Mario Monicelli Retrospective | MovieMov

CLASSIC RETROSPECTIVE

MARIO MONICELLI

We have dedicate a special tribute to an Italian director and screenwriter and one of the masters of the Commedia all’ Italiana (Comedy Italian style) Mario Monicelli. The critics have described his cinematography as a perfect mirror of the Italian society during the 1950s and 1960s, the pre and post War years. Through his movies we can understand the evolutionary change of an entire society, the costumes and traditions of a country, all the virtues and vices of one generation and their weakness, bitterness, failures, hopes and dreams. Without his work, we wouldn’t have had the courage to change our point of view concerning the Italian history learned on school books. From Macchiavelli’s Mandrake (Mandragola) to the Comedy of craft (Commedia dell’Arte), we have revalued the deepest vein of the Italian culture: to play down the importance of everyday dramas. An entire life dedicated to Cinema, his genius and intemperance, as only the great masters can act. According to this, celebrating the 150th Unification of Italy anniversary, we have decided to describe our country and Italian people through Monicelli’s work, since we have a new generation of Italian directors (thanks to the work of Monicelli, Dino Risi and Luigi Comencini) bringing new life to the Comedy Italian style.

A special selection of 7 movies among these “La Grande Guerra – The Great War“, featuring Alberto Sordi, Vittorio Gassman e Silvana Mangano. For this work Monicelli won a Leone d’Oro in the Venice Film Festival, and an a Academy Award nomination for best foreign film. “Un Borghese Piccolo Piccolo – An Average Little Man” that was presented in the 1977 Cannes Film Festival, “Il Marchese del Grillo – The Marquis of Grillo” for whom Monicelli won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 32nd Berlin International Film Festival and “I Soliti Ignoti – Big Deal on Madonna Street“.