Grande cinema estivo all’Istituto di cultura italiano in Londra

HE FRIENDS AT THE MARGHERITA CAFÈ

 

original title: GLI AMICI DEL BAR MARGHERITA; directed by: Pupi Avati

 

cast: Laura Chiatti, Fabio De Luigi, Diego Abatantuono, Luigi Lo Cascio, Luisa Ranieri, Neri Marcorè, Pierpaolo Zizzi, Bob Messini, Claudio Botosso, Gianni Cavina, Katia Ricciarelli, Gianni Ippoliti, Niki Giustini, Maria Pia Timo, Gianni Fantoni, Caterina Sylos Labini; country: Italy; year: 2009; film run: 90′

 

Bologna, 1954. Taddeo, a young man of 18, dreams of coming one of the regulars of the mythical Margherita Café, found under the portico across from his family’s home. Through a ploy, he manages to become the chauffeur of Al, the neighbourhood’s most glamorous and mysterious resident. Having been taken under Al’s wing, Taddeo gets to witness the adventures of Bep, who is in love with Marcella the entraineuse, the trials and tribulations of Gian, an aspiring singer and the victim of a horrible practical joke, the crazy behaviour of Manuelo, a small-time robber with a phobia for sex, the meanness of Zanchi, inventor of the elastic necktie and the bizarre manias of Sarti, a ballroom dancing champion who wears his tux day and night. And Taddeo’s home life is no less out of the ordinary, seeing that his mother is being led on by the family physician, while his grandfather has fallen head over heels for a well-built piano teacher. In the end, Taddeo, whom everyone calls “Kid”, manages to gain acceptance as a regular at the Margherita Café.

 

Wednesday 28 July / Thursday 29 July – 7pm

 

 

THE FEAST

 

original title: L’ABBUFFATA; directed by: Mimmo Calopresti; cast: Diego Abatantuono, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Gérard Depardieu, Donatella Finocchiaro, Paolo Briguglia, Nino Frassica, Lucia Ragni; country: Italy

 

year: 2007; film run: 102′

 

Diamante, a small town in Calabria, southern Italy. Hardly an exciting place. Gabriele, Marco and Nicola are three youngsters, who would like to shoot a movie. They interview an old lady, who recalls the love of her life, a distant cousin of hers who emigrated to America as a youth, whose return she is still waiting for. Indeed, a suitable plot for a movie. Neri is a former film director who shot one successful movie and then retired to Diamante. They ask for his help, in vain though. So they decide to travel to Rome, and Elena, Marco’s sister, goes with them. Here, Francesco, a friend of Neri’s, unwillingly accommodates them. They end up getting involved in the TV showbiz rather than cinema, and realize it’s not that bad after all. However, they meet Amelie, a French, girl, who seems to be interested in their intent, and tells them she will mention it to Gerard, her fiancé, who actually turns out to be Gerard Depardieu, the renowned French actor… Could this be the turning point for them?

 

 

Wednesday 11 August / Thursday 12 August – 7pm

 

 

MY BROTHER’S SUMMER

 

original title: L’ESTATE DI MIO FRATELLO; directed by:           Pietro Reggiani

 

cast:     Pietro Bontempo, Maria Paiato, Davide Veronese, Tommaso Ferro, Beatrice Panizzolo, Roberto Totola, Claudio Guain; country: Italy; year: 2005; film run: 82′

 

Nine-year-old Sergio is the only child of his middle-class parents, Anna and Paolo, but he may soon be joined by a sibling. Anna is pregnant and she doesn’t want to bring the unborn baby to term, especially now that her marriage to Paolo is going through a rough patch. Sergio, though well adjusted, is a solitary boy whose introverted habits have earned him the nickname Lone Ranger. During a long summer vacation in the country, Sergio first fiercely resists the prospect of a sibling, then battles with a terrible sense of guilt when his imaginary brother fails to materialize. The impish figment of his hyperactive imagination refuses to disappear, however, and comically becomes an inseparable if annoying companion.

 

Monday 23 August / Tuesday 24 August – 7pm

 

SMALLTOWN, ITALY

 

original title: PROVINCIA MECCANICA; directed by: Stefano Mordini;

 

cast: Stefano Accorsi, Valentina Cervi, Ivan Franeck, Miro Landoni, Luisa Pasello, Barbara Folchitto, Giacomo Piperno, Lorenzo Zanetti, Adele Ferruzzi; country: Italy; year: 2004; film run: 07′

 

Within the mechanical rhythms and habits that often make up small-town life, Marco and Silvia Battaglia—a young couple with two children (Sonia and Davis), an iguana and a dog—seem to march to a different drummer. Despite love and affection to spare, and a job as a trolley operator in a factory, Marco is unable to provide peace of mind to his wife Silvia, who is oppressed by a judgmental mother. Persistently and ruthlessly, the mother manages to gain custody of little Sonia. The separation ruptures the family’s delicate harmony: it upsets routines, alienates loved ones and undermines their faith in each other. Marco and Silvia’s journey may be uphill, but fate is on their side. Mistake after mistake will not stop them from finding their own way back together.

 

Wednesday 25 August / Thursday 26 August – 7pm

 

RAISE YOUR HEAD   

 

original title: ALZA LA TESTA; directed by: Alessandro Angelini; cast: Sergio Castellitto, Gabriele Campanelli, Giorgio Colangeli, Anita Kravos, Duccio Camerini, Augusto Fornari; country: Italy; year: 2009; film run: 86′

 

Mero is a skilled worker at a shipyard and a single father. His son Lorenzo is his only reason of living. Mero’s dream is for the boy to become champion boxer, but the world he constructs around his son is a closed one, where each day resembles to next. One night Lorenzo runs away and has an accident…