Enzo Moscato
Set in the 1790s, this historical drama follows the travails of an idealistic noblewoman who helps lead a daring revolution in Italy.
Five Italian directors -- Pappi Corsicato, Antonietta DeLillo, Antonio Capuano, Stefano Incerti, Mario Martone -- contributed a quintet of short films depicting life in Naples under the shadow of the volcano for this anthology film of comedy, drama, surrealism, and political commentary on the Italian left. Shown at the 1997 Venice Film Festival.
Vittoria Belcastro, a Calabrian oncologist, telis of her long battle against cancer, which she won. Her therapy is based on respect for life, but also for the disease. Two literary testimonies serve to counterpoint her touching words: "Pozzi d'amore (Wells of Love)", a theatrical monologue by Enzo Moscato, the portrait in which fragments the rhythm of the film, and "In alto a sinistra (Top left)", the transposition of a tale by Erri De Luca, in which the themes of pain, memory and absence emerge from the story of a father-son relationship.
A surreal travel drama, shot on Sicility with Italian actors. IlViaggio Clandestino is a film about saints and sinners. Whether you areblessed or doomed is often dependent on someone's soul that on whether theypray or suffer. The kindred spirit of San Gil ! the Holy Gil ! is CiccioBavaria who, unilke the former, continues to seek sin. For Bavaria sin isliberating and dynamic. The film tells the story of the journey made by thesetwo protagonists; a journey that leads to the demise of San Gil, while Bavariais reincarnated as Buddha. There is another traveller, a clandestinetraveller. Christ, always fleeing the angels. This Christ does not helphumanity with miracles, but by keeping himself alive as best he can givingweather forecasts.In this strange sainty story, Ruiz allowed himself ot be inspired byapocryphal books about saints of flesh and blood.
This high-energy three part comedy has a strong undercurrent of melancholy, as it shows three different women coping with difficult situations which are usually sexual in origin, even if the moment of romance is long past. In the first tale, Aurora has gotten used to a cozy, wealthy life, but begins to see her world destroyed when her husband is caught in bed with his secretary. Later, he flees the country to avoid getting arrested for something else he has done. Carmela is just welcoming her wayward son back to their slum home after he has spent a stint in "reform" school. Not only has he just confessed to her that he's gay, but he has become a heroin addict.Finally, Libera works at a newsstand outside of Naples as the sole breadwinner for her family. She is tired of her husband lounging in their house when he is not out tomcatting around with prostitutes, and decides to do something about it. So she secretly has him filmed in bed, and is marketing the tapes at her newsstand.
Naples. Professor Renato Caccioppoli, professor of pure mathematics, is a tormented and disillusioned man living a difficult life. Back from the psychiatric hospital, abandoned by his wife, and having become a stranger to his own party colleagues of the PCI and its employees to the University, he lives his life with disenchanted posting.
