On this day 40 years ago, Vittorio De Sica died. On this day 105 years ago, Gunnar Björnstrand was born. Björnstrand was a Swedish actor who appeared in many of Ingmar Bergmans films, and, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest actors to ever live. Through a Glass Darkly and especially Winter Light are probably the best examples of his talents. An amazingly powerful actor, with possibly the hardest eyes and facial features Ive ever seen -- perfect for Bergmans films. There is an unrelenting cruelty in his expression that I can honestly say Ive never seen anything like, before or since. De Sica was one of the fathers of Italian neorealism. Hes the Italian director who made the 1948 film, Bicycle Thieves, the centerpiece of the neorealist movement, often considered one of the greatest films ever made. I, personally, dont think thats accurate, but its a very good film that everyone should see. His earlier neorealist works, The Children Are Watching Us (1944) and Shoeshine (1946), are probably even better, or at least more entertaining. And I also recommend his 1970 film, Sunflower, long after hed left his days as a neorealist behind. Its a bit heavy-handed on the drama, but visually and emotionally its a very beautiful film. De Sicas best film, however, of the ones Ive seen. is probably La riffa, a 50-minute segment from the 1962 omnibus film Boccaccio 70. Now there is a film everyone should see. Boccaccio 70 is fantastic. Its an Italian film featuring four segments by four different Italian directors: Mario Monicelli, Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti, and Vittorio De Sica. Monicelli was a notable Italian director, but not massively famous like the other three were, but his segment is just as good as theirs. All four segments in the film are wonderfully entertaining. Its one of my favorite films, and I could watch it over and over and over, and Im sure that in time I will. Despite all four segments being of more or less equal quality, if I had to choose, I would say De Sicas segment is the best, and a wonderful finish to the film. The film is in color, and doesnt feel at all dated, so you dont have to worry about watching some old, black-and-white, artsy film. It couldnt be farther from that. Its very mainstream, very comedic, very light, and very fun. Give it a shot. It also has the voluptuous beauty of Sophia Loren as well, in case further motivation is needed. Heres a little two-minute excerpt from De Sicas segment in Boccaccio 70. By no means the best the film has to offer, but the only one I could find:
Posted on: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 13:57:10 +0000
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