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L'eclisse [The Eclipse] (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1962)
Jul
10
Mon
Vittoria (Monica Vitti, bottom left) at the Borsa – the Rome Stock Exchange. A clock top-right indicates it's Monday, July 10, 12:31 pm.. DP: Gianni Di Venanzo.
“Everything's crashing here.”
– Vittoria's mother
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Divorzio all'italiana [Divorce Italian Style] (Pietro Germi, 1961)
Jul
3
A closeup of a man's hand holding up a diary. It's the third of July. DPs: Leonida Barboni & Carlo Di Palma.
Additionally, IMDb writes that “director Pietro Germi filmed a close-up of the front page of a newspaper announcing Yuri Gagarin's flight around the earth on April 12th 1961.”
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Il mare [The Sea] (Giuseppe Patroni Griffi, 1962)
Jul
1
The actor (Umberto Orsini) looking out over the island. The claustrophobic framing of the hotel windows contrasts sharply with the openness of the sea. DP: Ennio Guarnieri.
My ideal vacation spot, country, city, town, or resort*
An island, in this case Capri (granted I've never been there), off-season, in a space and time lost in the mists. It'll occasionally rain and it's cold enough to dress up.
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Burnt Offerings (Dan Curtis, 1976)
Jul
1
The chauffeur (Anthony James). DP: Jacques R. Marquette.
“The house takes care of itself.”
– Roz Allardyce
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L'immortelle (Alain Robbe-Grillet, 1963)
Jun
23
Sat
A man's hand holds a crumbled up diary page for Saturday June 23. There are no calendar entries. DP: Maurice Barry.
“You're a foreigner and you're lost.”
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Il vangelo secondo Matteo [The Gospel According to Matthew] (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1964)
Jun
22
National Kissing Day
Judas (Otello Sestili) kisses Jesus (Enrique Irazoqui) in intimate closeup. DP: Tonino Delli Colli.
A [favourite] movie kiss for National Kissing Day (USA*), not to be confused with International Kissing Day aka World Kiss Day which falls on July 6.
“I don’t have the inhibitions that a practicing Catholic would in that I’m not paralysed by the sacredness of the text, nor do I have the inhibitions of a lapsed Catholic who would view approaching the story of Jesus as compromising his Marxist beliefs, of sinking back into conformity.”
An neorealist, straightforward adaptation of the Gospel of Matthew, populated by non-actors (“Jesus” is a 19-year Catalan trade unionist picked for his resemblance to El Greco's Christ), intellectuals, and anachronistic characters based on biblical art through the ages.
According to said Gospel, apostle Judas kissed prophet Jesus to signal to the police who of the 13 men present was the one to arrest.
Interestingly, the word Matthew chose to describe the kiss is καταφιλέω, the same word used by philosopher Plutarch to describe the kiss between Alexander the Great and his eunuch Bagoas
* no one wants to kiss you anymore, America
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Strategia del ragno [The Spider's Stratagem] (Bernardo Bertolucci, 1970)
Jun
15
Sat
A clock face. It's 9:54 on Saturday June 15. DPs: Franco Di Giacomo & Vittorio Storaro.
The two-page story this film is based on – Jorge Luis Borges' Tema del traidor y del héroe [Theme of the Traitor and Hero] (1944) – takes place on January 3 and August 2.
“Instead of leaving this morning, I'm still here. Among friends.”
– Athos Magnani
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Le temps des loups [The Heist] (Sergio Gobbi, 1970)
Jun
12
1938
Dillinger (Robert Hossein) followed by Stella (Virna Lisi). DP: Daniel Diot.
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Morte a Venezia [Death in Venice] (Luchino Visconti, 1971)
Jun
11
Say HI Day
Von Aschenbach (Dirk Bogarde) and Tadzio (Björn Andrésen). DP: Pasqualino De Santis.
Characters say or wave hello on Say HI Day
A sickly composer meets and becomes infatuated with a boy during his stay in Venice.
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A cavallo della tigre [On the Tiger's Back] (Luigi Comencini, 1961)
Jun
4
Mario (Mario Adorf) rinsing his mouth while eyeing two of the wardens. DP: Aldo Scavarda.
or June 5th?
