LA STRADA 1954 Italy

Fellini Classic marking for many the end of the Italian neo realism.  A tale of a circus strong man and a small female clown of a different strenght. Italy never looked so much like a continent in this meditation on the nature of what it means to be strong. Touching and moving.

THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC 1926 FRENCH/DANISH

Another perennial on lists of greatest films ever made and perhaps the greatest film of the interior life. This film has now moved to legend, its conception and execution , and then loss and rediscovery  worthy of a film in its own right.  The sur titles are all from the recorded history of St. Joan's trial thus adding to its already documentary feel.  Carl Dryer made a film on average every decade and the craftmanship of his direction is clear to all , not least his use of close ups and obscuring the viewer. this film looks avant garde and is true to the real meaning of the term in that ot could have been filmed last year.   If you allow this film too it can transport you to an inner world in a way few films can.

BICYCLE THIEVES 1945 Italian

A film which needs little by way of introduction as it has become, for many, the greatest Italian movie ever made. Its regular appearance in 'top 10' lists of all time greats might put off some as much as attract. Fear not, I have yet to meet anyone who is not profoundly moved by what is essentially a simple tale of an impoverished Italian family in the ruins of a city still emerging from the World War II. It is one of the foremost examples of a school of Italian cinema known as Neo Realism. This used unprofessional actors and the streets for a set. They reflected the often harsh reality of Italian life post war and the simple but real struggles of the conflict's survivors.  For dads with boys of a certain age it will have a definitive resonance as it is as much about that relationship as with the main plot device.