L'Italo-Americano

16 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2013 Oscar Contender The Great Beauty's Big Night MICHAEl TRAVERSA The 2013 edition of Cinema Italian Style is one for the ages. Two years ago Luce Cinecittà in collaboration with American Cinematheque added to the program a series of tributes to the greats of Italian Cinema, starting with Dino De Laurentiis and continuing with Carlo Ponti. This year the festival is dedicated to Federico Fellini, a celebration of the work that made Italian Cinema beloved all over the world. The festival not only presents the best Italian films of the year, including the Oscar hopeful The Great Beauty by Paolo Sorrentino, but it also pays an homage to Bernando Bertolucci, presenting the restored 3D version of The Last Emperor, winner of nine Oscars. It's on a hot sunny day in mid November that the Italian delegation reunites for a press conference. The weather is nothing new for Angelenos but it's welcomed as a big surprise by the Italian talent who spent the morning in Venice beach before arriving at the Sunset Towers, a place usually used for big Oscar parties. In fact the Oscars is what's on everybody's mind, many the questions about the chances of Paolo Sorrentino's film to land the nomination in the best foreign film category. The director plays it cool, "I'm not able to answer any questions about the Oscars 'cause I don't exactly know what it is. This is a question better addressed to Bernardo Bertolucci, who won. I don't know what can change in matter of my career". Maestro time in Los Angeles when he met James Cagney and Charlton Heston, two icons of the old Hollywood. "I told Cagney, are you still looking for Shangai Lil?" A question, Bertolucci would later explain, only a cinefile could get. Claudia Gerini (A band Federico Zampaglione's directorial debut Nero bifamiliare. "We, Europeans, see Hollywood as a big dream. Years ago I was thinking about working here, but my career is going strong back home. And I have a young daughter, it would Director Paolo Sorrentino. Photo © Gianfilippo De Rossi Bertolucci raved about the screening of his film at the Chinese Theatre. "Fantastic for the eyes and ears", he said and continued remembering his first perfect family), is the veteran of the group, having come to Los Angeles many times in the past, representing Sergio Castellitto's Don't Move and later her hus- be difficult to move", she said. Jasmine Trinca (Honey) doesn't think there's a big difference between American and European movies, "I had the chance to work with Hollywood stars, it's the same game, just bigger". Maria Sole Tognazzi, director of Five Star Life, had a lot of support from the United States during the production of her film, "It was born here, in America. It's set in luxury hotels, The Leading Hotels. They were the first to show interest and they allowed me to shoot on their premises. Later I had screenings in New York City which led to the possibility of an American remake". On the sold out night of The Great Beauty at the Egyptian Theatre we asked the stars walking the red carpet what qualities they think Italian Cinema should have to break through the hearts of Academy members. Is it a nostalgic factor or the peculiarity of the picture? Sorrentino believes American audiences are looking for credible stories with a unique point of view, while Trinca believes that even though there's always a little bit of nostalgia in play, originality is what matters, "Paolo's film has the great quality of portraying us in a new and very personal way". Andy Garcia, who's a member of the Academy and was at the premiere to watch the film said, "Personally I come with an open mind and I look for being affected by the film". CIS 2013: a closer look at celebrities SIlVIA SIMONETTI What is so fascinating about celebrities? When we see them in the movies, on the stage, or on the cover of magazines, they look like extraordinary human beings dealing with success and perfection in their lives. And perhaps this is the reason why many people are perversely intrigued by their misery when that plenitude is shattered. Nevertheless, watching things from the outside can be misleading sometimes, while a closer – and possibly unnoticed – point of observation may allow to catch different and interesting subtleties. and remarkably replace with concentration and discipline. Director Paolo Sorrentino, for Director Bernardo Bertolucci. Photo © Gianfilippo De Rossi The arrival of the Italian artistic delegation to present Cinema Italian Style 2013 has rightfully drawn the attention of the media and the local community, also because of the Academy Award entry after eight long years. Yet, the first thing to strike us is the approachable and easygoing attitude of good-looking and talented actresses and filmmakers, like Jasmine Trinca or Maria Sole Tognazzi. Some of them even reveal a gentle shyness that they must be able to turn off when working on set, example, kind of eludes questions by the press regarding the Oscar nomination, maybe due to superstition, or maybe – as he says – to the fact that, although every filmmaker dreams of the prestigious Award, he is native of Naples and used to far more pragmatic dreams. In the way he jokes, without taking himself too seriously, we seem to recognize traits of Jep Gambardella, the leading character of his movie The Great Beauty, who declines the umpteenth interview and makes a fool of artists incapable of explaining their art. As opposed to that, Sorrentino's coy manner of lending himself to Q&As suggests that he definitely prefers to express himself through his movies, screenplays and framings, rather than verbally. Significantly, the advice he gets from Academy Award-winning director Bernando Bertolucci on how to deal with the Hollywood star system is to play along and enjoy it. Another unexpected feeling that stands out is the camaraderie between these artists, the way they support each other's work, even if some of them competed for the Oscar nomination. Sometimes they remind of a group of friends on a trip, and we can easily imagine them renting a minivan to explore the City of Angels as jokingly proposed by actress Claudia Gerini. Being a nationally or internationally acknowledged artist implies responsibilities, first of all - as actress Kasia Smutniak underlines – in terms of the message conveyed to the public. By meeting these celebrities, we learned that what makes (at least some of) them extra-ordinary is their own personality, and the ability that we all long for to turn talent into passion, and passion into a job.

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