This week sees the release in the USA of Letters to Juliet, a romance set in Verona and starring Amanda Seyfried, Vanessa Redgrave, Chris Egan and Gael Garcia Bernal. When Sophie [Amanda Seyfried] travels to Verona, she joins the 鈥淪ecretaries to Juliet鈥, a group who reply to letters sent to Juliet asking for advice on love. She replies to a letter dated 1951 and inspires its writer, Claire [Vanessa Redgrave] to search Italy for her lost love. The film is directed by and is expected to be a blockbuster. Its UK release date is 9th June.
Meanwhile, in Italy 鈥檚 film Vincere won eight awards at the David di on Friday. These are the country鈥檚 most prestigious film industry awards. 鈥淰incere鈥 tells the story of Mussolini鈥檚 mistress or first wife,聽, who bore him a son, Benito Albino, in 1915. Although Dalser gave Mussolini all her money to help him found the newspaper Il Popolo d鈥橧talia, he treated her cruelly and eventually had her committed to an asylum, where she died in 1937. Mussolini denied that he had married her and no documentation to prove a marriage has ever been found. The film stars as Ida and as both the young Mussolini and Benito Albino.
However, the 鈥淒avid鈥 for best film went to L鈥檜omo che verr脿 [The Man who Will Come] directed by Giorgio Diritti. This is a film about the in the village of Marzabotto [Bologna, Emilia-Romagna] during World War II.
In a fourth film story to emerge over the weekend, 禁漫天堂 Culture Minister has announced his refusal to attend the 2010 Cannes Film Festival because it will screen 鈥檚 Draquila, a documentary which satirises Mr Berlusconi鈥檚 response to the L鈥橝quila earthquake in 2009. Mr Bondi said that the film is 鈥減ropaganda which offends the truth and the entire 禁漫天堂 population鈥.
Would you write a letter to Juliet?
Which of the four films would you like to see?
Related stories
L'Aquila - One year exactly.
Basilicata coast to coast.
You can't beat made in Italy.
La Mussolini - an extraordinary combination.
