#122 – The Dreamers, 2003, Bernardo Bertolucci
A young American studying in Paris in 1968 strikes up a friendship with a French brother and sister. Set against the background of the ’68 Paris student riots.
Tag: Italy
#157: Le Trou
#157 – Le Trou, 1960, Jacques Becker
Four prison inmates have been hatching a plan to literally dig out of jail when another prisoner, Claude Gaspard, is moved into their cell. They take a risk and share their plan with the newcomer. Over the course of three days, the prisoners and friends break through the concrete floor using a bed post and begin to make their way through the sewer system – yet their escape is anything but assured.
#159: The Battle of Algiers
#159 – The Battle of Algiers, (La battaglia di Algeri), 1966, Gillo Pontecorvo
Tracing the struggle of the Algerian Front de Liberation Nationale to gain freedom from French colonial rule as seen through the eyes of Ali from his start as a petty thief to his rise to prominence in the organisation and capture by the French in 1957. The film traces the rebels’ struggle and the increasingly extreme measures taken by the French government to quell the revolt.
#167: Pierrot le Fou
#167 – Pierrot le Fou, 1965, Jean-Luc Godard
Pierrot escapes his boring society and travels from Paris to the Mediterranean Sea with Marianne, a girl chased by hit-men from Algeria. They lead an unorthodox life, always on the run.
#175: Amarcord
#175 – Amarcord, 1973, Federico Fellini
In an Italian seaside town, young Titta gets into trouble with his friends and watches various local eccentrics as they engage in often absurd behavior. Frequently clashing with his stern father and defended by his doting mother, Titta witnesses the actions of a wide range of characters, from his extended family to Fascist loyalists to sensual women, with certain moments shifting into fantastical scenarios.
#178: The Conformist
#178 – The Conformist, (Il conformista), 1970, Bernardo Bertolucci
A weak-willed Italian man becomes a fascist flunky who goes abroad to arrange the assassination of his old teacher, now a political dissident.
#179: The Earrings of Madame de…
#179 – The Earrings of Madame de…, (Madame de…), 1953, Max Ophüls
In France of the late 19th century, the wife of a wealthy general, the Countess Louise, sells the earrings her husband gave her on their wedding day to pay off debts; she claims to have lost them. Her husband quickly learns of the deceit, which is the beginning of many tragic misunderstandings, all involving the earrings, the general, the countess, & her new lover, the Italian Baron Donati.
#184: The Great Beauty
#184 – The Great Beauty, (La grande bellezza), 2013, Paolo Sorrentino
Jep Gambardella has seduced his way through the lavish nightlife of Rome for decades, but after his 65th birthday and a shock from the past, Jep looks past the nightclubs and parties to find a timeless landscape of absurd, exquisite beauty.
#187: Certified Copy
#187 – Certified Copy, (Copie conforme), 2010, Abbas Kiarostami
In Tuscany to promote his latest book, a middle-aged English writer meets a French woman who leads him to the village of Lucignano.
#190: 2046
#190 – 2046, 2004, Wong Kar-wai
Women enter and exit a science fiction author’s life, over the course of a few years, after the author loses the woman he considers his one true love.
JUMBO CACTUAR APPROVED FILM
Jumbo Cactuar Film Index 