Archive for 'Books and Movies'

2020 was to mark a big year of celebrations in the world of Italian cinema as it is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Federico Fellini who was, and continues to be, one of the best, brightest, most celebrated and most beloved of all film directors to have ever come from Italy.

Not only was he one of Italy’s most famous directors of all time, he was also one of the most beloved directors in the world. Born in 1920, Fellini went on to become a central figure of the international art cinema movement that caught steam in the 1950s. He was widely lauded and acclaimed and won Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film for “La Strada”, “Nights of Cabiria”, “8 ½”, and “Amarcord”, and the Palme d’Or at Cannes for “La Dolce Vita”. After this golden era in his oeuvre, he continued to make beloved works and contributions to the industry for decades before ultimately passing away in 1993.

All sorts of special events, talks, exhibitions, screenings, and more were organised in Italy and on an international scale in order to commemorate the event of the 100th anniversary of this great artist's birth throughout this year but, given the current global health pandemic, it is unlikely that many, if any, of these events will go ahead as planned. But what does that mean for Fellini and film fans the world over? Must we give up on remembering the life and talent of this incredible artist? No, of course not! As they say in show business, “The show must go on!”     Read More

Italy has inspired, produced, and been the setting of lots of incredible films throughout the decades. In fact, due to a particularly rich period in the 20th century when Italy produced, arguably, many of the best movies ever made, it is a perfect destination for serious cinephiles the world over. From, “The Bicycle Thieves,” to, “The Godfather,” to, “Cinema Paradiso,” to, “Life is Beautiful,” to, “Gladiator,” to “Call Me by Your Name,” the list of incredible films made or set in Italy is endless and, luckily, some of them even have backdrops and settings that can still be visited. So, if you're interested in a whistle-stop film industry virtual tour (for now and hopefully in person sometime soon!) of Italy, read on and discover the perfectly picturesque places in Italy that have graced the silver screen throughout the history of cinema...     Read More

One of the most enduringly famous portrayals of Sicily that has ever graced the silver screen has to be Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 masterpiece, “The Godfather”, starring Marlon Brando and Al Pacino. This iconic movie is set in 1940s and 1950s Sicily and New York and tells the story of the Corleone family, characters from Mario Puzo’s novel, “The Godfather.” Many tourists have gone in search of filming locations from the movie throughout the years since its release. Many head to Corleone, the town that shares its name with Don Vito Corleone, but it was not actually where the film was shot as when they began making the movie in the 1970s, it had changed drastically in the time since Puzo wrote his novel. Modernised and greatly expanded, it no longer resembled the rural place from the books. However, never fear, if you have found a vacation rental in Sicily and are a fan of the movie, there are plenty of filming sites to visit as the villages of Motta Camastra, Forza d’Agro, and Savoca were all featured in, “The Godfather”.     Read More

Last March, I flew to South Korea for a trip, which takes about 24 hours from Ireland, all in. My game plan was to line up a range of recent Oscar-winners and watch all the movies that everyone was buzzing about in one go. Upon finding my seat, I met my two seat-mates, a very sweet elderly Korean couple who took a liking to me as I was raised Catholic and they were returning from a month long pilgrimage around religious sites in Europe. The lady asked me to help her with her screen and I spent a while trying to find something for her to watch in Korean or with subtitles. Surprisingly, there was very little for her to choose from so we eventually gave up. This, however, meant that she turned to look at the screen I had turned on and began watching it with me. I was very painfully aware that a religious granny was observing me watch, “Call Me By Your Name.” I had heard enough about the movie to guess when scenes she might not approve of were coming and, as I feared their approach, I paused the film, leaving it on a still of the idyllic town in which it is set. I began fumbling around with my things as I had become aware that she was slowly falling asleep, and I waited it out for it to happen. As her eyes got heavy, she looked away from the screen and to me and smiled, “What a beautiful place,” she said in Korean, moments before she fell asleep.     Read More