Description
Book SynopsisItalian filmmakers have created some of the most magical and moving, violent and controversial films in world cinema. During its twentieth-century heyday, Italy's film industry was second only to Hollywood as a popular film factory, exporting cinematic dreams with multinational casts to the world, ranging across multiple genres. 'Cinema Italiano' is the first book to discuss comprehensively and in depth this Italian cinema, both popular and arthouse. It is illustrated throughout with rare stills and international posters from this revered era in European cinema and reviews over 350 movies. Howard Hughes uncovers this treasure trove of Italian films, from Lucino Visconti's epic 'The Leopard' to the cult superhero movie 'Puma Man'. Dario Argento's bloody 'gialli' thrillers and Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns are explored alongside films of Federico Fellini, Pier Paolo Pasolini and Michelangelo Antonioni. Chapters discuss the rise and fall of genres such as mythological epics, gothic horrors, science fiction, spy films, war movies, costume adventures, zombie films, swashbucklers, political cinema and 'poliziotteschi' crime films. They also trace the directorial careers of Mario Bava, Sergio Corbucci, Francesco Rosi, Lucio Fulci, Duccio Tessari, Enzo G. Castellari, Bernardo Bertolucci and Gillo Pontecorvo.
Table of ContentsArt and Artifice: An Introduction to Italian Cinema Acknowledgements Chapter One - Hercules Conquers the Box Office: Mythological Epics Chapter Two - Historical Escapades, High Seas and Low B’s: Costume Adventures Chapter Three - Fall of the Empire: Sword and Sandal Spectacles Chapter Four - Tales from the Tomb: Gothic Horrors Chapter Five - Battle of the Worlds: Science Fantasy and Fiction Chapter Six - Vita All’Italiana: Love and Death Chapter Seven - Shoot, Gringo…Shoot!: Italian Westerns Chapter Eight - Passports to Hell: Euro Crime and Crimebusters Chapter Nine - Anarchy and Allegory: Political Cinema Chapter Ten - Mission Improbable: World War II Movies Chapter Eleven - Knifes in the Dark: Gialli Thrillers Chapter Twelve - A Funny Thing Happened: Italian Comedy Chapter Thirteen - Splats Entertainment: Italian Cinema Eats Itself Bibliography and Sources
