6.30 pm the world premiere of the 4k digital restored version of The easy life (Il sorpasso) by Dino Risi, starring Vittorio Gassman, Catherine Spaak and Jean-Louis Trintignant, realized by Luce Cinecittà, Cineteca di Bologna and Surf Film, distributed by Janus Film.
The screening at the Egyptian Theatre is in partnership with AFI FEST 2016 presented by Audi.
For ticket information: http://www.afi.com/afifest/freetickets.aspx
November 15th
At 9.30 pm screening of Franca: chaos and creation by Francesco Carrozzini, an intimate portrait of Franca Sozzani, the legendary Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Italia.
The screening at the Egyptian Theatre is in partnership with AFI FEST 2016 presented by Audi.
For ticket information: http://www.afi.com/afifest/freetickets.aspx
November 16th
The day begins with a morning press conference to introduce the delegation of talents from Italy to the Los Angeles press. Talents include: directors Gianfranco Rosi (Fire at sea), Francesco Carrozzini (Franca: Chaos and Creation), Edoardo De Angelis (Indivisible), Claudio Giovannesi (Fiore), Gabriele Mainetti (They call me Jeeg), Gabriele Muccino (Summertime) and actress Kasia Smutniak (Perfect strangers).
In the evening, Cinema Italian Style 2016 will present the photographic exhibition “Recipes and portraits of Actors” by Stefano Guindani, at the Italian Cultural Institute, produced by Rai Cinema. This event is invitation only and is part of the week dedicated to “Extraordinary Italian Taste. First Week of Italian Cuisine in the World” program.
November 17th
The opening night of Cinema Italian Style, will start at 5:45 pm, with the Italian cast on the red carpet at the Egyptian Theatre. Confirmed talents include: directors Gianfranco Rosi (Fire at sea), Francesco Carrozzini (Franca: Chaos and Creation), Ivan Cotroneo (One kiss), Edoardo De Angelis (Indivisible), Claudio Giovannesi (Fiore), Gabriele Mainetti (They call me Jeeg), Gabriele Muccino (Summertime) and actress Kasia Smutniak (Perfect strangers).
At 6:00 pm: screening of Fire at sea by Gianfranco Rosi, the Italian Entry – Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards®, in partnership with AFI FEST 2016 presented by Audi. After the screening, “Master in conversation”: conversation with director Gianfranco Rosi and Alberto Barbera, director of the Venice International Film Festival.
For ticket information: http://www.afi.com/afifest/freetickets.aspx
From November 18th to 22th
Screenings of some of the best Italian films of the year at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, introduced by Italian directors and actors.
A selection of the best short films of this year will be screened every day before the film program, in collaboration with Roma Creative Contest.
November 23th
Screening of a selection of documentaries and shorts at the Italian Cultural Institute.
SCREENINGS
November 17 – 22, 2016 at the EGYPTIAN and AERO Theatres
FIRE AT SEA
Co-presented with AFI FEST: Italy’s Official Oscar Submission! FIRE AT SEA (FUOCOAMMARE), 2016, Kino Lorber, 108 min. Dir. Gianfranco Rosi. This Golden Bear winner at the Berlin International Film Festival is set on Lampedusa, midway between Libya and Sicily. In recent years, the little island has been deluged by a wave of African refugees, and the humanitarian crisis is filtered here through the lives of such bystanders as 12-year-old Samuele Pucillo, whose limited awareness of the newcomers’ plight reflects that of most people outside of frontline rescue personnel. “Gianfranco Rosi’s beautiful, mysterious and moving film is a documentary that looks like a neorealist classic.” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian. In Italian and English with English subtitles. Join us after the feature at 8:00 PM for part of the inaugural “World Cinema Masters in Conversation” section at AFI FEST, as director Gianfranco Rosi sits down with Venice Film Festival – Director Alberto Barbera for an in-depth conversation about FIRE AT SEA.
ONE KISS
Double Feature: Los Angeles Premiere! ONE KISS (UN BACIO), 2016, TLA Releasing, 102 min. Dir. Ivan Cotroneo. With its themes of homophobia and bullying in school, this coming-of-age drama about three teen outcasts could not be more timely. Withdrawn basketball player Antonio (Leonardo Pazzagli), promiscuous Blu (Valentina Romani) and flamboyantly gay Lorenzo (Rimau Ritzberger Grillo) band together against the taunts of schoolmates – until a kiss shatters their unity. In Italian with English subtitles.
SUBURRA
Los Angeles Premiere! SUBURRA, 2015, Netflix, 130 min. An ambitious plan to turn waterfront property in a Roman suburb into an Italian version of Las Vegas brings together a motley assortment of Mafiosi and political bigwigs in director Stefano Sollima’s crackling crime thriller. As Berlusconi’s government crumbles and Pope Benedict XVI abdicates, everything seems up for grabs; hard-boiled performances (from a cast including Pierfrancesco Favino, Claudio Amendola, Alessandro Borghi and Greta Scarano) along with several bravura sequences underline the noirish moral vacuum. “This is straight-ahead mob action, a vision of crows pecking each other to death when they’re not feasting on the corpse of ‘Bunga Bunga’ Italy. It’s carried off with a great deal of flair.” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian. In Italian with English subtitles.
Program begins with the Italian short “Manhunt” (2016, 5 min. Dir. Brando Bartoleschi). Introduction by ONE KISS director Ivan Cotroneo.
PERFECT STRANGERS
Double Feature: Los Angeles Premiere! PERFECT STRANGERS (PERFETTI SCONOSCIUTI), 2016, True Colors, 97 min. Dir. Paolo Genovese. At one time or another, we’ve all been to a dinner that was interrupted by someone’s phone – but what if everyone there got to hear the call? That’s the ingenious premise behind this David di Donatello winner for Best Film, where seven friends gather and play a party game in which the secrets (and tensions) escalate. Kasia Smutniak, Alba Rohrwacher, Marco Giallini and Valerio Mastandrea are among the talented ensemble cast. With its finger firmly on the pulse of the universal fear of exposure, PERFECT STRANGERS has become a sensation in Italy and has been sold internationally. In Italian with English subtitles.
INDIVISIBLE
Los Angeles Premiere! INDIVISIBLE (INDIVISIBILI), 2016, True Colors, 100 min. Dir. Edoardo De Angelis. Winner of four awards at the Venice Film Festival, this unusual drama follows sisters Daisy and Viola (Angela and Marianna Fortuna), who really are “indivisible” – they were born as Siamese twins. Blessed with fine voices, the two are hired out by their parents as singers until a doctor tells them they could be separated. “Side-stepping what could have been a cheap, morbid peek into the lives of two beautiful teenagers who were born joined at the hip, INDIVISIBLE strikes out on its own path, sounding an exhilarating note of freedom.” – Deborah Young, The Hollywood Reporter. In Italian with English subtitles.
Program begins with the Italian short “How To Save Your Darling” (2016, 6 min. Dir. Leopoldo Caggiano). Introduction by PERFECT STRANGERS actress Kasia Smutniak and INDIVISIBLE director Edoardo De Angelis.
THEY CALL ME JEEG
Double Feature: Los Angeles Premiere! THEY CALL ME JEEG (LO CHIAMAVANO JEEG ROBOT), 2015, Uncork’d Entertainment, 112 min. Gabriele Mainetti’s feature directorial debut gives a distinctive Italian twist to the superhero movie. On the run through the slums of Rome, small-time crook Enzo (Claudio Santamaria) winds up in the Tiber River, where contact with toxic waste gives him extraordinary powers. Though Enzo is content to use his new strength to break into ATMs, an attractive young woman (Ilenia Pastorelli) and a maniacal crime boss (Luca Marinelli) have different ideas. Winner of seven David di Donatello awards. In Italian with English subtitles.
FIORE
Los Angeles Premiere! FIORE, 2016, Rai Com, 109 min. Dir. Claudio Giovannesi. Already in a group home, Daphne Bonori (Daphne Scoccia) is sent to a juvenile prison after she’s arrested for theft. On the men’s side of the prison, Josh (Josciua Algeri) also is serving time; though separated by bars, the two fall in love. “Very smoothly directed by Claudio Giovannesi (ALI BLUE EYES), making his third feature, the movie provides a magnetic showcase for newcomer Daphne Scoccia (who appears in every scene).” – Ben Kenigsberg, Variety. In Italian with English subtitles.
Program begins with the Italian short “Ningyo” (2016, 8 min. Dir. Gabriele Mainetti). Introduction by They call me Jeeg director Gabriele Mainetti and Fiore director Claudio Giovannesi.
SUMMERTIME
Double Feature: Los Angeles Premiere! SUMMERTIME (L’ESTATE ADDOSSO), 2016, Rai Com, 103 min. This engaging drama from director Gabriele Muccino (THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS) follows former classmates Marco (Brando Pacitto) and Maria (Matilda Lutz) as they travel from Rome to San Francisco, where a mutual friend has arranged for them to stay with a gay couple (Taylor Frey and Joseph Haro). “SUMMERTIME contains a coming-out drama of moving complexity. The film flows effortlessly between ‘gay’ and ‘straight’ drama – and part of its message is that the moment you’ve made that distinction, you’ve fallen into the trap of the old bigotry.” – Owen Gleiberman, Variety. In English.
THE LAST WILL BE THE LAST
Los Angeles Premiere! THE LAST WILL BE THE LAST (GLI ULTIMI SARANNO ULTIMI), 2015, True Colors, 103 min. Better known for comedy, director Massimiliano Bruno also proves adept at drama with this adaptation of his play about how precarious the work-life balance can be in today’s economy. Paola Cortellesi revisits her stage performance as Luciana Colacci, whose simple life with her husband (Alessandro Gassmann) is thrown into disarray after she is fired for becoming pregnant. With Fabrizio Bentivoglio. In Italian with English subtitles. Introduction by SUMMERTIME director Gabriele Muccino.
LIKE CRAZY
Double Feature: Los Angeles Premiere! LIKE CRAZY (LA PAZZA GIOIA), 2016, Strand Releasing, 118 min. Director Paolo Virzì (HUMAN CAPITAL) and his two lead actresses all won well-deserved Nastri d’Argento awards for this delightful dramedy. Donatella (Micaela Ramazzotti) and Beatrice (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) are both patients at a psychiatric hospital and unlikely friends – the former withdrawn, the latter manic. When a van is late to pick them up from their jobs at a local nursery, the two board a bus and embark on a road trip that is by turns amusing and touching. “A terrific comedy-drama about two women in a mental institution that avoids the pitfalls such a scenario could encounter and boasts delicious dialogue with a rare sense of balance.” – Jay Weissberg, Variety.
In Italian with English subtitles.
ITALIAN RACE
Los Angeles Premiere! ITALIAN RACE (VELOCE COME IL VENTO), 2016, Fandango, 118 min. Dir. Matteo Rovere. After the death of her father, responsibility for a younger brother and the family’s debt-plagued auto-racing business falls on the shoulders of 17-year-old Giulia (Matilda De Angelis). An aspiring Gran Turismo racer herself, Giulia reaches out to her older brother (Stefano Accorsi, playing superbly against type), a once-promising driver now mired in drug addiction. Based on a true story, this inspiring sports drama offers both well-drawn characters and exciting action.
In Italian with English subtitles.
FILMS
CIS EXHIBITION
From November 17th, 2016 to January 27th, 2017 at Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles
Exhibition Recipes and Portraits of Actors by Stefano Guindani
Food and film: a nearly perfect pair. Each filmstrip capturing culinary delights has an enormous power. Not only do they entertain and evoke emotion, but they also lead to the discovery of new recipes that touch the hearts of the viewers as much as the actors’ actual performances. The idea for this current project was a product of love: love for the cinema and for good cooking. These two art forms have contributed to the celebration of Italy, with its extraordinary culinary and cinematographic traditions, all over the world.
Stefano Guindani made a whimsical request to this group of famous Italian actors: play with the ingredients from recipes best representing the connection to their homeland. These twenty-one portraits by Stefano are the center focus of the exibition “Ricette e Ritratti d’Attore” (Recipes and Portraits of Actors), produced by RAI CINEMA. Thanks to the collaboration of Laura Delli Colli, the most celebrated actors of Italian cinema have described their adventures in the kitchen with suggestions, anecdotes, and personal memories. The resulting creation of delicious meals, prepared by chef Max Mariola, perfectly represents each individual actor.
Stefano Guindani
Stefano Guindani, international fashion and celebrity photographer, harbors a strong passion for urban and social reportage. In 1998, he founded his company, SGP Stefano Guindani Photo, a team of thirty people that provides editorial production services for companies operating in the fashion and luxury sectors. After becoming the official photographer for Italy’s major fashion stylists, Stefano deepened his interest in reportage. The images of his book, Haiti Through the Eye of Stefano Guindani, published in 2010 have been shown in different exhibitions in Milan, New York and Florence.
Between 2014 and 2015, Stefano traveled to 9 different countries in Latin America: his compilation of photos was assembled in the book Do You Know for a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the humanitarian organization N.P.H. Stefano personally delivered the first copy to Pope Francis during an audience on the 2nd of December, 2015. Stefano Guindani was the first photographer to host a TV talent show dedicated to photography: “Scattastorie NX Generation” broadcasted on a Discovery Network channel.
In December 2015 Stefano was invited by Samsung to photograph Porta Nuova, the new technological district of Milan; this work led to the publication of the book Frames of Milan. In May of 2016, Stefano published Sguardi d’Attore; a collection of portraits of over 350 Italian movie actors.
The prestigious German company LEICA has chosen Stefano Guindani as ambassador of LEICA SL, the revolutionary full-frame mirrorless camera system. He continues to stay on the cutting edge of photography, utilizing new technologies to improve reportage not only in the luxury and fashion sectors, but around the world.
CIS DOC
For information click here.
November 23rd at Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles
WHEN ITALY ATE IN BLACK AND WHITE – CINECITTARIO (2016)
| Directed by: | Andrea Gropplero di Troppenburg |
|---|---|
| Runtime: | 46 min. |
| Production: | Istituto Luce-Cinecittà |
| Synopsis: | Have our ideas on nutrition, cuisine and conviviality changed over the past 90 years and how? Did the overall energy of our “Bel Paese” influence its “healthy food” lifestyle? Have the Italian’s customs and traditions changed at the table and in regards to their quality of life? How? To answer these questions, we set off on an accurate and cheerful journey amid traditional, regional and extremely authentic recipes of the Italian cuisine by exploring the black and white material of the vast archive of Istituto Luce. A flavorsome journey among special dishes, cuisines, testimonies, and gags of celebrities from the showbiz and the world of culture. Does proper nutrition produce good energy? Does conviviality support the creation of an intergenerational ‘pact’? Is nutrition still considered a form of social progress? Is eating alone unhealthy? What is a correct food and nutrition education? Is eating together at a table still an important moment in a family’s life? During the most important post-war crisis, are the black and white images of people that could find a moment of happiness sharing their food during the WWII famine still actual? These are just a few of the questions we wished to answer. And yet, in spite of so many questions, this documentary is not a sociological inquiry but more precisely a black and white (caring) research on recipes for good living. |
HARRY’S BAR (2015)
| Directed by: | Carlotta Cerquetti |
|---|---|
| Runtime: | 52 min. |
| Production: | Wider Films |
| Synopsis: | “You haven’t been to Venice if you haven’t been to Harry’s Bar”, say some of its more affectionate clients. Why has this Venetian bar become over the years such a point of reference so important to the city? Harry’s Bar was born in 1931 thanks to a loan made by a young barman at the Hotel Europa, Giuseppe Cipriani, towards an American guest who found himself without any money. The grateful guest, named Harry Pickering, a few years later returned the money and also financed a new bar that became Giuseppe’s realm, named after its backer: Harry. The bar immediately attracted many clients, because it was the first to have that hotel bar atmosphere without actually being in a hotel, and because of Giuseppe’s talent for making cocktails, creating exquisite dishes and being a charming host. From the year of its birth, Harry’s Bar underwent myriad vicissitudes, from its closing under fascism to it being proclaimed a national monument in 2001. In eighty years of Venetian history, this bar has been home to writers, artists, film directors, film stars, kings, queens and numerous bon vivants. To the point it became a legend. Giuseppe Cipriani was followed by his son, Arrigo, “the first man to be named after a bar”, who for fifty years has taken care of what he calls “La Stanza” (The Room). Despite the world having passed though it, Harry’s bar is a small place, its story forever intertwined with that of Venice, somehow linked to all the major events that have animated the city since the Thirties: from the Venice Film Festival to the Biennale D’Arte, from the war to Liberation, from the years of the Jet Set to the events of ’68. Linking the history of Venice with that of Harry’s Bar, the voices of various personalities involved in this Venetian affair narrate the story, in conjunction with the tales connected to the bar, as told by Arrigo Cipriani. The combination of these voices reveals the elements that made this bar unique in the world. |
CIS SHORTS
November 18th – 23rd at Aero Theatre and Italian Cultural Institute
Screened every day before the film program.
In collaboration with Roma Creative Contest, the International Short Film Festival organized in Rome by Image Hunters
Friday November 18th at Aero Theatre
MANHUNT – 2016
| Directed by: | Brando Bartoleschi |
|---|---|
| Cast: | Adriano Giannini, Maximillian Dirr |
| Runtime: | 5 min. |
| Production: | Image Hunters |
| Synopsis: | Two hunters discover a dead body hidden in the wood: it’s impossible to recognize the identity of the murdered, because of a gunshot that has disfigured his face. |
Saturday November 19th at Aero Theatre
HOW TO SAVE YOUR DARLING – 2016
| Directed by: | Leopoldo Caggiano |
|---|---|
| Cast: | Leopoldo Caggiano, Ilaria Marcelli |
| Runtime: | 6 min. |
| Production: | Leopoldo Caggiano, Wild Wolf Productions, Image Hunters |
| Synopsis: | The risky art of solving problems together, which you didn’t have when you were on your own. |
Sunday November 20th at Aero Theatre
NINGYO – 2016
| Directed by: | Gabriele Mainetti |
|---|---|
| Cast: | Alessandro Borghi, Aurora Ruffino |
| Runtime: | 8 min. |
| Production: | Think Cattleya, Reanult Italia |
| Synopsis: | An unexpected encounter, an enigmatic discovery, the sea as a habitat of a love story that will probably remain illusory. |
Wednesday November 23rd at the Italian Cultural Institute
FOOD FOR THOUGHT – 2016
| Directed by: | Davide Gentile |
|---|---|
| Cast: | James Sobol Kelly, Joe Cushly |
| Runtime: | 15 min. |
| Production: | Banjo Eyes Films |
| Synopsis: | We have nothing against the traditional food, which warms the heart. In fact, we like it a lot. But an unhealthy diet and the physical inactivity are silent killers, responsible for millions of deaths around the world.
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Dino Risi
November 14th
At 6.30 pm the world premiere of the 4k digital restored version of The easy life (Il sorpasso) by Dino Risi, starring Vittorio Gassman, Catherine Spaak and Jean-Louis Trintignant, realized by Luce Cinecittà, Cineteca di Bologna and Surf Film, distributed by Janus Film.
The screening at the Egyptian Theatre is in partnership with AFI FEST 2016 presented by Audi.
For ticket information: http://www.afi.com/afifest/freetickets.aspx
The Poor but Beautiful series (the first film in 1956) was really a great success, so Risi became one of the best-known directors of Italian comedies, the so-called genre “commedia all’italiana” much loved all over the world.
Risi worked with the biggest Italian actors of the day and of the “commedia all’italiana” tradition (Alberto Sordi, Ugo Tognazzi, Nino Manfredi and, above all, with Vittorio Gassman, on stage with him for most of his career). Some films such as A Difficult Life (1961), The Easy Life (1962) and Monsters (1963) describe with intelligence, but also his particular, acute sense of bitterness, great changes that Italy was undergoing in it transformation -just in a few years- from being a mainly agricultural nation to an industrial power. Later on, he would supplement his comedy output with more dramatic works, often of literary origin, especially by Piero Chiara and Giovanni Arpino (Scent of a Woman, shot in 1974, had the honor of an American remake with Al Pacino).
In later years of his life he was also a television director, often working in France too. In 2002 he was awarded the Honorary Golden Lion at Venice, and in 2004 he published his bitter-sweet autobiography, My Monsters, full of humour and pithy observations on Italian life.
