A few classics
La Dolce Vita
Call Number: 16252 DVD
Publication Date: 1960
A journalist mixes in modern Roman high society and is alternately bewitched and sickened by what he sees.
Ladri di Biciclette
Call Number: 23117 DVD
Publication Date: 1948
In postwar, poverty-stricken Rome, a man, hoping to support his desperate family with a new job, loses his bicycle and main means of transportation to work. With his wide-eyed young son in tow, he sets off to track down the thief.
La Notte di San Lorenzo
Call Number: 19387 DVD
Publication Date: 1982
Depicts the final days of World War II in Italy, seen mostly through the eyes of a six-year-old girl.
Cinema Paradiso
Call Number: 22479 DVD
Publication Date: 1990
A young boy in a small Italian village is befriended by the projectionist at the movie theater, the Cinema Paradiso. As the boy grows up, he learns to love films, and is encouraged by his good friend to pursue his dream of one day making movies.
Divorzio all'Italiano
Call Number: 18500 DVD
Publication Date: 1961
A man falls in love with a younger woman, his cousin, but he is married and divorce is illegal. To get what he wants, he begins an elaborate scheme to kill his wife.
L'Avventura
Call Number: 10319 DVD
Publication Date: 1960
A wealthy girl disappears on an island during a yachting excursion; gradually her searchers become pre-occupied with their own problems and the girl is never found.
I Fidanzati
Call Number: 13825 DVD
Publication Date: 1962
A young Milanese couple’s relationship is tested when the man accepts a new job in Sicily, causing them to be separated for long periods of time.
Rocco e i Suoi Fratelli
Call Number: 12648 DVD
Publication Date: 1960
The story of four poor Italian brothers and their mother who leave their country home and move to bustling Milan with hopes of improving their bitter fortune. The family is thrown into chaos when two of the brothers are torn apart by their love for the same woman and their struggles to succeed in a viciously competitive world.
1900
Call Number: 34938 DVD
Epic story of two families in Italy traces both the rise of fascism and the conflict between the sons of the families, both born on January 1, 1900.
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Finding Italian language films
To find Italian language films, use the advanced search in the Infohawk catalogue. Limit your search using the dropdown menus for language and format. You can add keywords (such as an actor's name) to narrow your search.
Once you've found a title that looks good, you'll need to write down the location code and take it to the information desk in Main Library. Since DVDs are kept in closed stacks, a staff member will go retrieve it for you.
You can also request that a DVD be pulled for you beforehand by clicking on the location, and then clicking "Request Delivery." You'll be prompted to put in your hawkID and specify at which library you'd like to pick it up. You'll get an email when it is ready for you.
Films from 2000 on
Respiro
Call Number: 29468 DVD
Grazia is a carefree mother of three, who soon becomes the focus of her neighbors’ gossip. While her fellow Lampedusians work and live hard - oblivious to their native paradise - Grazia alone is courageous enough to blissfully embrace life’s treasures. Her wild, sensual and free-spirited behavior reflects the unrivaled beauty of her heavenly seaside village. She is not understood or accepted by the social conventions of the town, nor its strict tribal rules. Brings to light the network of true affection inside the family.
Io Non Ho Paura
Call Number: 22928 DVD
While playing outside one day in a wheat field, nine-year-old Michele discovers Filippo, who is chained to the ground at the bottom of a hole. Michele witnesses town bad boy Felice nearby and suspects something bad is happening. Michele is unsure whom he should tell about his discovery, eventually spilling the tale to his closest friend. When Michele’s parents learn of his discovery, they warn him to forget whatever he saw.
Vincere
Call Number: 31350 DVD
About fascist dictator Benito Mussolini and the woman he loved. Ida Dalser was scorned, denounced, and then written out of history. Mussolini’s rise to power and Dalser’s descent into an insane asylum are tragic counterpoints in a doomed romance. Dalser may have been written off at the time, but Bellocchio and Mezzogiorno allow her a final, unexpected triumph in this cinematic masterwork.
Il Caimano
Call Number: 33965 DVD
A famous B-movie producer is hired to produce a film, but when the director quits, he is forced to go with another screenplay, written by a young director. At the same time the director’s private life is falling apart, as he is divorcing from his wife and the bank is pressing him to pay back long-standing debts. It seems the struggle to get his movie filmed is the only thing that keeps him going.
How can I help? |
 Kelly McElroy |
For more information
- Europa Film Treasures - Italian film archivesWatch clips from early Italian films through Europa Film Treasures.
- Wikipedia's list of Italian moviesBrowse Wikipedia's list of Italian movies -- if you find something that looks good, check if we have that title in the Libraries.
- Recommend a DVD for purchaseIs there a movie we don't have? Fill out this form to recommend that we buy it -- and we'll put it on hold for you if we order it.
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