Böcker av Carlo Celli

When themes of historical and cultural identity appear and repeat in popular film, it is possible to see the real pulse of a nation and comprehend a people, their culture and their history. National Identity in Global Cinema describes how national cultures as reflected in popular cinema can truly explain the world, one country at a time.

This book is a complete reworking and update of Marga Cottino-Jones' popular A Student's Guide to Italian Film (1983, 1993) . This guide retains earlier editions' interest in renowned films and directors but is also attentive to the popular films which achieved box office success among the public.

Roberto Benigni, the Italian comedian, actor, director, and writer, gained international fame when his film La vita e bella/ Life Is Beautiful (1997) won three Oscars in 1999, including Best Foreign Film and Best Actor. Benigni has been a steady presence in Italian popular culture since the mid-1970s. This book introduces Benigni's performances in film, stage, and television, little known outside of Italy, with an emphasis on the cultural and intellectual backdrops that characterize his films, including his origins among the Tuscan rhyming poets and his experiences in the Roman avant-garde theater. Benigni's statements about his experiences and apprenticeships with cinema notables like Cesare Zavattini and Federico Fellini reveal a wealth of fresh information and confirm the sense that there is more to this madcap buffoon than meets the eye.

Italian filmmaker Gillo Pontecorvo is best known for his films about anti-colonial insurgency and terrorism. In this book, containing several black and white photos, author Carlo Celli examines Pontecorvo''s entire career, from his days as a leader in the anti-Nazi/fascist resistance during World War II to his 1992 short documentary about Algeria''s struggle with Islamic fundamentalism. This is the first book-length study in English of Pontecorvo''s entire career, and features in-depth examinations and re-readings of his major films Kap├│ (1959), The Battle of Algiers (1965), Burn! (1969), and Ogro (1979). The book also addresses Pontecorvo''s largely unknown early documentaries and features, such as Giovanna (1956) and The Wide Blue Road (1957). Celli concludes with an examination of the documentary films that Pontecorvo made in the 1990s including Return to Algiers (1992). This work will be of interest to academics and students of film, but it will also have an appeal to readers concerned with issues regarding the political use of violence in the 20th centuryΓÇöwhether it be defined as terrorism, counter-insurgency, or freedom fighting.