Oct 23, 2014

26th Oct 2014; De Sica's TWO WOMEN


TWO WOMEN
A film by Vittorio De Sica
1960 / Italy / 97 minutes
26th Oct 2014; 5.45pm / Perks Mini Theater
http://konangalfilmsociety.blogspot.in/


Based on the novel by Albert Moravia the film explores war from the perspective of a woman and her young daughter as it is a story of motherhood as well as a coming of age story for her daughter. Set in World War II during the rule of Benito Mussolini, the film explores a woman and her 12-year old daughter trying to hide from the horrors of war by traveling from Rome to the Northern Italian mountains.

It’s a film that showcases what women go through in war as they endure many of its horrors where a widow tries to shield her daughter from these moments where the two become part of a group of refugees seeking shelters in the mountains. They befriend a former professor with Communist ideals. 

The film’s screenplay does have this unique structure where the first act is set in Rome as well as Cesira and Rosetta walking towards the mountains when their train is forced to be stopped. The second act is set in the mountains and in nearby villages while the third is about Cesira and Rosetta trying to return to Rome when the Americans arrive to liberate Italy.

"Two Women" is a remarkable slice of life and show the great acting ability Sophia Loren possesses. Very rarely are beauty and talent merged in one character. Evidently, the purpose of this account, as originally written by Alberto Moravio and adapted by Cesare Zavattini for the screen, is to represent the disaster of those people—and, indeed, of Italy—who thought the war was a matter of playing it cozy and making do.

 The indication of Allied soldiers committing the devastating rape is the ultimate bitter dramatization and comment upon the tragedy of the war. De Sica's direction has the qualities of fullness and momentum that are familiar and so compelling in his films.
(Source ;: Internet)



Vittorio De Sica

Vittorio De Sica, was one of the great directors of the postwar Italian neorealist movement, which represented a large, loud break with Hollywood tradition and dealt with life as it might exist outside sound stages. As one of the world's most influential filmmakers, and as an actor who starred in some 150 movies, Vittorio De Sica built a remarkable film career that spanned half a century. De Sica directed 34 feature films, for which he won numerous international prizes. He was honored with four Academy Awards: two Special Awards, preceding the creation of the Best Foreign Film category, for "Shoeshine" in 1947, and "The Bicycle Thief" in 1949, and Best Foreign Film Awards for "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" in 1964, and The Garden of the Finzi-Continis in 1971.

De Sica was born in 1902 in Sora, near Rome, and grew up in Naples in a middle-class family. His career took off in the 1920s when he joined a local theater company and became a matinee idol. He later formed his own company, producing plays and co-starring with his first wife, Giuditta Rissone During World War II, De Sica turned to directing. His first four films were routine light productions in the tradition of the Italian cinema of the day. But his fifth, "The Children Are Watching Us," was a mature, perceptive, and deeply human work about the impact of adult folly on a child's innocent mind. The film marked the beginning of De Sica's collaboration with author and screenwriter Cesare Zavattini, a creative relationship that was to give the world two of the most significant films of the Italian neorealism movement, "Shoeshine" and "The Bicycle Thief."    Some more great films followed. Vittorio De Sica died in 1974 at the age of 72.                                                                                     



Oct 1, 2014

5th Oct 2014; Alexander Payne's NEBRASKA



NEBRASKA
A film by Alexander Payne
2013 / USA / 115 min
5.45pm; 5th Oct 2014 ; Perks Mini Theater
http://konangalfilmsociety.blogspot.in/


 

Filmmaker Alexander Payne is quite gifted at capturing speech in transit, the way conversation is contoured by the rhythms of the road. On the face of it, Nebraska is no exception – it’s about the relationship between a father and son, Woody Grant and Dave Grant, played by Bruce Dern and Will Forte, who take a road trip from Billings, Montana to Lincoln, Nebraska, to collect a million dollars that Woody thinks he’s won on a lottery sweepstakes. 
 The movie focuses on the quixotic quest of a senile and alcohol-addled Korean War veteran Woody Grant. Nebraska is one of the few films you'll ever see about the commandment to honor your father and mother. David is a big-hearted son who has empathy for his father.

“Nebraska” taps into a lot of universal truths while telling a story about the kind of ordinary people not often showcased in movies. Shot in beautiful tones of black and white (and silver and gray), “Nebraska” is steeped in nostalgia, regret and bittersweet moments. Yet it’s also a pitch-perfect cinematic poem about the times we live in.

In many ways, “Nebraska” hews to the classic buddy road-picture, with the mismatched Woody and Dave setting forth on a journey of mishaps, chance encounters, hilarious high jinks and — of course — filial bonding.
(Source:Internet)


Alexander Payne

Born on February 10, 1961, in Omaha, Nebraska, filmmaker Alexander Payne is known for such critically acclaimed film as Sideways (2004), The Descendants (2011) and Nebraska (2013). His mother was a college professor and his father ran a restaurant. While his parents hoped he would join a respected field, such as law or medicine, Payne graduated from Stanford University with degrees in history and Spanish literature.

After university, Payne attended the University of California, Los Angeles' prestigious film school. From the very beginning, he aspired to become a director. Starting with His 60-minute thesis film, The Passion of Martin (1989) he continued to make remarkable films. Staying true to his beliefs, he directed and co-wrote About Schmidt (2002) with Jack Nicholson in the title role as a retired widower searching for meaning in his life which won prizes and accolades.  In 2012 he received three more Academy Award nominations, this time for his film The Descendants (2011)—Best Director, Best Screenplay based on other material and Best Motion Picture. In 2014, Alexander received another Academy Award nomination for Best Directing for his film Nebraska (2013).