In this “Postcards from Italy” Conversation Series, join us for two unforgettable classics — ROMAN HOLIDAY on July 12, and BELLISSIMA on July 19 — that represent the best of this era, presented in context and conversation by two of the country’s most renowned film experts! Join New York Times critic A.O. Scott and TCM’s Alicia Malone as they present two contrasting cinematic views of 1950s Rome. (Scott and Malone will appear in-person for the July 12 screening, and in a pre-recorded introduction for the July 19 screening.)
About BELLISSIMA
Directed by Luchino Visconti and starring Anna Magnani, this Italian neorealist masterpiece serves as a brilliant, sharp satire of the very movie-star illusions Hollywood brought to Rome.
Italy | 1951 | 1h 48m
Directed by Luchino Visconti
Starring Anna Magnani, Walter Chiari
In postwar Italy, Hollywood directors like William Wyler flocked to Rome’s Cinecittà studios to make chic, glamorous films that helped rebuild the nation’s stricken economy and birthed the enduring fantasy of a vita bella on the back of a Vespa. At the same time, Italian neorealist filmmakers like Luchino Visconti occupied those very same spaces, seeking to show this world without filter or polish. Working in such close proximity, these distinct styles began to exist in conversation and make direct reference to one another. Together, they tell a full, vital story of a fascinating place and time.
About the Speakers
A.O. Scott spent over 23 years as a movie critic at The New York Times, reviewing nearly 3,000 films. A Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of Better Living Through Criticism, he currently serves as critic at large for the New York Times Book Review and resides in Midcoast Maine.
Alicia Malone is a celebrated author, film expert, and host on Turner Classic Movies (TCM), including TCM Imports. She has written four books on cinema history, serves on the board of directors for the Strand Theatre, and will debut her first cozy mystery novel, Murder at the Movies, this October.
