Intorudction to the Capolavoro podcast, 20 movies from 20 different directors, from Luchino Visconti’s 1943 influential ‘Ossessione’ to Maura Delpero’s brilliant 2024 ‘Vermiglio’. If you want to know more about post-war Italian cinema the Capolavoro podcast is a great place to start.

Participants:

Russ Kilbourn, Professor of Literature and Film, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario (Canada) http://rjakilbourn.com/

Ken Barrett, UK based visual artist, writer, podcaster and short film producer http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/

The film and the movie poster we discussed: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064116/

Theme music: Tarantella composed by Stephen Brown.

Portrait print by KB.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this extended series finale we talk about 1968 film 'Once Upon a Timer in the West', Sergio Leone's operatic and big budget return to the Spaghetti Western. Russ discusses the script, elements of the story assembled from earlier westerns, the main characters and the cinematography. We discuss the central role of Claudia Cardinale and a problematic scene with Bronson, Fonda's inspired casting against type and Robard's masterly performance. Morrecone's score is centre stage and we discuss his inclusion of a musical theme for each of the main characters ( a practice common in opera) how rehearsals of set pieces were accompanied by the music and how some shots were synchronised with the music. We touch on possible political resonances, critical responses to the film and the classic movie poster also gets a mention.

Participants:

Russ Kilbourn, Professor of Literature and Film, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario (Canada) http://rjakilbourn.com/

Ken Barrett, UK based visual artist, writer, podcaster and short film producer http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/

The film and the movie poster we discussed: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064116/

Theme music: Tarantella composed by Stephen Brown.

Portrait print by KB.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Mario Martone's 2022 movie, based on Ermanno Rea's 2016 novel, 'nostalgia' is not a bittersweet reflection on the past but an obsessive need to return to the Naples of the main character's youth. We talk about the contrast with 'Gomorah', another movie involving the Camorah discussed earlier in the series, and the excellent award winning performances, particularly Pierfrancesco Favino as Felice and Aurora Quattrocchi who plays his elderly and infirm mother. The effective and unusual (in terms of presentation) use of flashback gets a mention and the central importance of the old district of Sanità where is is shot. We also talk about the music, a play list rather than score, featuring particularly the long established German electronic band Tangerine dream.

Participants:

Russ Kilbourn, Professor of Literature and Film, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario (Canada) http://rjakilbourn.com/

Ken Barrett, UK based visual artist, writer, podcaster and short film producer http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/

The film: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14034614/

Ermano Rea:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ermanno_Rea

Tangerine dream:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangerine_Dream

Theme music: Tarantella composed by Stephen Brown.

Portrait print by KB.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.