Happy birthday to Daniele Luchetti, a brilliant director, creative filmmaker, and all around great guy that I had the pleasure of meeting in New York City last June for Open Roads: New Italian Cinema.
I’d always been impressed with Luchetti’s ability to get the very best from his actors, from Elio Germano’s heart wrenching funeral scene in La Nostra Vita to Micaela Ramazzotti’s seaside meltdown in Anni Felici, and after talking to Luchetti it makes sense.
Luchetti told me that he sees the importance of the director/actor relationship. He said that in the old days, Italian director had an almost antagonistic relationship with the stars, but that he was much more interested in the actor and what they embodied as human beings.
READ MY INTERVIEW WITH DANIELE LUCHETTI
Luchetti’s autobiographical Anni Felici (Those Happy Years) is probably this year’s most underrated and most snubbed films by the award ceremonies, and Ramazzotti’s my favorite performance of the year, but it’s not been widely distributed in the US.
You can watch Elio Germano’s excellent performance in La Nostra Vita; I’ve found the entire film free on YouTube.
Watch Dillo Con Parole Mie (Ginger and Cinnamon) on Netflix:
Mio Fratello e Figlio Unico
Happy Birthday Daniele, and thanks for the selfie!
I Love Italian Everything 