Nov. 17 – The Italian Institute of Culture in Guatemala City is paying tribute to Italian neorealism with the XVII Icaro Festival. In particular, this year the event will focus on Vittorio De Sica. screening some of his largest and most successful film: tonight “Miracolo a Milano” (1951), Wednesday “Ladri di Biciclette” (1948), Thursday “Umberto D” (1952). Forty years ago, De Sica died in France on November 13, 1974; but Italians still love and remember his big personality. The actor, director and filmmaker began his career in the early 1930s with “Gli uomini, che mascalzoni…” and ended it with “Il viaggio,” in which De Sica was able to easily switch between comic and tragic, entertainment and escape. His closest collaborators were with Cesare Zavattini, Mario Camerini, and Luchino Visconti. He worked with Marcello Mastroianni, Vittorio Gassman, Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida – who all left a mark in the history of Italian cinema, starring in unforgettable films like “La ciociara,” “Matrimonio all’italiana,” “Il giardino dei Finzi-Contini.” De Sica was a prolific artist, participating in over 150 movies as an actor, director, screenwriter or producer. But the awards and trophies he received, both at home and abroad, are a reminder of his greatness: four Academy Awards, the Palme d’Or at Cannes and the Golden Bear in Berlin. (Gil)
