8°PUNTATA CINEMALFA
Mr. Ripley's talent
05 June, 2020
"The film shot for the most part in Italy, sees a star-studded cast wandering the streets of Rome, Ischia, Naples and Venice in the middle of the "Dolce Vita" while the characters' stories are inextricably intertwined between golden worlds, beautiful landscapes and love stories.
A new appointment with our virtual Drive-In that takes us back to the days of the great American film productions, shot in our beautiful Italy. Even if we are in more recent years (1999), with Mr Ripley's The Talent, we are back to breathe the scent and contradictions of the Dolce Vita and icon of that era can only be our beautiful Giulietta Spider.

A little amarcod in the choice of Cinemalfa, strengthened by the story of the Fisogni Museum which brings us back to the days when fuel mixed itself. Ah, so many memories.

#TheCultureDoesn't Stop #InsiemePerTheClassical

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) Running time 139 minutes - Genre: drama, thriller, noir - Director: Anthony Minghella Cast: Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sergio Rubini, Rosario Fiorello, Stefania Rocca, Ivano Marescotti, Anna Longhi. Let's fly (at least in our imagination) overseas with this splendid US-produced film based on the novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith, directed by the late Anthony Minghella (who had already won an Oscar two years earlier for "The English Patient"). The film was shot for the most part in Italy, with a stellar cast filming in the streets of Rome, Ischia, Naples and Venice at the height of the "Dolce Vita" while the characters' stories are inextricably intertwined amidst golden worlds, beautiful landscapes and love stories. But something is missing. In fact, what makes the film a thriller are the murders, betrayals, deceptions and police investigations that shed light on a torrid affair of blood. We don't want to go any further, however, if not to mention the appearance of a splendid Giulietta Spider in its red 'dress' in Piazza Navona. The arrival with a Philip Seymour Hoffman (another great disappeared) who jumps down with a leap between the looks of the "vitelloni" of Fellini's memory.
The colour contrast between the marble of Piazza Navona and the Giulietta's bodywork makes it appear almost like a work of art among works of art. The same car will then be used for a less noble purpose and the photography seems to almost switch off the colour by shooting the scenes in the dark and making only its unmistakable silhouette visible. Have we intrigued you? Then... everyone in front of the screen! Interesting fact: the cast also includes very Italian actors such as Stefania Rocca, Rosario Fiorello, Ivano Marescotti and the great Anna Longhi, who acted with Alberto Sordi in many of his films. And speaking of our Albertone, the scene shot with the Giulietta in the dark takes place in Piazza Mattei in Rome, which was Sordi's home in "Troppo forte" (Too Strong).
TODAY THE FISOGNI MUSEUM TELLS THE STORY OF THE TIME WHEN "FUEL WAS SELF-MADE". Although no petrol stations appear in the film, motor vehicles are the obvious co-protagonists of the film. The Giulietta has already been mentioned, and is not the only famous Italian vehicle to appear in this Hollywood classic. Particularly recognisable are the two-wheeled vehicles, including a Vespa and, above all, a Lambretta driven by Matt Damon in the streets of Rome. As well as being the symbol of an era, these vehicles take us back to a time that, to the eyes of the youngest, seems almost pioneering: the era of the mixture, when people made their own "fuel" for the scooter. Or almost. Anyone who has ever owned a two-stroke engine vehicle knows what we are talking about: in the past, service stations not only sold petrol, but almost all had a fuel pump. What was (or is, for those who still use it) a mixture? It was a mix of oil and petrol that powered this type of engine. The buyer selected the desired percentage of oil (according to the needs of the vehicle and its performance) via the pump, and the oil was pumped manually using a lever, while the petrol was supplied electrically by the distributor. The very first mixers, such as those built in the 1930s by the Italian company Metron Oil, also required the petrol to be pumped manually, while the oil was contained in a small container attached to the pump. In the 1940s, with the spread of electric dispensers, the oil was initially contained in cans placed on top of the mixer and dropped by gravity. Later, however, the method of manual pumping became popular, which all over-35s certainly remember and which has been in use until recent times. In the 1950s, when the film is set, it was not uncommon for oil companies to sell their oil directly in glass bottles, similar to milk bottles, which could be easily transported.