Magical Realism: The Film Fables of the Taviani Brothers

Read a message from Paolo Taviani

‘Every time I see one of their films it leaves me with a deep emotional impact. Their work is unlike anything else I’ve seen. It’s modern, something new. For me, they made some beautiful films’ – Martin Scorsese

Drawing on Italian politics and history, their Tuscan origins, a passion for literature and film, and an absolute belief in the magic of storytelling, the Tavianis have sculpted a unique body of remarkably diverse yet distinctly recognisable films. Demonstrating considerable ambition in both subject matter and cinematic invention (including a masterful interweaving of multiple narrative strands), their output encompasses ultra-contemporary satire, powerful allegorical period drama, haunting war stories and playful, wickedly humorous literary adaptations of (among others) Pirandello, Tolstoy and Shakespeare. This two-month retrospective of the brothers’ work showcases these wonderful film fables in four thematic sections, which allow us to explore and revel in their captivating worlds.

Adrian Wootton

The monograph Paolo & Vittorio Taviani, published by Cinecittà, and featuring an article by season curator Adrian Wootton, will be available during the season.

With thanks to

Carla Cattani, Livia Azzolini, Monica Moscato and Erika Allegrucci at Cinecittà.

Presented in collaboration with the Italian Embassy in London and the Italian Cultural Institute. Co-produced by Cinecittà, Rome.

Co-produced by

Cinecittà, Rome

Cinecitta

Events

Paolo Taviani in Conversation

The great Italian director discusses his career and richly rewarding collaboration with his brother Vittorio.

An Introduction to the Taviani Brothers

Season curator Adrian Wootton explores the Italian siblings’ richly rewarding work.

The Politics of Rebellion

Through striking dramatisation, often in historical settings, the Tavianis reflect on political struggle and personal rebellion in order to cast light on the present.

A Man for Burning (aka This Man Is for Burning)

A brave leader organises Sicilian peasants against the local Mafia.

St. Michael Had a Rooster

An impressive adaptation of a Tolstoy story, detailing struggles of an imprisoned revolutionary.

Allonsanfan

An aristocratic idealist betrays his cause in this epic period drama.

Padre Padrone

A bittersweet biographical portrait of a young shepherd’s quest for freedom.

Classic Literature

Novels, short stories and plays have consistently inspired the Tavianis, who reimagine and reinterpret great works with due reverence, but also with sly humour and a touch of magical, sometimes breathtaking fantasy.

Kaos

A bravura compendium of stories adapted from the work of Luigi Pirandello.

Elective Affinities

A haunting version of Goethe’s novel about two couples’ destructive romances.

Elective Affinities + intro by season curator Adrian Wootton

A haunting version of Goethe’s novel about two couples’ destructive romances.

You Laugh

Two diverse Pirandello short stories are combined in this entrancing movie.

Wondrous Boccaccio

An impressive cinematic translation of Boccaccio’s Decameron stories, set amid the beauty of the Tuscan landscape.

Caesar Must Die

An acclaimed and award-winning film that finds Mafia prisoners performing Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.

The Inspiration of Cinema

Filmmakers such as Roberto Rossellini inspired the Tavianis to create their own work. Their love of cinema is immediately apparent in these films.

The Subversives

The Tavianis’ breakthrough film is both a political satire and bold cinema statement.

The Meadow

A moving, sensitively portrayed love triangle lies at the heart of a film that is also a paean to cinema.

Good Morning Babylon

Two skilled siblings have designs on life as craftsmen in Hollywood during the silent era and the reign of D.W. Griffith.

Leonora Addio

A hymn to a brother, Italian cinema and Pirandello.

The Realities of War and Conflict

Throughout their career as filmmakers, the Tavianis have explored real-life conflicts and wars, in Italy and elsewhere, often as a way to anchor their stories.

The Night of the Shooting Stars

Arguably the Tavianis’ greatest film, this is a heartbreaking saga set at the height of the Second World War.

The Night of the Shooting Stars + extended intro by season curator Adrian Wootton