Saturno Contro

I recently saw the movie, Saturno Contro (IBS or Amazon), by the director Ferzan Ozpetek, which came out in 2006 and was recently released in the American market by Strand Releasing. This is a wonderfully directed and beautifully shot film about the lives of friends who suffer an immense tragedy when one of their friends, Luca, suffers a hemorrage, falls into a coma, and ultimately passes away. Throughout all of this, each of the friends suffers further setbacks as each comes to terms with losing such a dear friend while, at the same time, dealing with their own personal problems - from infidelity, to coping with loss, to realizing that the last words you had with your departed friend were bad ones...

I dare not say more as not to ruin the story or the nuances of the film, but, this is, by far one of the best films of this director and one of the best films that I have ever seen. This is also a great film with which to practice your Italian. The language spoken is quite approachable -- intermediate students and above will get a great "workout" with this film. Even as a beginner, perhaps with the help of subtitles, you can enjoy and improve your Italian by watching this film. Watching films is one of the best ways to improve your Italian and better your listening comprehension -- and with movies, if you get stuck or think that you're missing something, you can turn on the subtitles and sort of check your understanding.

Even the music of the film is quite luscious with songs by Neffa and Carmen Consoli. Check out the soundtrack here -- IBS or Amazon.

Al Cinema! -- Part 1

Here's part 1 of my list of recommended movies that I think that you will enjoy. The Italian, in my opinion, is pretty accessible and make for excellent practice opportunities. I'll list the titles in English when provided along with the original Italian title:

This movie, Facing Windows (La finestra di fronte), by Ferzan Ozpetek, is a strange love story about two people who always seem to be "two ships passing in the night". I don't want to talk too much about this movie because I don't want to give away the story, but I think that this is a movie that you will enjoy very much. The language is very approachable.

The movie is currently out of print in the US but readily available in Italy from Internet Bookshop Italia.



Another wonderful film that I'm sure you will enjoy is My Best Enemy (Il mio miglior nemico) which debuted at the Italian Film Festival in 2006 in Australia. This wonderful comedy features noted Italian comic, Carlo Verdone. If you wish to purchase this film, check out IBS or Palace Films as part of the Italian Film Festival DVD set. Palace Films operates out of Australia so be sure to check that any purchases made will work on your DVD player in your home country. The Palace Films version has subtitles.



Also from that same film festival comes the mystery (giallo), Quo Vadis, Baby? -- based on a book by Grazia Verasani of the same title. In the story, a private detective receives a strange collection of home movies of her dead sister and decides to find out once and for all the truth behind her sister's death. I haven't had a chance to read the book, but I found the movie to be compelling and arresting, and the story had several unexpected twists that I did not anticipate. You can purchase it from IBS or from Palace Films as part of the festival DVD set.


One of my favorite films of all time is Un sacco bello. This film you'll only find from an Italian vendor (I've given the link for IBS, but you can probably find it from another preferred vendor). This delightfully funny film features Carlo Verdone playing three different characters in three different situations in the film. From hippy, to playboy to the bumbling fool, Verdone pulls off this funny and quirky film. The language used can be a bit tough at times, but it's not impossible, and I guarantee that you will enjoy this film.