Here Are The 16 Finest Italian Movies You Can Watch Right Now:
There are so many well-reviewed Italian movies that it’s strange that some classics don’t make it into the top 10 when IMDb users’ scores are used to rank them. There is not a single Fellini movie on the list, nor is there a single Giallo movie.
Therefore, IMDb’s top 10 can’t be taken as a complete list of the best Italian movies. However, all of these movies are great, and they’re all good places to start for people who want to learn more about Italian film.
In Italy, movies began to be made in the early 1910s. New big film studios opened within Naples, Rome, Turin, as well as Milan. The early Italian silent films were praised all over the world. Cabiria, by the groundbreaking Giovanni Pastrone, is one of these important pieces of film history.
Martin Scorsese often says that Pastrone created the “epic film” style, which had an impact on the work of D.W. Griffith as well as Cecil B. DeMille. But after World War I, there was a big drop in the number of movies made in Italy.
There are so many well-reviewed Italian films that it’s strange that some classics don’t make it into the top 10 when IMDb users’ scores are used to rank them. There is not a single Fellini movie on the list, nor is there a single Giallo movie.
Therefore, IMDb’s top 10 can’t be taken as a complete list of the best Italian movies. However, all of these movies are great, and they’re all good places to start for people who want to learn more about Italian film.
A Classic Horror Story:
“A Classic Horror Story” is about a group of strangers who are driving an RV through rural Italy. While they are upon their way, the driver of the RV suddenly sees a dead goat and swerves to escape it. The RV then crashes into a tree.
When the group turns around, they are surprised to see that the road is no longer there. Instead, they are standing within an opening in the middle of a thick forest.
They discover a hut nearby. When they go inside, they find a deadly and scary gang that seems to want to kill them. The group has no choice yet to fight for their lives because they are trapped in a dangerous battle against forces they don’t know about.
Caesar Must Die:
The lively, almost-documentary film by the Taviani brothers follows a group of prisoners from Rome’s Rebibbia jail, which is a high security jail. Not like most jail movies, Caesar Must Die gives a unique look at life behind bars.
It gives a very insightful look at art as the prisoners practice and perform Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Caesar Must Die, which won the Golden Bear Prize at Berlinale, is a study of how art can spark creativity and provide an escape.
Paolo as well as Vittorio Taviani are brothers who have been making movies for more than 50 years. Padre Padrone, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, was their most well-known work.
Umberto D:
Umberto D. is without a doubt one of the most impactful Italian Neorealism films. It is both interesting and painful to watch. It’s a very simple movie regarding an old man as well as his loyal dog who are having a hard time getting by on the old man’s small government income, but it can make you feel very strong feelings.
It’s a little hard to explain what makes it so interesting, but that’s typical of movies that seem simple on paper but are great in real life.
It’s movies like Umberto D. that show you that you can create a movie out of almost anything, and it shows a sad but true reality for some people in a compassionate and moving way.
Four To Dinner:
The sweet love comedy “Four to Dinner” is about four single friends who are trying to find the right partner for each other.
In a stunning piece of storytelling, the film follows four separate plots at the same time, as each friend seeks to find the right partner for them. This movie is a must-see if you want to see a feel-good story that will make you question what it means to have a “soul mate.”
The Son’s Room:
People often say that Nanni Moretti is like Woody Allen; in fact, he is known as the “Italian Woody Allen.” Both artists work in many different styles, but I find Moretti’s work to be surprisingly strange, deeper, and more adult.
The Son’s Room is about an Italian middle-class family that seems to be happy. The family’s perfect life is thrown into chaos when they learn of the sad death of their teenage son.
Nanni Moretti acts the father who is going through a problem and works as a psychologist. The Son’s Room, winner of the Palme d’Or, goes deep into grief without being sugary. It’s a memorable movie thanks to the modest performances of the great cast.
Il Sorpasso:
Il Sorpasso is a comedy/drama regarding two very different people who go on a road trip together. It is one of the best movies with the late Jean-Louis Trintignant. Things are pretty fun and easygoing at the beginning, but as the story goes on, more drama creeps in, building up to a pretty shocking ending.
This movie is better than most road movies because it mixes comedy and drama so well, the lead players are so charismatic, and the movie shows so much beautiful Italian scenery. It’s an interesting old movie that has held up pretty well over the years. Fans of Italian movies and people who have never seen one before should both watch it.
Caught By A Wave:
“Caught by a Wave” starts out as a sweet love story between Sara as well as Lorenzo, who meet at a summer sailing school in Sicily. Sara’s muscles seem to go numb all of a sudden during a sailing lesson, but Lorenzo jumps to help her and doesn’t think much of it afterward.
As their relationship grows, the movie takes a cruel turn by showing that Sara has muscle dystrophy that is getting worse quickly. It will slowly take away her movement skills before killing her. This means that the happy love story quickly turns into a sad one as the students try to accept fate’s cruel hand.
Gomorrah:
Matteo Garrone’s deglamorized look at the Italian mafia is worth watching, but only if you’re patient. Some of Mario Puzo’s books, like “The Godfather,” showed how the Sicilian gang worked on a dramatic level.
The best-selling book by journalist Roberto Saviano The 2006 book gave a thorough account of the “Camorra” family tree, which is based within and around Naples. Working with five screenwriters, director Garrone stays away from the flashy excesses of crime drama.
From a dramatic point of view, the movie looks at the scary truths inside the criminal group. The story builds up through stories that don’t seem to go together and builds up to a powerful, scary finish.
Rocco And His Brothers:
At almost three hours long, Rocco as well as His Brothers was a crime tale regarding a family that is both hard to watch and worth it. The movie is very tense because it’s about a group of siblings who are all involved in crime in different ways, and there are fights when two of the brothers falls in love with the same woman.
It’s famous because it was one of the first movies where the great Alain Delon played the lead part. His acting and charm really shine in this movie. Some people might not want to watch it because of how long it is, but patience will pay off because at the end, you’ll feel like you’ve seen an entire season of TV sped up into one movie.
365 Days:
“365 Days” is about an ambitious executive named Laura Biel who is stuck in a boring relationship. Laura Biel thinks she wants some fresh air after her boyfriend makes her look bad again one night.
Massimo Torricelli, who is in charge of the Torricelli crime family right now, is on the same path as her. He grabs her as well as takes her to his house. His story is that he saw her for the first time five years ago and hasn’t been able to get her off his mind since.
He tells her that he will hold her hostage for a year or until she changes her mind about him. He makes it clear that he doesn’t want to force himself on her and tells her that she will fail if she tries to run away.
With Fists In The Pocket:
Mario Bellochio’s first full-length movie is a deeply comedic look at a broken family that is both physically and mentally sick. Along with Before the Revolution by Bernardo Bertolucci, Fists in the Pocket marked the start of a new era in Italian film.
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Neo-realism had held back the New Italian Cinema at the time, which was political and thematically risky. Even though Bellochio’s humor is dark and silly, he never avoids understanding the characters as well as their sad flaws. Also, Bellochio hasn’t been able to copy the passion of the images and the creative energy that is shown here.
18 Presents:
In the sci-fi thriller “18 Presents,” a woman named Anna is fostered by her father because her mother died of breast cancer soon after giving birth. Anna plans her fair share of rebellions as a young adult on the verge of leaving home, just like everyone else. A car owned by her mother, who has been dead for a long time, hits her.
After some time, Anna learns she has gone back 21 years. “18 Presents” is a touching movie about love, loss, and getting over things. It will make you think of “Back to the Future” and “The Lake House.”
Big Deal On Madonna Street:
In his great movies, Mario Monicelli finds deep humor and irony in the saddest scenarios. We follow a group of bad, low-level thieves called “Big Deal on Madonna Street” as they try to steal from a safe that isn’t well protected. This heist movie was made by Monicelli during a time of great heist movies like Asphalt Jungle as well as Rififi.
But Monicelli uses his great comic accuracy to poke fun at situations and pictures that are common in movie heists. Marcello Mastroianni, Vittorio Gassman, as well as Claudia Cardinale are just a few of the great actors in the movie.
Bicycle Thieves:
IMDb users say that Bicycle Thieves is the best Italian Neorealism movie, and it’s easy to see why. This is another sad, realistic movie in the movement. It’s about a working-class dad who does everything he can to get back his stolen bike because he needs it to make ends meet for his family.
The main plot of the movie is about a father and his son who are looking for a bike thief. The story is simple, with only a few characters, but the emotional stakes make the movie interesting. Bicycle Thieves is one of the greatest Italian movies of all time, even though the plot might not sound very interesting on paper because it is so straightforward.
The Ruthless:
Santo Russo started his life as a criminal very young. As a result of being caught by the police as a child for a crime he didn’t commit, he slowly joins organized crime.
As an adult, he is in charge of a group of very smart thieves in Milan. He gets married to Mariangela, a girl he has known since they were kids. After that, he starts his dirty and brutal rise to the top of the crime world.
The movie is directed through Renato De Maria as well as was written by Renato De Maria as well as Valentina Strada. The movie also has Alessio Praticò, Pietro Pace, as well as Marie-Ange Casta in it, along with Scamarcio and Serraiocco.
La Dolce Vita:
The Palme d’Or-winning film by Frederico Fellini is a clever spoof on the reckless excess of the European upper class. It is through the eyes of a newspaper reporter named Marcello Rubini that Fellini’s movies show modern Rome.
La Dolce Vita doesn’t really follow a typical story framework. It’s mostly made up of expressive short stories set in changing settings, since Marcello is trying to find happiness. The movie has a lot of striking scenes that made the word “Felliniesque” come into use. This word is used to describe Fellini’s crazy and flashy style.