«There were years when I went to the cinema almost every day, and sometimes twice a day, and those were the years between, let’s say, ’36 and the war, the era of my adolescence. Years when the cinema was the world for me. A different world from the one that surrounded me, but for me, only what I saw on the screen had the properties of a world: fullness, coherence, while outside the screen, heterogeneous elements piled up, seemingly thrown together by chance, the materials of my life that appeared devoid of any form.» (Autobiography of a Spectator, Italo Calvino)
In the year of celebrations for the 100th anniversary of one of the most beloved writers, and one of the most influential intellectuals of our 20th century, we join in the festivities by dedicating a series to Italo Calvino that retraces his passion for cinema through some “films of his life,” along with two titles based on his marvellous stories, starting from 12 November, every Sunday at 3 PM!
Writer, author, critic, journalist, but also a spectator. Calvino loved cinema, writing about it as a means of escape that «served to satisfy a need for disorientation, to project my attention into a different space, a need that I believe corresponds to a primary function.» Cinema as an indispensable step in any formation and a promise of escape into fantasy and its surprises.
“Calvino Spettatore” will be held from 12 November to 10 December, every Sunday at 3 PM. Here is the full schedule:
- 12/11 at 3 PM “A Night at the Opera” – directed by Sam Wood (1935)
- 19/11 at 3 PM “Mutiny on the Bounty” – directed by Frank Lloyd (1935)
- 26/11 at 3 PM “The Servant” – directed by Joseph Losey (1963)
- 3/12 at 3 PM “Darò un milione” (1935) directed by Mario Camerini
- 10/12 at 3 PM “L’avventura di un soldato” (episode directed by Nino Manfredi in the film “L’amore difficile”) + “Renzo e Luciana” (episode directed by Mario Monicelli in the film “Boccaccio 70”)
All films are screened in their original language with Italian subtitles; Italian films will have English subtitles.
Entry is free and open to all thanks to the support of the Ministry of Culture!