Italy in the Movies

A Selected list of Italian Films and/or American/English films set in Italy

2003 — Under the Tuscan Sun — loosely based on Francis Mayes' bestseller. Romance in Cortona
2002 — Ripley's Game — awful sequel w/o Matt Damon. Nice scenery of Asolo and Villa Barbaro though
2001 — Bread and Tulips (Pane e Tulipani) — A married woman rediscovers herself and finds romance
2001 — Italian for Beginners —— Danish film. Seven lonely singles find love when taking a weekly Italian class
2001 — The Son's Room (La Stanza del Figlio) — director Nanni Moretti's powerful family drama
2000 — Malena — coming of age story in WW2 setting by director Giuseppe Tornatore
1999 — The Talented Mr. Ripley — Matt Damon, Gwen Paltrow, Jude Law
1999 — Tea with Mussolini — artsy Brits relax in Florence thinking Mussolini is their friend and the crude Americana Cher is not.
1997 — Life is Beautiful (La Vita e belle) — Roberto Benigni tells us that love conquers all; Oscar winner Best Foreign Language Film
1996 — Stealing Beauty — An American girl (Liv Tyler) in Tuscany. Bertolucci film also stars Jeremy Irons
1995 — The Star Maker — more Sicily from the Cinema Paradiso director Giuseppe Tornatore
1994 — Il Postino — nominated for Best Picture Oscar ; lost to Braveheart
1994 — Only You — romance and comedy starring Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey
1994 — Dear Diary (Caro Diario) — quirky slice of Italian life by director and comedic actor Nanni Moretti.
1992 — Enchanted April — more Brits in Italy
1991 — Mediterraneo — Italian soldiers on a Greek Island make for sweet comedy; Oscar winner Best Foreign Language Film
1991 — Johnny Stecchino — aka Johnny Toothpick ; more Roberto Benigni zaniness
1991 — Where Angels Fear to Tread — British and Italian sensibilities in conflict.
1990 — Everybody's Fine (Stanno tutti bene) — wonderful performance by Marcello Mastroianni and scenes of Sicily, Rome, Florence, Naples, Rimini and more. And of course, everybody's not fine. Tornatore, director.
1988 — Cinema Paradiso — set in Sicily ; director Giuseppe Tornatore's Oscar winning Best Foreign Language Film
1986 — A Room with a View — finding love while on holiday in Florence. The best "Brits in Italy" film?
1982 — The Night of Shooting Stars — powerful WW2 drama
1976 — Seven Beauties (Pasqualino Settebelleze) — director Lina Wertmuller
1975 — Swept Away — terrific rendering of class and gender politics by director Lina Wertmuller
1974 — The Godfather Part II — Oscar winner Best Picture ; scenes of Sicily
1974 — Amarcord — a Fellini film set in 1930s Rimini; Oscar winner Best Foreign Language film
1973 — Don’t Look Now — Donald Sutherland, Julie Christie – Excellent film — Venice can be quite scary.
1973 — Blume in Love — George Segal and Susan Anspatch ; on this list for its scenes of Piazza San Marco
1973 — Bread and Chocolate (Pane e Cioccolata)
1972 — The Godfather— Oscar winner Best Picture ; scenes of Sicily
1972 — Avanti! — director Billy Wilder, actors Jack Lemmon and Juliet Mills. Many many laughs
1971 — Death in Venice
1970 — The Garden of Finzi—Continis — late 1930s, in Ferrara, Italy; Money, class, grace and manners won't save the Finzi—Continis from Il Duce's plans; Oscar winner Best Foreign Language film
1970 — The Conformist
1965 — Juliet of the Spirits — Fellini
1964 — Marriage Italian Style (Matrimonio all' italiana) — Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni and director Vittorio de Sica
1963 — 8 1/2 — director Frederico Fellini ; Oscar winner Best Foreign Language film
1963 — Gidget Goes to Rome
1963 — Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (Ieri, Oggi, Domani) — director Vittorio de Sica, actors Loren and Mastroianni; All Sophia Loren all the time. Oscar winner Best Foreign Language film
1962 — Escapade in Florence — A Disney caper movie starring Annette Funicello and Tommy Kirk
1962 — Rome Adventure — Suzanne Pleshette, Troy Donahue; great scenery triumphs over weak acting
1961 — Come September — Rock Hudson, Gina Lollobrigida, Bobby Darin, Sandra Dee and Joel Grey. Nice scenery and romance and a light rendering of early sixties manners and morals
1961 — Two Women (La Ciociara) — director Vittorio de Sica, with Sophia Loren Oscar winner Best Actress
1961 — Divorce Italian Style (Divorzio all' italiana) — Marcello Mastroianni
1960 — La Dolce Vita — Fellini film with Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg
1960 — L'Avventura
1960 — It Started in Naples — Capri and Naples never looked better. Clark Gable, Sophia Loren and V. De Sica
1957 — Nights of Cabiria (Le Notti di Cabiria) — again Fellini ; Oscar winner Best Foreign Language film
1955 — Summertime — Katherine Hepburn; no movie has better scenes of Venice
1954 — Three Coins in the Fountain — The Fountain is the Trevi Fountain in Rome
1954 — La Strada — and again Frederico Fellini ; Oscar winner Best Foreign Language film
1953 — Roman Holiday — Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, and a ten Academy award nominations. Another favorite of mine.
1950 — September Affair — illicit love in Florence, Rome and Capri. Actors Joseph Cotton and Joan Fontaine
1948 — The Bicycle Thief
1946 — Open City (Roma Citta Aperta)—director Roberto Rossellini's story of the Italian Resistance in Rome, 1943.