The Italian Film Society of RI
Today is a personal anniversary for me. Ten years ago today, I stopped running the Italian Film Society of RI. I had been showing weekly Italian films since 1981 in Providence to a faithful following. I liked to obtain 35mm theatrical prints wherever possible, but we also showed 16mm prints if that was all that was available.
Most of our showings were at the Cable Car Cinema in Providence where we attracted a large number of folks from nearby RISD and Brown as well as film buffs and Italy buffs and Italian-Americans from the entire area. Our first film, in May of 1981, was Two Women (La Ciociara) with Sophia Loren in her Academy Award role. Our last film on December 8, 1996 was a 1950s comedy called The Bigamist, featuring Vittorio De Sica.
Between start and finish of the series, our shows ranged from classics like The Bicycle Thief, La Strada, La Dolce Vita, Bread and Chocolate to less-well-known films of merit like Leap into the Void, The Railroad Man, The Easy Life, The Steppe, Guendalina, a 3 1/2 hour version of Rosi's Christ Stopped at Eboli. We did numerous local premieres and some way-out films. Pasolini's Salo' or the 120 Days of Sodom (a RI premiere) was one of our most spectacular and notorious events. We had the only RI showings of the uncut 5-hour, 20-minute 1900 (Novecento) of Bernardo Bertolucci. Our three-weeks of the rarely seen Sophia Loren/Lina Wertmüller Saturday, Sunday, Monday, were sell-outs. With pride we also showed Roberto Rossellini's The Messiah as a free show before Christmas in 1981, a rare screening for that movie in this country. We got the print from the director's daughter Isabella Rossellini, married at the time to Martin Scorsese.
We presented films at other locations, such as the nice Roger Williams Park Museum auditorium, the DaVinci Center, and a comedy at the the Castle Cinema which brought in a huge crowd, A Drama of Jealousy (The Pizza Triangle). We mailed out descriptive film calendars before the start of each season, and there were printed notes on the films at every show.
Although the series was financially always solvent by season's end, I got weary doing it. It took up so much time and emotional energy. Also some of the films I would have liked to present were not obtainable. Then there were constrictions with use of the cinema facility. Most of the films came from theatrical and non-theatrical distributors, some from private sources, some directly from Italy, some from my considerable private collection, long since sold.
Anyway, giving folks the likes of Antonioni's masterful L'Avventura was this Italo-cinephile's personal avventura, and I'm glad I did it.
Hands on the Italian cinema.
Most of our showings were at the Cable Car Cinema in Providence where we attracted a large number of folks from nearby RISD and Brown as well as film buffs and Italy buffs and Italian-Americans from the entire area. Our first film, in May of 1981, was Two Women (La Ciociara) with Sophia Loren in her Academy Award role. Our last film on December 8, 1996 was a 1950s comedy called The Bigamist, featuring Vittorio De Sica.
Between start and finish of the series, our shows ranged from classics like The Bicycle Thief, La Strada, La Dolce Vita, Bread and Chocolate to less-well-known films of merit like Leap into the Void, The Railroad Man, The Easy Life, The Steppe, Guendalina, a 3 1/2 hour version of Rosi's Christ Stopped at Eboli. We did numerous local premieres and some way-out films. Pasolini's Salo' or the 120 Days of Sodom (a RI premiere) was one of our most spectacular and notorious events. We had the only RI showings of the uncut 5-hour, 20-minute 1900 (Novecento) of Bernardo Bertolucci. Our three-weeks of the rarely seen Sophia Loren/Lina Wertmüller Saturday, Sunday, Monday, were sell-outs. With pride we also showed Roberto Rossellini's The Messiah as a free show before Christmas in 1981, a rare screening for that movie in this country. We got the print from the director's daughter Isabella Rossellini, married at the time to Martin Scorsese.
We presented films at other locations, such as the nice Roger Williams Park Museum auditorium, the DaVinci Center, and a comedy at the the Castle Cinema which brought in a huge crowd, A Drama of Jealousy (The Pizza Triangle). We mailed out descriptive film calendars before the start of each season, and there were printed notes on the films at every show.
Although the series was financially always solvent by season's end, I got weary doing it. It took up so much time and emotional energy. Also some of the films I would have liked to present were not obtainable. Then there were constrictions with use of the cinema facility. Most of the films came from theatrical and non-theatrical distributors, some from private sources, some directly from Italy, some from my considerable private collection, long since sold.
Anyway, giving folks the likes of Antonioni's masterful L'Avventura was this Italo-cinephile's personal avventura, and I'm glad I did it.
Hands on the Italian cinema.
