The Interdepartmental Program in Film Studies at the University of MassachusettsAmherst
17th annual Massachusetts Multicultural Film Festival
“Cinematic Cities”
Mid August Lunch (Pranzo di Ferragosto)
Screening date: Wednesday April 21, 2010 - 7:30 pm
137 Isenberg SOM
Suggested Readings
Synopsis of Mid August Lunch:
1. Mid August Lunch. Filmswelike.com
This article provides a brief synopsis of the film. Gianni is a middle aged man who lives with his mother and ends up entertaining 3 other elderly women for a day. He is overwhelmed by these women at first but at the end of the day, they do not want to say goodbye to each other.
Reviews of Mid August Lunch:
1. BryanTT. “Mid-August Lunch Pleasant, Tenderly Tasty Trifle.” HollywoodChicago.com. April 2, 2010.
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This review compares Gianni’s directorial debut to Gomorrah, a film which he co-wrote with Matteo Garone. The author notes how Gianni succeeds in creating a quiet and amusing film that pleases his audience.
2. Holden, Stephen. "One Man, Four Women and a Roman Holiday." Nytimes.com. The New York Times, 17 Mar. 2010. Web.
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Mid August Lunch is a film that follows lively crew of elderly women who seem perfectly content in their roles. Gianni’s film is able to avoid falling into a cheesy sentimental rhythm while at the same time it gives us a sense of fulfillment as the women look back at their lives.
3. Phipps, Keith. “Mid-August Lunch.” Onion AVClub.com. April 1, 2010.
Phipps highlights the quiet and nuanced approach taken by Di Gregorio in exploring opportunities taken and opportunities missed during the course of one’s lifetime. The review takes delight in the director’s balanced, nonheavy-handed use of humor in discussing serious subjects of aging and loneliness. Phipps calls Mid-August Lunch “a trifle, but a trifle that sticks.”
4. Senjanovic, Natasha. “Mid-August Lunch.” Hollywood Reporter. September 2, 2008.
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Senjanovic describes the film as intelligent, funny, and irresistible. Despite its small budget, the film is one that many can enjoy. She highlights how refreshing it is to see older characters written with both warmth and respect. Di Gregorio also satirizes the role of the Italian “mammone,” a man who never escapes a suffocating mother. The film captures Rome without resorting to the stereotypical images of the city.
5. Thomas, William. "Mid-August Lunch - The Subtle Drama of an ItalianVillage | The List." The List. 12 Aug. 2009.
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Thomas praises Gianni’s ability to show the view that what matters in life it is the little joys of life such as eating and friends. Gianni is able to create an ‘authentic’ air about his film which is mostly set in a Roman apartment.
6. Weissberg, Jay. “Mid-August Lunch.” Variety. September 8, 2008.
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Weissberg describes the film as delicate and subtle. Though it is small in budget, this film is most certainly worthwhile. Some of the actors are non-professionals but the cast and crew still succeed in both pleasing the crowd and critics. The film manages to be warm-hearted and humorous while also avoid exaggeration of any characters or plot points. The music balances the subtlety of the film by not overwhelming the viewer. Overall, the film succeeds in being “true to life” by avoiding over-the-top plot points or techniques.
Information on Gianni Di Gregorio:
1. "Gianni Di Gregorio." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Imdb.com.
A filmography of Gianni Di Gregorio’s accomplishments as a Writer, Director and Actor.
2. “Profile: Gianni Di Gregorio.” The List. August 12, 2009.
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A short biography featuring quotes by Gianni Di Gregorio. He studied acting and directing before making the switch to screenwriting. He began collaborating with the director Matteo Garrone in the mid 90s. He speaks about the struggles to finance Mid August Lunch, directing nonprofessional actors, and the ability to insert humor into his writing. Di Gregorio credits Martin Scorcese’s Mean Streets as a major influence on his aspirations to pursue filmmaking as a career.
Interviews with Gianni Di Gregorio:
1. Hammond, Wally. “Gianni Di Gregorio: Interview.” Timeout London.
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An interview with Gianni Di Gregorio about writing Mid August Lunch, his casting choices, and the awards he has received for the film. The story is somewhat autobiographical concerning a ten year period where Di Gregorio lived with his mother. The flat in which the film takes place is where Di Gregorio and his mother actually lived together.
2. Lybarger, Dan. “A Stationary Feast: An Interview with Mid-August Lunch star and director Gianni Di Gregorio.” EFilmCritic.com. 2010.
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Di Gregorio discusses his use of a one location setting, his own apartment, along with non-professional actors, including his aunt. He also expresses his ideas about Italian films in America along with his experience working on the film Gomorrah.
Reviews of Gomorrah:
1. Ebert, Roger. “Gomorrah.” RogerEbert.com. February 25, 2009.
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Ebert recounts Gomorrah’s success across Europe, both at the box office and the festivals. He countinues on to discuss the nonfiction book by Roberto Saviano which inspired the film. Ebert says that the film’s realism creates a more dreary atmosphere than other gangster films such as The Godfather.
2. Schwarzbaum, Lisa. “Gomorrah.” Entertainment Weekly. February 18, 2009.
Schwarzbaum prefaces her review with an explanation of Italian organized-crime and while none of the characters are actual people, their stories bare a lot of truth. The filmmaking style is that of quick cuts and constant motion. Many of the actors are non professionals but that does not make their performances any less powerful, or horrifying.
3. Stuart, Jan. “In Gomorrah, Young Men on Fire.” Washington Post. February 27, 2009.
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“Innocence nuzzles close to dark intent and the threat of violence throughout Gomorrah, Matteo Garrone’s smashing dramatic account of the murderous Camorra crime network in Italy. Adapted from Roberto Saviano’s international bestseller, this vibrantly disorienting cinematic import reinvents the vocabulary of the crime drama with a painterly eye and a feverish documentary style.”
4. “Gomorrah Awards.” New York Times.
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A brief list of Gomorrah’s award nominations.
Information on Italian Cinema:
1. Ben-Ghiat, Ruth. “The Italian Cinema and the Italian Working Class.” International Labor and Working-Class History 59 (2001): 36-51.
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Through the dissection of four film texts, What Scoundrels Men Are (1932), Bicycle Thief (1946), Rocco and His Brothers (1960), and The Seduction of Mimi (1972), Ben-Ghiat examines pre-and-post-war Italy’s positioning of the working class in social films. The author discusses the subject of censorship in the Italian film industry as well as the influence of Catholicism in secular life. She notes, “A focus on the family and its constructive and destructive affective ties has served directors to explore the dynamics of power relations and social change over four decades of Italian history” (49).
2. Bertellini, Giorgio and Marco Bertozzi. “Visualizing the Past: The ItalianCity in Early Cinema.” Film History 12.3 (2000): 322-329.
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This very informative article tracks early Italian cinema from 1905 to 1915. The majority of early Italian films combined narrative morphologies and expressive techniques adopted from theatre and other forms of literature. The article discusses how cinema represented the Italian city as a modern urban setting. The main focus of the article is on the realistic and actuality genres, specifically the city being represented as nothing more than natural décor.
3. Forgacs, David. “Film Culture in Rome.” Film Quarterly 61.3 (2008): 40-45.
Forgacs explores the evolution of film in Italy and the migration of its resources from one city to the next. Now most of the production centers are based in Rome. Filmmaking cultures have reemerged in Naples, “new Neapolitan cinema”, Milan, and Turin. The article also focuses on the different schools for film education in Italy.
4. Pezzotta, Alberto. “A Journey Through Italian Cinema.” Senses of Cinema (2003).
Examines contemporary Italian cinema by opening with a critique of Martin Scorsese’s film Il Mio Viaggio in Italia (My Voyage in Italy). Pezzotta, the writer, questions Scorsese’s choice to interpret Italian cinema as the works of auteurs instead of focusing on the broader context. He also does not include a wide range of Italian directors in his film, only those that are most celebrated. This may be attributed to Italian film critics who tend to disregard other directors beside De Sica and Rossellini. Pezzota writes about the directors who are often overlooked such as Germi Caprioli, and Damain. Sadly, only the auteurs and major craftsmen are remembered and the rest are forgotten. The problem with contemporary cinema is that there is not a wide distribution or viewing of Italian films.
5. Povoledo, Elisabetta. “Cannes Success Gives Italian Cinema a Boost.” New York Times. July 2008.
Povoledo writes on the success of two Italian films, Gomorrahand Il Divo at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. The last time two Italian films won top prizes was in 1972. This recent success is a sign of good things to come after a somewhat disappointing time in contemporary Italian cinema. One reason for this bright spot may be that the narrative and visual language of the films is international despite distinctly Italian themes.
Information Compiled and Annotated by:
Ken Wong, Kristin Vaselacopoulos, Allison Mulvey, Anthony Putvinski,
Sarah Mias, and Mindi Harris