My Second Day at the Lido

On my second day at the Festival, I had my usual early morning  and arrived at the Lido at 9 am for a walk, and to have time to read Ciak, latest gossips,  and films’ plots sitting in front of the Excelsior hotel.

At 11 I went to see Gravity, which I thought has been realized with the accuracy of a master, in technical terms, but that lacked a little bit in the screenplay, it keeps your attention alive, but, in the end, it left me disappointed. Good film overall, but it certainly isn't 2001: A Space Odyssey or Solaris. 

After a quick lunch I went queueing to see The Art of Happiness (Italian animated film) by Alessandro Rak, of which I had read very good reviews. The standing ovation for the whole crew attending the screening does not need any explanation. It was emotional, great on all levels, modern, actual, and real, the music was original, the screenplay was at a high level, and the filmmaking has nothing to envy to non-animated films.

But the moment I was looking forward to was the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement ceremony prizing William Friedkin, a unique director, in my opinion, who really changed the logic of horror films, and please remember he did not only direct The Exorcist!!

The screening before the ceremony was the restoration of Sorcerer, one of his bests, but often forgotten, films. The emotion started very early once the director and his wife entered the room, and sat a few seats ahead of mine. I just think it is amazing to watch the artists who put heart and mind in a film rewatching themselves or their work.  The characters were so well constructed in this simple, but complex story of the human binomial: good and evil. 

I had never seen someone receiving such an important prize, plus it was Mr Friedkin’s Birthday and he couldn’t be happier.

Follow this link to read Friedkin's acceptance speech: 

http://artbookscinema.blogspot.it/2013/09/william-friedkin-golden-lion-for.html

Right after the ceremony I went out and waited in front of the red carpet to see who was about to come: I had the pleasure to see Mr Friedkin again, the Italian singer Edoardo Bennato, the actor Riccardo Scamarcio, the actress Francesca Cavallin, the Festival’s godmother and model Eva Riccobono, and the amazing Mia Wasikowska, protagonist of Tracks which I was going to see on the following day.

William Friedkin - Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement Ceremony

I'm sorry to upload my posts about the Festival so late, but lately I have been having the busiest days ever, and I only have some time today to write.

One of the best experiences I had in Venice was to attend the ceremony for William Friedkin receiving the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement.

First of all, we had the chance to see a restoration of one of his best films: Sorcerer, which I found amazing, for the way in which he manages to play with the four protagonists and make them hit by Fate especially through the use of the camera.
Here's the director's comment on the film:

"The Exorcist was a story about the Mystery of Faith. Its impact had a profound and unexpected effect on me. I felt compelled after three years of working on all the foreign versions of that film, to direct a film about the Mystery of Fate, about men of no faith trapped in a landscape devoid of morality. The ideal scenario was George Arnaud's novel and H.G. Clouzot's The Wages of Fear. I approached my film, not as a remake, but as a newly conceived version, much as a new production of any classic, such as Hamlet or Rigoletto is not a remake. The main characters are flawed men, condemned to a life of hell on earth, though they desperately cling to existence. Their fate is not in their own hands, but in the hands of an unseen evil wizard, the Sorcerer of the title. If I was able to choose one of my films by which to be remembered, it would be Sorcerer."

The emotion was even bigger because Mr Friedkin was sitting just a few rows ahead of me.

Here is the director's speech which I recorded live in the Sala Grande. 

Due to some technical problems in uploading the video, here is the speech:

"An interviewer asked me today, how important is it to me to win the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Venice Film Festival, several interviewers asked me that, I told them what I'll say to you, it's the most important award I could possibly get, with one exception that I'll tell about it at the end of my little acceptance speech. It's important to me because of the great list of filmmakers who have preceded me, and who received this award for works that, I think, will live forever. To be on a list with Charles Chaplin, Akira Kurosawa, Orson Welles, in fact Orson Welles won the first Life Achievement Award in 1970 when they first gave the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, and it was Orson Welles who inspired me to make movies. In 1949, the Golden Lion was won by H.G. Clouzot, for another film he made Manon, and H.G. Clouzot first inspired this film (Sorcerer). Bertolt Brecht said that "art is not a mirror to be held up to society, art is a hammer with which to shape society." About 45 years ago a very prominent French film critic, André Bazin, asked the question: "What is cinema?". I believe that for 70 years the Venice Film Festival has defined what is cinema, with the choice of films from every country that premiere here every year. The Venice Film Festival even proved that there is life after death, as with this Sorcerer. If it was not for Alberto Barbera, the artistic director of the Festival and my dear friend, I would say my old friend, but he is younger than me, and he looks very young, still handsome as when I first met him, and his wonderful colleague, who was such an inspiration to me, and a friend over the years, Giulia Ballà, and, of course, signor Paolo Baratta, the President of the Venice Festival. I thank you all for giving me this award." 

My First Day at the Lido - 70th Venice Film Festival

For my first day in Venice, after waiting for the waterbus directly going to the Lido, I arrived at the space dedicated to the Festival and started feeling a great  atmosphere. I had never seen something so beautiful taking place somewhere so magical.
Venice really looks like a city suspended in time.

After getting my accreditation my plan was to have a look around and orientate, find some magazines, somewhere to eat and then go see two films:
La belle vie by Jean Denizot and the very chatted Gerontophilia by the controversial Bruce LaBruce. To end my day I had planned to vip-watch George Clooney and Sandra Bullock on the red carpet, for the premiere of Alfonso Cuàron’s film Gravity.

However, my day turned out being a bit different, and better. I was in the Casino Palace to check my email, once outside I noticed a lot of paparazzi. I’ve heard a couple of Venetians saying they were waiting for Clooney and Bullock to arrive for the press-conference, so I decided to wait too, since I could be in the front row.

We waited for an hour, but then I suddenly heard everyone screaming "Georgeeeee" and starting flashing around, the motorboat finally arrived, and there they were. A perfectly dressed and handsome George Clooney (who, quoting Carrie Bradshaw, “is like a Chanel bag,  he never goes out of fashion.”) And a stunning and fit Sandra Bullock in a coloured cocktail dress, her wavy hair and her beautiful smile hitting a whole bunch of cameras.

Even though I love seeing movie stars, because it always feels like a dream, films are always the best part of festivals. The excitement before they start, the applause at their end,  the exchange of opinion, the topics of discussion, the different people you can meet, it’s just amazing.

At 2.30 pm I went to see La Belle Vie, most of the film’s cast and crew was there: director, editor, composer, director of photography, male protagonist, female protagonist, screenwriter, sitting just in front of me. 

After this film and discussion I had just the time to drink some water, and re-enter the room for Gerontophilia. Bruce LaBruce entered elegantly escorting his lead actress Katie Boland and followed by the protagonist Pier-Gabriel Lajoie, in addition to them I had the pleasure to see the screenwriter, the three producers, and the editor. 

Thought my day was over, but then I also managed to see Clooney and Bullock again, on the red carpet this time. 

I stayed there for a while, and then left to go to dinner. On my way to the waterbus station my dad texted me saying “Found a picture of you photographing George Clooney and Sandra Bullock.” He sent it to me, and here it is:

There I am, the girl on the left side of the picture, brown hair :)

I was so happy just because I didn’t have the chance to take a picture with them, but I think this is even more special, I’m in a crowd of paparazzi shot from the front part of the same picture I was taking. 

I got back to Giudecca at 9 pm, and had a relaxing dinner on my own!

Entering the Venetian Mood - Great Films set in Venice

I apologize for the recent lack of posts, but I've been away and busy with flats-hunting, and the organization of my week in Venice. 

I will publish a lot of material from the last exhibitions I saw, and I am also preparing a dedication to Bruce Springsteen's career after reading his biography.

So, while preparing all this, I decided to dedicate a short post to the most famous films set in Venice, in preparation of the Venice Film Festival.

Hope you enjoy it!

Let's go back to the 1950s and to one of the greatest authors of all time: Orson Welles and his Othello, which also won the Palme D'Or in Cannes in 1952.
Luchino Visconti celebrated Venice more than once: first, in his Senso (1954), reflecting the decadence of aristocracy. In 1971, he came back to shoot the adaptation of Thomas Mann's Death in Venice, in which, decline, one of his favourite themes, is the center of the plot.

The melodrama Summertime (1955) directed by David Lean shows the adventures of a stunning Katharine Hepburn on the Lido.
Two years later Dino Risi will direct Venice, the moon, and you starring the unforgettable Alberto Sordi in the character of a fond gondolier.
In 1962 Joseph Losey will direct Eva starring the beautiful Jeanne Moureau.
One year later Gianfranco de Bosio directed The Terrorist, set in the winter of 1943. 

Back in 1935 also the musicals' stars Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers reconstructed Venice in the studio for Top Hat, one of the greatest American Musicals.

The famous Giacomo Casanova is the protagonist of Luigi Comencini's film Childhood, vocation, and first experiences of Giacomo Casanova, Venetian (1969) and also of Il Casanova by Federico Fellini (1976), which is considered one of his masterpieces.

Always in 1976 Joseph Losey will direct his Don Giovanni.

In 1982, Michelangelo Antonioni directed Identification of a Woman starring the Canal Grande as location.

San Barnaba's church is part of a mystery in Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Marhsall Herskovitz directed Owner of her destiny in 1988, whose story takes us back to the Venice of the Fourteenth Century. This historical period was also used by Mauro Bolognini in the film La Venexiana in 1986.

If you love English comedies you must watch Blame It on the Bellboy (1992) by Mark Herman.

The hilarious Woody Allen also chose Venice as setting in the comedy Everyone says I Love You (1996).

A comedy of other kind is Bread and Tulips (1999), directed by Silvio Soldini.

The psychological thriller Toyer (2004) starring Juliette Binoche directed by Brian de Palma uses the Venice Carnival as background to a serial killer's story.

However, the film which suscitated most attention in the last years was probably the adaptation of The Merchant of Venice (2004) directed by Michael Radford, and starring Al Pacino, Kate Blanchett, Ian McKellen, and Joseph Fiennes, together with the film dedicated to the life of the composer Antonio Vivaldi: Antonio Vivaldi, a prince in Venice (2006), directed by J.L. Guillermou.

"Venice never quite seems real, but rather an ornate film set suspended on the water."

(Frida Giannini)

Aren't you already in love? 

70th Venice Film Festival: Official Programme

The films for this year's festival were announced yesterday, I am very excited about many films, but, especially, about the big names that are going to play a part in the Festival. It will certainly be a great honour just to see their work.

Starting from the opening night Alfonso Cuarón will come back with his first film after 7 years, Gravity, starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock. 

The films in competition are:

MERZAK ALLOUACHE - ES-STOUH (LES TERRASSES)

Algeria, Francia, 94'

GIANNI AMELIO - L’INTREPIDO

Italia, 104'

ALEXANDROS AVRANAS - MISS VIOLENCE

Grecia, 99'

JOHN CURRAN - TRACKS

Regno Unito, Australia, 107'

EMMA DANTE - VIA CASTELLANA BANDIERA

Italia, Svizzera, Francia, 90'

XAVIER DOLAN - TOM À LA FERME

Canada, Francia, 105'

JAMES FRANCO - CHILD OF GOD

Usa, 104'

STEPHEN FREARS - PHILOMENA

Regno Unito, 94'

PHILIPPE GARREL - LA JALOUSIE

Francia, 77'

TERRY GILLIAM - THE ZERO THEOREM

Regno Unito, Usa, 107'

AMOS GITAI - ANA ARABIA

Israele, Francia, 84'

JONATHAN GLAZER - UNDER THE SKIN

Regno Unito, Usa, 107'

DAVID GORDON GREEN - JOE

Usa, 117'

PHILIP GRÖNING - DIE FRAU DES POLIZISTEN

Germania, 175'

PETER LANDESMAN - PARKLAND

Usa, 92'

HAYAO MIYAZAKI - KAZE TACHINU

Giappone, 126'

ERROL MORRIS - THE UNKNOWN KNOWN

Usa, 105'

KELLY REICHARDT - NIGHT MOVES

Usa, 112'

GIANFRANCO ROSI - SACRO GRA

Italia, 87'

MING-LIANG TSAI - JIAOYOU (STRAY DOGS)

Taipei cinese, Francia, 138'

Among the films out of competion, I am very curious to see The Canyons by Paul Schrader, Che Strano chiamarsi Federico - Scola racconta Fellini by Ettore Scola, At Berkeley by Frederick Wiseman, Sorcerer by William Friedkin (restored), My Darling Clementine by John Ford (restored), Le Mani sulla Città by Francesco Rosi (restored), La Bête Humaine by Jean Renoir (restored). I can't wait to see these restored classics on the big screen.

Moreover, screened at two independent sections of the Festival I would love to see some of the films independently chosen by the Italian Filmmakers Associations, and 100 Authors, and the 7 films (all debut films) chosen by a selected group of scholars. 

Here's the link to Alberto Barbera's (Director of the 70th Festival) introduction: 

http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/70th-festival/70/barbera.html

"Thus, the past and the future of cinema symbolically join hands, in an edition of the Festival that looks to the future, in the conviction that its mission is far from over."

Alberto Barbera

Waiting for August

Even though I'm getting quite bored, and I really miss London, I'm very excited for all the things I am going to see during the next month.
First of all, if everything goes the right way, I'll spend a week in Cap d'Antibes, a family tradition since I was born, and, from there, I will keep you updated about Le Musee Picasso.
The collection is hosted inside the Chateau Grimaldi, which had been Picasso's house in 1946. Nowadays the collection presents 245 works by Pablo Picasso.
I have been there many times since my childhood, but every year I look at those works of art with different eyes. Art is a never-ending story, it follows the process of growing up, and great art never stops from surprising you.

Moreover, I will spend a day in Milan to see three exhibitions at Palazzo Reale. You all know about my obsession with Alfred Hitchcock, so I cannot miss Alfred Hitchcock in the Universal Pictures' Films. From the reviews I have read, the exhibition is supposed to be an hommage to the American period of the director, with many interactive rooms such as one dedicated to The Birds (1963) celebrating 50 years this year, and another dedicated to Bernard Hermann's soundtracks. If you happen to be in Milan, the exhibition will be held until September 22. Don't miss it!

Another exhibition I am going to see is Guido Crepax: Portrait of an Artist, dedicated to the comic book illustrator who invented the character of Valentina. His work is very interesting for me because it is very much connected to cinema and photography. This one will last until September 20.




Last, but not least, Palazzo Reale also hosts the exhibit: Modigliani Soutine and the Damned Artists - The Netter Collection. The collection presents 120 works of art signed by some of the most important artists who painted in Montparnasse at the beginning of the 20th Century, in which Jonas Netter played a key role as a talent scout. I'm very interested in this kind of artistic period, and in the charm the damned artists suscitate.

If you thought this post was over, you are completely wrong, because the best part hasn't come yet. I'm officially attending the Venice Film Festival, thanks to my badge as a film student. I have already booked my hotel on the splendid Giudecca, and I'm leaving on August 27 and coming back on September 4, in order to go back to London.
This isn't just a wonderful experience for my studies, but Venice is also my dad's hometown, and I'm very glad to have a week on my own to wander around the city.
Bernardo Bertolucci is going to be the President of Jury of this year's edition, Paul Schrader (very famous for being the New Hollywood screenwriter, starting from Taxi Driver) is going to be the President of the International Jury in the section called Orizzonti, and William Friedkin (director of The Exorcist) will be honored with the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement. I will keep you updated directly from the Lido, hoping to photograph some actors, and directors, and share everything with you. You can also find the latest updates here:

http://www.labiennale.org/it/cinema/index.html

Starting from next week they will send me the Festival's programme, and I'll start organizing my calendar.

Meanwhile I'll keep working to save some money, and keep searching for a flat in London.

This is going to be a great summer.