The director of The Child Thief and Hammamet turns 78 today. Let’s wish him a happy birthday through five of his streaming movies.
We wish you a happy birthday today John Amelio (78 years old), an author who for decades has been narrating Italy, its history and its society in a personal and very often insightful way. In the five film in streaming that we have selected to pay homage to him there are at least a couple of titles that can be counted among the leading ones of our contemporary cinematography. Unfortunately it is missing from the appeal of the platforms Open doors (1989), taken from Leonardo Sciascia which saw magnificent protagonists Gian Maria Volonte ed Ennio Fantastichinthe. For the rest, as always, happy reading.
Five streaming films directed by Gianni Amelio
- Hit in the heart
- The child thief
- So they laughed
- The house keys
- Hammamet
Strike in the Heart (1982)
The first film that puts Gianni Amelio at the table of the directors who count is a composed and profound drama on the scourge of terrorism in Italy, seen through the eyes of a man who doesn’t know how to manage his relationship with his son in the shadow of the attacks of the period. A painful Jean-Louis Trintignant e Laura Morante are the protagonists of Hit in the heart, one of the best Italian films of the decade. Available on CHILI, Rai Play.
The Child Thief (1991)
Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, The child thief it is perhaps the Italian feature film that in modern times comes closest to the dictates and ethics of Neorealism of the 1940s. Enrico Lo Verso and two young actors are the protagonists of a desperate and dormant road-movie, magnificently staged by Amelio. Truly a film that displaces, excites, strikes at the heart. Still today one of the peaks of Italian cinema. Absolutely not to be forgotten. Available on Rakuten TV, Apple Itunes, Amazon Prime Video.
So They Laughed (1998)
Golden Lion in Venice at the time much contested – but looking at it again today it appears much less scandalous – So they review it is Amelio’s explicit homage to Luchino Visconti di Rocco and his brothers. An exciting and stormy historical fresco, elegant and “popular” in the best sense of the term. Next to the faithful Lo Verso a bravo Francesco Giuffrida. One of the best films of the Calabrian director. Available on Infinity +Amazon Prime Video.
The House Keys (2004)
Once again a complex but intimate, heartfelt family portrait, capable of delving into the soul of the characters with remarkable precision and introspective finesse. Kim Rossi Stuart unleashes its dramatic talents and embellishes The house keys making it a drama worth remembering. The big one is also in the cast Charlotte Rampling, very good and contained as always. Exciting movie. Available on Rakuten TV, Google PlayApple Itunes, Amazon Prime Video.
Hammamet (2020)
We close with one of Gianni Amelio’s most controversial feature films, which brazenly and sincerely tells the self-imposed exile of Bettino Craxi, making Hammamet one of the “political” films of our years that cannot be ignored. Then he does the rest Pierfrancesco Favino as always superb when it comes to learning the facial expressions, the accent, the inflections, the status of a character. Not perfect but very powerful. Available on Rakuten TV, Google Play, Apple Itunes, NetflixAmazon Prime Video.
