Happy Birthday, Vittorio Taviani! Born today in 1929, this Italian screenwriter and film director was the elder half of a duo of filmmakers collectively known as the Taviani Brothers who collaborated in productions of note.
Born in San Miniato, Tuscany, Italy, Taviani, years later, along with his younger brother Paolo, decided to become filmmakers in the mid-1940s. Both had walked into a movie theater called Cinema Italia, which no longer exists.
There, they saw a screening of Italian film director, screenwriter, and producer Roberto Rossellini's ('Rome, Open City', 'Europa '51', 'Journey to Italy') 1946 Italian black and white neorealist war/drama film 'Paisan'.
Post screening, the film had spoken to the brothers on such a deep level that they knew that this is what they wanted to do for the rest of their lives. However, the brothers began their careers as journalists.
In 1960, they came to the world of cinema, co-directing with Dutch documentary filmmaker and propagandist Joris Ivens' ('A Tale of the Wind') 1960 Italian black and white documentary film 'L'Italia non è un paese povero' ('Italy is not a poor country').
Nine years later, along with Italian versatile interpreter buy easily angered actor Gian Maria Volonté, the brothers gained attention two years later with the 1969 Italian Eastmancolor drama/fantasy film 'Sotto il segno dello scorpione ('Under the Sign of Scorpio').
In viewing the film, one can see the echoes of German theatre practitioner, playwright and poet Bertolt Brecht, Pier Paolo Pasolini, and Jean-Luc Godard.
In the early 1970s, the brothers wrote and directed in the 1974 Italian drama/history film 'Allonsanfàn'.
It starred Marcello Mastroianni, who had a role as Fulvio Imbriani, an ex-revolutionary who has served a long term in prison and now views his idealistic youth in a much more realistic light, and nevertheless gets entangled in a new attempt in which he no longer believes. The film's score was written by Ennio Morricone.
Three years later, the brothers wrote and directed the 1977 Italian drama film 'Padre Padrone' ('Father and Master'). It went on to win the Palme d'Or at the 30th Cannes Film Festival in May of that same year.
Five years later, Vittorio, alone with Paolo, co-wrote and directed the film of which they are best known. This was the 1982 Italian fantasy war/drama film 'La notte di San Lorenzo' ('The Night of the Shooting Stars').
Told in a flashback via bedtime story, the film is set during World War II in Nazi-occupied Italy. A village finds itself caught in the bloody struggle between retreating Nazi forces, stubborn fascists, local partisans and the incoming U.S. forces.
However, a group of villagers, including love-struck Galvano (Omero Antonutti) and his dream girl, Concetta (Margarita Lozano), opt to leave their village and search for American troops.
The story, set in part during a Tuscan celebration, is told from the point of view of six-year-old Cecilia (Micol Guidelli).
At film's end, the mother telling the story to her son at the beginning is revealed to be Cecilia.
'The Night of the Shooting Stars' went on to be awarded the Jury Special Grand Prix at the 35th Cannes Film Festival in May of that same year.
The following year, the film was also selected by Italy as its entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 55th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee. This occurred at the 55th Academy Awards in mid-April 1983.
In the early 2010s, the brothers wrote and directed the 2012 Italian drama/docudrama film 'Cesare deve morire' ('Caesar Must Die'). It was based on William Shakespeare's titular 1599 historical tragedy play.
For the film, it won a Golden Bear at that year's Berlinale, where it premiered. This occurred at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival in February 2012.
One year later, the film was also selected as the Italian entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the. However, it did not make the final shortlist. This occurred at the 85th Academy Awards in late February 2013.
Five years later, Vittorio passed after a long illness in Rome, Italy on April 15, 2018. He was 88. Vittorio is survived by his brother Paolo, 87, as well as his other younger brother, Italian film director and writer Franco Brogi Taviani, 77.
Vittorio is also survived by his two daughters: Italian actress Francesca Taviani and Italian film director Giovanna Taviani.
The trademark of the Taviani brothers was combing the social concerns and documentary effects of Neorealism with modernist concerns for outstanding, often poetic, visual and aural effects.
Taviani had been active from 1954–2015.
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