This article intends to provide readers with information on Web resources on Italian cinema. Of course, given the ever-changing nature of the Internet, the following list is far from comprehensive. However, it is hoped that it will be a good starting point for those readers who are new to Italian film studies and hopefully a useful tool for more experienced colleagues as well.
The Internet contains a wealth of information on Italian films, actors, directors, producers and the world of Italian cinema in general. The advantage of this type of source is that the material is always up-to-date, as the Internet can easily provide last-minute film reviews, interviews, accurate production information and so on. Researchers who reside outside of Italy do not always find it easy to locate information through more traditional channels, such as film journals and books. The Internet is inexpensive and much faster than magazine subscriptions. It also allows a higher degree of interactivity, since it is often possible to contact (via e-mail) journalists and scholars, and obtain a personal reply in a (usually) short time. Not to mention the existence of dedicated discussion lists through which it is possible to obtain instant feedback from people who share our interests.
Moreover, it is becoming increasingly common to find film clips or sound clips of old and new films, usually from the sites of film production companies (for advertising purposes) or from film archives (for research purposes).
Of course, the nature, reliability and overall quality of the sites where information is available can vary considerably. The first group of Web addresses to be found below includes general resources on Italian film, i.e. existing lists of links. The second group is made up of both film magazines available in two versions, electronic form and from newsagents, and film magazines specifically created for the Internet. In this group the quality of contributions can vary considerably, from papers written by leading film-scholars to the amateurish efforts of film buffs.
The sites included in the third group are those of national (film) institutions, such as archives, museums, governmental bodies, etc., and of the professional (film) associations.
The fourth group of Web addresses is that of film production companies and other commercial activities in the cinema field. They are usually easy to find with a simple Internet search, and because their main purpose is advertising their products, the sites are usually of very high quality, very reliable and contain precise information on the production and distribution of their films. However, they are not always impartial (understandably so) and they are therefore much less use when looking for a critical appraisal of the works in question.
Lastly, a fifth group includes sites dedicated by fans to specific actors or directors: a few of these are listed below to give an example of the type of information that readers can expect to find on these sites.(1)
Any suggestions for improvements, indications of other sites that readers would like to see included in this list and, indeed, criticism will be most welcome. Enjoy your surfing!
The site of the Italian version of the Internet Movie Database. It contains information (cast, crew, directors, production notes, locations, etc.) on many Italian films, including some recent ones.
http://203.4.212.185/CinemaConnection/Film_Festivals/Italy/index.html
A fairly comprehensive list of links to the main film festivals in Italy, including, of course, the Venice Film Festival.
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/6841/itmoviemark.html
Incredibly extensive list of available Web resources on Italian film, including links to on-line magazines, newsgroups, discussion lists, festivals, fan clubs, academic sites, film encyclopaedias, professional cinema associations, schools and training, higher education institutions, production companies and more.
http://web.tin.it/MARCHEUROPA/marche/cinema/glialtri.htm
List of well-chosen links to on-line databases and magazines. Not extensive, but clear. Good starting point, particularly for beginners.
http://www.versilia.toscana.it/cineversilia/index/htm
Small site with information on Tuscan film and in particular on the popularity of Versilia as a shooting location for many films and TV series.
http://www.mclink.it/mclink/cinema/
On-line film magazine, remarkable for its extensive (although not easy to consult) list of links.
a) magazines available in a printed form and in an electronic form
http://www.tin.it/movie/it/home.html
Very interesting site that hosts a variety of different sources: the on-line version of the Rivista del cinematografo (the oldest film magazine in Italy), news from the Venice Film Festival, Cinemedia (daily news about film, with film trailers), Banca dati del cinema mondiale (with titles, credits and details of over 40 000 films from 1928 to the present day and a section (updated every week) on film festivals taking place at the time of reading. The only drawback is that the site does not seem to be updated as frequently as promised.
On-line version of Cineforum, one of the best Italian film journals. Includes just a selection of the articles from the printed issue.
b) film magazines available in electronic form only
http://www.mix.it/tempimoderni/
Homepage of Tempi Moderni, the best Italian on-line magazine on film and home video. Includes reviews, books, soundtracks, archive, photographs.
http://www.arcanet.it/cineclub/
CinetMa, an on-line magazine with plenty of information on Italian (and American) films, full filmographies of the most well-known Italian directors, an archive section containing past reviews, a very long list of links on Italian cinema. Soon to include a chat-line.
Halcinema is an on-line film magazine based in Florence. It replaces the printed magazine Vivi il cinema that a few years ago was distributed free of charge in many cinema theatres in Italy.
Film and Chips is a film magazine that collects film reviews from Italian and foreign press (including Variety and Cahiers du cinéma, in Italian translation).
http://www.ips.it/cinethes/home.html
Cinethes is a project that aims to make the main Italian film archives available on-line. At the moment it is possible to consult the following archives: Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia (the well-known Rome-based film school), Cineteca Nazionale, Centro Audiovisivo della Regione Lazio, Mediateca della Regione Toscana and the Archivio Audiovisivo del Movimento Operaio.
The Istituto Luce home page, with a mine of information on past activities in the archive section (Settimana Incom, Cinegiornali, etc.) and present activities, such as the TV series Combat film.
http://innsrv.casaccia.enea.it/dipspet
The site of the Dipartimento dello Spettacolo: it is possible to order by e-mail (free of charge) the full texts of existing legislation in the field of show business.
http://www.cisi.unito.it/~gleb/mnc/hpage.htm
Home page of the Turin National Film Museum. With information on its collection of films and books and on its activities. Work is still under way on this site, so do not expect too much.
http://www.comune.bologna.it/iperbole/cineteca/
Homepage of the Cineteca del Comune di Bologna, a service set up by the Comune di Bologna to find and restore old films, produce new films, organise festivals, provide information and research facilities to film scholars thanks to its library and its extensive video and film collection.
Official site of A.N.I.C.A., the Associazione Nazionale Industrie Cinematografiche Audiovisive e Multimediali, with information on existing legislation in the cinema sector, festivals, statistics, education and training and a link with the Italian Dipartimento dello Spettacolo. Also, several links on European film organised by country.
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Set/6556/
The homepage of A.I.D.A.C. (Associazione Italiana Dialoghisti Adattatori Cinetelevisivi), the professional association of film translators (cinema and TV). The site contains information on the union's activities (list of members, translation fees, conferences, etc.) and news from the press on dubbing and subtitling.
http://www.cinecitta.tol.it/main.htm
Home page of Cinecittà, the so-called 'Hollywood on the Tiber'.
Web site of the Cecchi Gori Multimedia Group. The company's activities include film production, distribution (of both Italian and foreign films), television channels (TMC1 and TMC2), sport (Fiorentina football club) and multimedia applications (often linked to the films). The site contains a mine of information: a rundown of all the Cecchi Gori films, interviews with actors, directors, video clips and audio interviews, photographs, etc. It also hosts the most accurate and information on the number of viewers and box office results for the Top Ten films in Italy.
Site created by the Cecchi-Gori Group to launch Nirvana, the latest film by Gabriele Salvatores (director of Mediterraneo, Best Foreign Picture 1993). With audio and video clips from the film, a chat-line for fans with the participation (at scheduled times) of the director and actors.
http://www.fuochidartificio.it/
Very similar in structure to the Nirvana site (see above). Created for the promotion of Leonardo Pieraccioni's 1997 hit, Fuochi d'artificio.
http://www.medusa.it/indextmp.htm
A welcome page to the soon-to be-launched Web site of the Rome-based film production company Medusa Film. To include a run-down of films produced by Medusa, film trailers, on-line conferencing with medusa actors and directors, interviews, etc.
The Italian branch of the well-known American production company. With information on the films that Warner Bros Italia distributes in Italy.
http://www.notti.italiane.com/cinemalink/
A site containing last-minute information on the films currently playing in Italian cinema theatres, with links to the films' official Web sites and reviews written by readers.
All of the following addresses were obtained by means of a simple Internet search with one of the most common search engines (Yahoo, Infoseek, Excite, etc.). Simply enter the names of the actors/directors you are interested in and find out whether there is a Web site about them. The following list was included just by way of example.
http://www.en.com/users/tmr/main.html
A fistful of Dario. The Dark cinema of Dario Argento is a tribute to the Italian master of horror films: includes a short biography, full filmography, detailed information about his work, news about work in progress, plenty of photographs, etc.
http://alpes.eurecom.fr/~giorcell/Nanni/nanni.html
The life and works of Nanni Moretti: filmography, quotations from his films, photographs, articles, reviews and links to other pages on the Rome-based actor-director-screenwriter-producer-cinema owner.
http://www.mirrorweb.com/wema/nannimoretti/
A more recent tribute to Nanni Moretti. Includes music clips from his films, a daily update of Moretti news from the Italian press, etc. With a pre-set link to the Alta Vista translation service.
http://www.clarence.com/home/pasolini/
A well structured site on the work of Pier Paolo Pasolini, poet, novelist, essayist, playwright and filmmaker. The site contains useful biographical material. Also available several links (some in English, some in Italian) and sound clips from his films and his reading of poems.
http://film.tierranet.com/directors/s.leone/sergioleone.html
A tribute to Sergio Leone the master of the 'spaghetti western': films, articles, books, dialogues, news, images, chat line and links.
http://www.comune.rimini.it/fellini/
Official site of the Federico Fellini association.
http://freeweb.aspide.it/freeweb/de_fabio/
A tribute to Totò, the great Neapolitan comedian. Includes information on his theatrical activities as well as his films, his poetry, his songs and his TV appearances.
http://www.cinemaitalia.com/marcello/
A Spanish site (in Italian, English and Spanish) about the late Marcello Mastroianni.
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/9766/cardinal.html
One of several sites dedicated to Claudia Cardinale, one of the most well-known actresses of Italian cinema (Il gattopardo, La ragazza di Bube, C'era una volta il West, Rocco e i suoi fratelli, etc). It can be a very busy site at times, so be perpared to wait. At the same address pages on Sofia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida are available
http://www.imsa.edu/~mitch/directors.html
An American academic Web site where information (in English) can found on the work of (among other international directors) Michelangelo Anotnioni, Vittorio De Sica, Bernardo Bertolucci, Roberto Rossellini and Luchino Visconti.
http://www.afionline.org/nft/june97/nft.m.html
A short summary of a few of Mario Monicelli's films, presented in a retrospective at the American Film Institute. With several mistakes, but shows an almost unprecedented interest in Italian comedies on the part of Americans.
It goes without saying that sometimes thare are tens of sites on the same actor and sometimes there is none. A good search engine (like Yahoo or Infoseek) will find out for you.