L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano Still capable of thrilling the audience, Cinema Paradiso triumphantly returns to Hollywood "When my friends at Istituto Luce Cinecittà, Cineteca di Bologna, and Dolce&Gabbana said they wanted to restore Cinema Paradiso, I was incredu- lous: "Thank you, but the film has just been released, why would you restore it?" Twenty-six years have passed since Giuseppe Tornatore's most appreciated film debuted in Italy, and its return to Hollywood has caught the attention of cinema enthusiasts worldwide, eager to watch again on the big screen a movie that made the history of Italian cinema. On November 10, the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood hosted an exclusive gala to cele- brate the 25 th anniversary of the Academy Award victory of Cinema Paradiso as Best Foreign Language Film in 1990. Celebrities the likes of Al Pacino and Danny DeVito were in atten- dance, and the red carpet also became a nostalgic tribute to the memory of the late producer Franco Cristaldi. Danny DeVito, a living legacy of the Italian- American heritage, said that Italian cinema has always meant a lot to him and his career, from his very first exposure to it: "I realized that after watching Gillo Pontecorvo's The Battle of Algiers, which encouraged me to revisit all the Italian filmmakers that I could." Director Giuseppe Tornatore answered to a few questions on this experience. Cinema Paradiso returns to Hollywood after twenty-five years. How can you describe the feeling of being here again as a protagonist? It's a very special emotion, even if I still think that the movie was finished only two weeks ago. The memory of it is so recent, so alive. And realizing that nearly 30 years have passed, to the point that the negative needed to be restored, was such a big surprise to me. All of this has created an interior turmoil not easy to solve. Attending the screening of the film in a room crowded with people and wit- nessing to the same reactions that the public had years ago was an incredible feeling. So many years later, I can still see exactly the same strong emotions, the same attention, the same quality enter- tainment. And I was very impressed. After Paolo Sorrentino, next year another Paolo - Virzì - will run for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award. It looks like the Italian cinema is back to the U.S. This is what I hope for. Every year there's a movie that repre- sents Italy at the Oscars: some- times we succeed, sometimes we don't, but we always do our best to show the world our great tradi- tion and culture. Fingers crossed then, I hope that Paolo can win and lead Italy to the second vic- tory in a row. Forty years have passed since Vittorio De Sica's death. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2014 www.italoamericano.com 4 Can you share with us your memory of him? Vittorio is still a landmark for all film lovers, and not only in Italy. The whole world still rec- ognizes him as a leading figure in the seventh art. His movies are a source of inspiration for both new generation filmmakers and the most established ones. De Sica has led to cultural, humanis- tic, and narrative references, cre- ating unsurpassed masterpieces as Bicycle Thefts and Umberto D., two milestones that nobody else will ever achieve. The restoration of Cinema Paradiso took six months and was carried out by Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna, personally overseen by director Giuseppe Tornatore and cinematographer Blasco Giurato. Roberto Cicutto, CEO and President of Luce Cinecittà, stated: "Every oppor- tunity to celebrate great authors and great films should become a tool for their new diffusion. Cinema Paradiso is reborn, thanks to the recovered images On Friday, November 14, 2014, Adriana Vercelli made a graceful transition to Heaven. A world traveler, Adriana was born on J anuary 25, 1 926. S he demonstrated strong journalistic skills, and her column in L'Italo- Americano newspaper "Adriana Around the World" was widely read. Her adventures brought her to A frica, the S outh P ole, Bhutan, Korea, Vietnam, Russia, China, South America, and her beloved Italy. Adriana worked for 12 years in the televis ion indus try (KTLA, KABC) and many more in real estate, holding countless leadership positions in the com- munity and winning professional honors . A s a leader of the Glendale Board of Realtors, she w as aw arded Realtor of the Year; she was also president of the Women's Council of Realtors and of the Glendale Bus ines s & P rofes s ional Women, which awarded her the Business & Professional Women of the Year. Within the Italian communi- ty, s he w as pres ented the Columbus Day Woman of the Year Award by the Federated Italo-Americans of Southern California. A long time member of the G aribaldina S ociety, Adriana held leadership posi- tions within the Santa Lucia Society, the Italian Women's Club, and the Cabrini Literary Guild. She was also VP of the Federated Italo-Americans of Southern California and a loyal s upporter of the P atrons of Italian Culture. Yet the group she felt the most affinity towards MARCO BRUNA and sounds that have been enriched with cutting-edge tech- nical means." The restoration was realized thanks to the support of Italian fashion brand Dolce&Gabbana, reaffirming their passion for art as a whole: "Giuseppe Tornatore is one of our favorite filmmakers, who has contributed to Italian cinema in a memorable way. In our collections we are very often inspired by his films." The world premiere of digital- ly restored Cinema Paradiso was also linked to the 10 th edition of Cinema Italian Style and AFI Film Fest. On November 13, Giuseppe Tornatore – and Franca Sozzani, Chief Editor of Vogue Italia – was presented with the Cinema Italian Style 2014 Award, in recognition of his con- tribution to promote Italian cre- ativity and art in the world. As Consul General of Italy in Los Angeles, Antonio Verde, under- lined, "Cinema represents an opportunity to disseminate Italian culture and to strengthen our relationships." The celebrations also included the opening of the exhibition 25 Years in Cinema Paradiso at the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles, on view until January 15, 2015, and showcasing memo- rabilia, images, props, and a series of documentary screen- ings, including a tribute to iconic actress Sophia Loren and produc- er Franco Cristaldi, considered as one of the most influential fig- ures in the Italian movie industry. Italian singer Eros Ramazzotti presents the award to director Giuseppe Tornatore. Photo credit Alessandro Rabboni. Photo courtesy of Kika Press Giuseppe Tornatore. Photo courtesy of Kika Press Remembrance in loving memory of Adriana Vercelli was the Piemontesi nel Mondo, being one of its original founders and president for many years. Always proud of her Italian heritage, Adriana gave back to the community in her graceful and gentle manner. Above all, she was a devout Catholic and an active member of the Italian Catholic Federation, and sup- porter of Villa Scalabrini and the Scalabrini Fathers. Adriana is survived by her daughter Palma Vincenti, son Gary Vercelli, son in law John Vincenti, and grandson Matteo Vincenti. Services will be held at St. Peter's Italian Catholic Church, 1039 N Broadway, Los Angeles, on S aturday, N ovember 22. Rosary will take place at 10:30 am and Mass at 11:00, followed by a lunch reception in the adja- cent Casa Italiana in celebration of a joyful life. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that contributions be made to V illa S calbrini Retirement Center, 10631 Vinedale St., Sun Valley, CA 91352, where Adriana spent her final year in loving care. " Non ti potr ò s cor dar e, piemontesina bella, sarai la sola s tella che br iller à per m e" . Addio, Adriana. Adriana Vercelli

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