The New Mexico Italian Film Festival

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By the time I was seventeen my total Italian film experience consisted twenty-two viewings of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. It wasn’t until much later in my life when I began to appreciate the finer accomplishments of Italian cinema. A showcase of thirteen Italian and Italian themed films, some considered the best in their genre, have been chosen as the roster for this years New Mexico Italian Film Festival, February 12 - 17; a fundraising event for UNM Children’s Hospital.

While I have reservations about a few of the choices for the festival there are numerous films in this lineup that deserve both thumbs up and consideration for viewing on one of the three large screens that will host the films. The following are my best picks:

The Bicycle Thief
This story, with it’s grainy black and white images, is as near a dream in film as Jean Cocteau’s La Belle et la Betê. Set in postwar Italy a man’s bicycle is stolen and with it his chance at one of the few available jobs. In a 2002 directors poll Bicycle Thief placed sixth on the list of greatest film ever made.

The Godfather - Part II
To the five people out there who haven’t seen this . . . go see it. Gangsters, acting and story telling at it’s best.

My Voyage to Italy
Martin Scorecesse scores almost perfectly with this documentary about the history of Italian film and the influence it had in his own work. Don’t let the two-hundred and forty minutes running time scare you; Scorecesse is such a fine host the time will fly.

Umberto D
A 1952 Italian neorealist film. Most of the actors were non-professional, including Carlo Battisti as the main character, but a more remarkable tribute to human resilience in film will be hard to find.

The Best of Youth
A long drawn out affair (6 hours) that will have you wondering who gave this director a camera and film. Then, during a strategically placed intermission, when you will be taken to a superb dinner at Scalos, it will suddenly hit you that you want to finish the story. It starts slow but eventually captures you.

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly - Not!
Okay, okay, this films not in the lineup, but it should be.

There are other films at the Festival worth seeing and some that might make you wish you had stayed home and gnawed your arm off. I won’t list these because after all, critique can be subjective and you may find a gem here that I viewed with a critic‘s eye. At any rate, the Festival is an entertaining event for an admirable cause, so make a week of it and . . . ricevere