Masterpieces are rare, but Italy produced two in 1963. 8 1/2 belongs on any serious list of great films. So does Nanni Loy's Four Days of Naples. It is flawless. Both were forwarded for awards; 8 1/2 won most; both deserved every honor for which they were nominated.
Loy's passion is obvious throughout. His is an unsentimental look at one city's famous guerrilla resistance against the Nazis. Although it was filmed on location in Naples (with some footage shot in Salerno) more than 15 years after the war ended, the battle-scars are still evident on this glorious, impoverished city's walls.
The movie builds power in many ways-- every way, really, including using Neapolitans rather than professional actors for many roles-- but most significantly I think in the camera-work and editing, which together create a rhythm alternating between intimacy with individuals, and wider takes on armed confrontations and full battle scenes. One unforgettable scene combines them, when young men carry the bodies of slain fighters through the streets, inciting their fellow citizens to join the epic battle to liberate the city from Nazi occupation.
It is rarely shown; as of this writing it's not on DVD. All I can say is, watch for it.
Loy's passion is obvious throughout. His is an unsentimental look at one city's famous guerrilla resistance against the Nazis. Although it was filmed on location in Naples (with some footage shot in Salerno) more than 15 years after the war ended, the battle-scars are still evident on this glorious, impoverished city's walls.
The movie builds power in many ways-- every way, really, including using Neapolitans rather than professional actors for many roles-- but most significantly I think in the camera-work and editing, which together create a rhythm alternating between intimacy with individuals, and wider takes on armed confrontations and full battle scenes. One unforgettable scene combines them, when young men carry the bodies of slain fighters through the streets, inciting their fellow citizens to join the epic battle to liberate the city from Nazi occupation.
It is rarely shown; as of this writing it's not on DVD. All I can say is, watch for it.