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Signore & Signore: Leading Ladies of Italian Cinema

JUNE 11 - JULY 1 

Pacific Cinémathèque and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Vancouver celebrate the leading ladies of Italian cinema with a special series of 15 films. 

From international superstars and sultry temptresses to fast-talking firebrands, Italy’s cinema has given us some of the greatest actresses ever to grace the screen. This exhibition covers a remarkable range of styles and talents, encompassing the verbal fireworks of Anna Magnani, the innocence of Giulietta Masina, the beauty of Claudia Cardinale and Sophia Loren, and much more.  

The 15 films in “Signore & Signore” ("Ladies & Ladies") span the three decades from 1941 to 1972. Included are important works by some of Italy’s most renowned directors as well as rediscovered gems, some little-seen outside of Italy, by leading filmmakers of commedia all’italiana.  (Commedia all’italiana — literally, “comedy Italian style” — was a popular genre of the 1950s and 60s that laced comedy with pointed, sometimes caustic elements of social and political satire.)   

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: For their support and assistance in making our Vancouver presentation of this touring exhibition possible, Pacific Cinémathèque gratefully acknowledges Cinecittà Holding (Rome) and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura (Vancouver). "Signore & Signore" was originally curated by the Italian film critic Piera De Tassis. 

NOTE: Valid Istituto Italiano di Cultura memberships will be accepted in lieu of Pacific Cinémathèque annual memberhips. Please show your membership card at ticket purchase.


Click for film notes + showtimes

Recent Showings

Two Women
Sophia Loren won an Academy Award for her performance in this wartime drama by neorealist master Vittorio De Sica.
The Girl with a Suitcase
A poignant study of social class and adolescence set in the gorgeous Italian countryside, this is the film that made Claudia Cardinale a star.
La Strada
Giulietta Masina gives one of cinema’s most memorable performances in Fellini’s international breakthrough and first unquestioned masterpiece.
I Knew Her Well
A dark-edged social comedy about a naïve girl from the provinces seduced by the swirl of big-city life starring the charismatic Stefania Sandrelli.
Juliet of the Spirits
Shift into stylistic overdrive with this eye-popping Fellini fantasy, his first work in colour, about a neglected housewife who escapes into a world of memories, fears and dreams.
The Widower
Belligerent spouses from different sides of the social divide battle it out in this little-seen gem from director Dino Risi, a key figure in commedia all’italiana.
Bread, Love and Dreams
"Europe’s Biggest Sex Bomb in an All-Out Explosion!" This saucy comedy features vivacious Gina Lollobrigida in one of her signature roles.
Rome, Open City
Shot in the war-torn streets of Rome only weeks after the end of the Nazi occupation, Rome, Open City is Rossellini’s masterpiece of neorealism and one of the cinema’s landmark works.
Oh! Sabella
Beloved character actress Tina Pica takes a rare leading role in this riotous comedy of love and family politics.
Old Fashioned World
This lavish costume drama set in the 19th century stars the beautiful Alida Valli, and was a direct forerunner of the Italian neorealist movement.
Teorema
A mysterious, divine-like figure insinuates himself into a wealthy family, seducing every member of the household in this treatise on the subversive influence of sexuality.
Drama of Jealousy
Monica Vitti, Marcello Mastroianni and Giancarlo Giannini form an amorous "pizza triangle" in this lusty farce.
The Seduction of Mimi
Fellini disciple Lina Wertmüller won the best-director award at Cannes in 1972 for this provocative and inventive farce comedy about sex and politics in postmodern Italy.
Sandra
Winner of the top prize at Venice in 1965, "Sandra" is a complex, beautiful, and baroque film about guilt and incest starring Claudia Cardinale.
Vanina Vanini
This sumptuous, extravagant adaptation of a short story by Stendhal features Sandra Milo as a young princess caught in a conflicting web of politics, family loyalties and passion.
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