Michael Blowhard writes:

Dear Blowhards --

"Padre Padrone" and "Night of the Shooting Stars." Two movies by an Italian-brother team, the Tavianis, that are barbaric, stylized, poetic -- and as charged-with-discovery as silent movies sometimes were. The first is based on the memoir of a boy who grew up as a shepherd in beastly conditions on Sardinia. It's a little like "The Wild Child" reimagined as a Brechtian musical. The second is an epic fantasia based on stories and themes from Italian peasants' experiences of World War II. In tone, it's horrifying yet magical -- like "Open City" meets "E.T." At their best, the Taviani Brothers are magnificent artists who make harshly beautiful movies that are both hard-core avant-garde and directly, accessibly populist.

Best,

Michael

Thanks for linking to these. I'd almost forgotten that the Tavianis were finally getting some respect from DVD producers.

Kaos has also just been released. It's pretty uneven...but, lordy, there are some beautiful things in it!

I think I've only seen three movies directed by the Taviani brothers (Padre Padrone, Shooting Stars and Kaos), yet just the mention of their name causes my head to swim with wonderful feelings and images drawn from their work. How is that? They have an almost shamanistic ability to smuggle things into your memory.

Posted by: Ron on April 2, 2008 8:46 AM






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