Italian Studies (Documentaries)

Directed by Janson Media.
50 minutes; released 2002.
A tour of the major sites in Assisi which played a significant role in the life of Saint Francis.

Directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini.
90 minutes; released 1964.
In this documentary, Pasolini asks Italians about sex, love, prostitution, homosexuality, and marital and non-marital liaisons. Starring Pasolini as the interviewer and Lello Bersani as the narrator. In Italian with English subtitles.

Directed by Nanni Moretti.
86 minutes; released 2008.
Three documentaries by Moretti presenting his public, his craft and his films. Includes La cosa (59 min.; 1990, The last customer (23 min.; 2003) and Diario di uno spettatore (4 min.; 2007). In Italian.

Produced by Trinity Television.
24 minutes; released 1996.
A documentary about the medieval Italian writer, focusing on the religious aspects of his work. Part of the Pioneers of the Spirit series.

Directed by Tom Dunton.
30-minute lectures; released 2001.
Lecturers William R. Cook and Ronald B. Herzman examine Dante's Divine Comedy.

Directed by Tom Phillips and Peter Greenaway.
90 minutes; released 1993.
Radical, new visual techniques are used to bring the first eight cantos of Dante's Inferno to the screen. Starring Sir John Gielgud.

Directed by Ben McPherson.
60 minutes; released 2001.
A documentary about the 92 illustrations produced by Sandro Botticelli to accompany an edition of Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy.

Directed by Lina Wertmüller.
78 minutes; released 2001.
DVD and a booklet contain extras and bonus features of the films in the collection. Features include: an interview with Wertmüller and original theatrical trailers to the movies. The booklet includes an essay on Wertmüller's cinema. In Italian with optional subtitles in English.

Directed by Damian Pettigrew.
105 minutes; released 2002.
Portrait of Fellini with contribution by Italo Calvino, Donald Sutherland and others.

Directed by David Grubin.
90 minutes; released 1990.
Journalist Bill Moyers travels to Florence to explore how the city's rich Reniassance legacy affects the way people think and feel today. Features the frescoes of Massaccio and Masolino, the sculpture of Donatello, Ghiberti and Michaelangelo, and the architecture of Brunelleschi.

Produced by Films for the Humanities & Sciences.
51 minutes; released 2001.
This program tracks Dante's journey through the underworld while providing background on the poet, life in the Middle Ages, and the Inferno's influence on the arts and pop culture.

Directed by John Bredar.
90 minutes; released 2001.
A documentary about Vatican City narrated by Martin Sheen.

Directed by Federico Fellini.
116 minutes; released 1987.
A Japanese film crew interviews Fellini about his career as he films the memories of his life as a young journalist walking into his beloved studio Cinecitta for the first time. In Italian with optional English subtitles.

Directed by Roman Brygider.
182 minutes; released 2004.
The personal stories of prominent Italian Americans from all walks of life are featured in this exploration of what it means to be Italian in America. The stories are told with vintage film footage, family photos, and personal interviews. Consists of 2 parts: The Italian Americans and The Italian Americans II: A Beautiful Song. Narrated by Jack Luceno, Julius La Rosa and Stanley Tucci.

Directed by Ron Rudaitis.
78 minutes; released 2004.
Companion to The Italian Americans, this episode explores Italian artistry in the performing arts, culinary arts and within Italian craftsmanship.

Produced by the Teaching Company.
30-minute lectures; released 2005.
In the Italian Renaissance, Professor Kenneth Bartlett will help you appreciate the Italian Renaissance as the moment in history when culture reached a point that is still very much with us, in the way we live our modern lives and in the extant Renaissance cities of contemporary Italy.

Produced by the Teaching Company.
30-minute lectures; released 2007.
This course traces the development of the Italian city-states of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, showing how the modern nation of Italy was forged out of the rivalries, allegiances, and traditions of a vibrant and diverse people -- publisher's web site.

Directed by Nigel Wattis.
59 minutes; released 1987.
This programme re-creates one day in London as the 19th-Century Italian author Luigi Pirandello watches his plays and, away from the footlights, confronts the paradoxical nature of his life. Narrated by Julian Mitchell. From the series Ten great writers of the modern world.

Produced by the Teaching Company.
30-minute lectures; released 2006.
According to Professor William R. Cook, a reading of Machiavelli that considers only those qualities that we today call "Machiavellian" is incomplete, and Machiavelli himself "certainly would not recognize" such sinister interpretations or caricatures of his writings and beliefs. Indeed, The Prince - on the pages of which so much of this image was built - was not even published in his lifetime.

Directed by Justin Hardy.
220 minutes; released 2003.
A documentary about the Florentine family who helped ignite the Renaissance in Italy. In English.

Produced by Greystone Communications, Inc.
50 minutes; released 1996.
Join Ancient Mysteries for an in-depth look at the intricate and versatile system of Venice's celebrated canals. In English.

Directed by Vittorio De Seta.
101 minutes; released 2008.
10 short documentaries made between 1954 and 1958 capturing the fast dying world of traditional Italy. Includes Lu tempu di li pisci spata = Le temps de l'espadon (10 min.; 1954), Isole di fuoco = Iles de feu (9 min.; 1954), Surfarara = Soufrière (9 min.; 1955), Pasqua in Sicilia = Pâques en Sicile (8 min.; 1956), Contadini del mare = Paysans de la mer (9 min.; 1956), Parabola d'oro = Parabole d'or (9 min.; 1955), Pescherecci = Bâteaux de pêche (10 min.; 1958), Pastori di Orgosolo = Bergers d'Orgosolo (10 min.; 1958), Un giorno in Barbagia = Une journée en Barbagie (9 min.; 1958) and I dimenticati = Les oubliés (17 min.; 1959). In Italian with French subtitles.