The Star Maker (L'uomo Delle Stelle) is a 1995 production by Giuseppe Tornatore, the man who gave us Cinema Paradiso. And unlike Cinema Paradiso, it is raw, immoral, violent and passionate (although Cinema Paradiso was passionate as well).
I have been doing a retrospective of Tornatore works since his debut in The Professor (which was also very raw). But this rawness in the Star Maker is one of the attractive parts of the film, unlike The Professor, which was overly violent and bawdy.
Sergio Castellitto and Tiziana Lodato are the leading actor and actress in this film about a first-class hustler who makes his way through the hills of Sicily giving screen tests to daydreamers who want to be in the movies for a fee of 1500 lira, or the equivalent of about two or three American dollars at the same time period.
While hustling various villages, Castellitto runs into a very sexy young thing who falls in love with him. They decide to go on the road together. The ending, which I will not reveal, may not be satisfying to many, but then again, real life is not all roses. One of Tornatore's better films.
I have been doing a retrospective of Tornatore works since his debut in The Professor (which was also very raw). But this rawness in the Star Maker is one of the attractive parts of the film, unlike The Professor, which was overly violent and bawdy.
Sergio Castellitto and Tiziana Lodato are the leading actor and actress in this film about a first-class hustler who makes his way through the hills of Sicily giving screen tests to daydreamers who want to be in the movies for a fee of 1500 lira, or the equivalent of about two or three American dollars at the same time period.
While hustling various villages, Castellitto runs into a very sexy young thing who falls in love with him. They decide to go on the road together. The ending, which I will not reveal, may not be satisfying to many, but then again, real life is not all roses. One of Tornatore's better films.