ONLINE CLASS: Two Worlds, One Screen – Italian Cinema Masterclass

Time: 3:00 pm EST (that is 2:00 pm Central Time, 1:00 pm Mountain Time, and 12:00 pm Pacific Time).
Class Length: 2-hour presentation + moderator Q&A.
Price: $120 p/p for four classes – or – $35 p/p for a single class

Please note that these classes will not be recorded due to copyright laws.

Want to learn more about the films?  Keep reading below for additional specifics on the synopsis, history, and viewing instructions for each!

Class 1 – Once Upon A Time In The West (1968)
Director: Sergio Leone
Starring: Claudia Cardinale, Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, and Charles Bronson

The Cardinale Rule: How One Woman Redefined Italian Stardom

In two of our four sessions, we will focus on the recently passed luminous Claudia Cardinale. In a genre often dominated by hyper-masculinity, Cardinale’s portrayal of Jill McBain is the film’s true protagonist. She is the bridge between “Two Worlds”—the lawless frontier and the coming modern society.

Her performance provides the soul and the stakes for the entire 165-minute epic. We will analyze how Cardinale uses her incredible screen presence to portray Jill’s transformation: from a grieving outsider to a fierce, resilient pioneer. He arrives in the West as a woman with a difficult past, hoping for a quiet life of respectability on a remote ranch. Instead, she finds herself thrust into a brutal struggle for survival.

By the film’s iconic conclusion, she emerges not as a victim, but as the foundational spirit of a new civilization—the woman who brings water and hope to the workers building the future as the Old West died out.

What We Will Explore

• The Leone Aesthetic: Discover how Leone uses extreme close-ups and agonizingly slow pacing to create unbearable tension.
• The Morricone Connection: We’ll break down how the master scored his near-operatic musical “leitmotifs” (specifically Jill’s theme), which were composed before filming even began, allowing the actors to perform to the music on set.
• Cardinale’s Impact: Discussion on how Claudia Cardinale broke the mold of the “Western woman,” bringing a specifically Italian earthiness and strength to an American myth.
• The Cinematic Language: A look at the opening 14 minutes—a masterclass in sound design and visual storytelling in itself, without a single line of dialogue.

“This woman is the one who gives life, while the men are only capable of giving death.” – Sergio Leone on his character of Jill McBain.

How to Watch Before Class: You will watch the film in its full “Restored Version” before the master class to fully appreciate the cinematography of Tonino Delli Colli. Where to Stream (USA):

• Paramount+: The 4K restored version is currently available to subscribers.
• Rent/Buy (4K Restored): Available in stunning 4K on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Fandango at Home (Vudu), and Google Play.

Note: Please ensure you are selecting the 165-minute “Restored” or “Extended” version.

Class 2 – Federico Fellini’s 8 ½ (1963)
Director: Federico Fellini
Starring: Marcello Mastroianni, Claudia Cardinale, Anouk Aimée, and Sandra Milo
Music: Nino Rota

La Cardinale: The Muse of Dreams

Film Overview: Often cited as the quintessential “film about filmmaking,” 8 ½ is a dizzying, autobiographical journey into the mind of Guido Anselmi (Marcello Mastroianni), a director suffering from “creative block.” Caught between reality and fantasy, Guido is haunted by the women in his life, his Catholic upbringing, and the pressure of a looming production he cannot start. It is a visual symphony of memories, dreams, and the beautiful chaos of the creative process.

The Cardinale Focus – An Idealized Muse: In this session, we analyze why Claudia Cardinale’s performance is the essential “fixation” of the film. Though she appears on screen for a limited time, her presence is the gravity that holds Guido’s crumbling world together.

While the other women in Guido’s life represent his guilt, his lust, or his domestic failures, Cardinale (playing a character also named Claudia) represents purity and salvation. She is the “idealized muse”—the radiant vision in white who offers the promise of a fresh start. We will discuss how her performance serves as the emotional lighthouse Guido desperately needs to find his way back to his art.

Class 3 – Le Fate Ignoranti (The Ignorant Fairies / His Secret Life, 2001)
Director: Ferzan Özpetek
Starring: Margherita Buy, Stefano Accorsi, and Serra Yılmaz

The Mediterranean Mosaic: The Cinema of Ferzan Özpetek

The Film Overview: When Antonia (Margherita Buy) loses her husband in a sudden accident, her structured, upper-class Roman life is shattered. While grieving, she discovers a hidden secret: her husband had been leading a double life for seven years. Her investigation leads her to a colorful, boisterous apartment building in a working-class district, inhabited by her husband’s lover, Michele (Stefano Accorsi), and a “family” of outsiders, the famiglia allargata, the true extended Italian family.

The Özpetek Touch – A Bridge of Sensibilities: Known as “Turkey’s gift to Italian cinema,” Ferzan Özpetek brings a uniquely Mediterranean soul to the screen. He blends the operatic melodrama of Italy with the communal, sensory-rich traditions of the East.

In Le fate ignoranti, Özpetek became a pioneer, successfully bringing LGBTQ+ narratives into the mainstream Italian box office. He doesn’t just present these characters as “subcultures”; he places them at the heart of a story about universal human connection. We will examine how he uses the “long table” dinner scenes—a signature of his style—to bridge the gap between traditional society and the queer underground.

What We Will Explore

• The Cultural Bridge: How Özpetek’s Turkish roots influence his depiction of Italian life, food, and hospitality.
• Mainstreaming the “Other”: A discussion on the film’s impact on the Italian public’s perception of LGBTQ+ lives in the early 2000s.
• The Shared Secret: Analyzing the chemistry between Margherita Buy and Stefano Accorsi as they bond over the man they both loved.
• Sensory Storytelling: From the light of a Roman afternoon to the steam of a kitchen, how Özpetek creates an “invitational” cinema.

How to Watch Before Class: This film was released in the USA under the title His Secret Life. There is also a 2022 TV series remake on Hulu/Disney+, but we will be focusing on the original 2001 feature film.

• Where to Stream (USA):
  • Hulu / Disney+: The original film is often available here alongside the series (look for the 2001 movie).
  • MUBI: Frequently hosts the restored versions of Özpetek’s filmography.
  • DVD/Blu-ray: Because digital rights for this film can be “secretive,” we recommend checking your local library or Amazon for the Restored Edition DVD/Blu-ray for the best visual experience.

Please be sure to watch the Italian language version with subtitles.

Class 4 – La Finestra di Fronte (Facing Windows, 2003)
Director: Ferzan Özpetek
Starring: Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Massimo Girotti, and Raoul Bova
Music: Andrea Guerra

The Mediterranean Mosaic: The Cinema of Ferzan Özpetek

The Film Overview: Often cited as Ferzan Özpetek’s most accomplished work, Facing Windows swept the David di Donatello Awards (the Italian Oscars) and cemented his status as a master of contemporary drama in Italy and beyond. The story follows Giovanna (Giovanna Mezzogiorno), a woman trapped in a stale marriage and a dead-end job. Her life is upended when she and her husband take in an elderly, confused man they find wandering the streets of Rome.

As Giovanna helps the man—who is haunted by memories of the Holocaust—she begins to gaze across the street at a handsome neighbor (Raoul Bova), sparking a journey of self-discovery that bridges the gap between her own mid-life crisis and the historical trauma of the past.

The Özpetek Touch – The Puzzle of Memory: In this masterpiece, Özpetek moves beyond the “chosen family” of Le fate ignoranti to create a dense, puzzle-like narrative. He masterfully weaves together two distinct timelines: the 1943 Nazi roundup of the Roman Ghetto and a modern-day search for identity.

We will explore how the film uses “windows”—both literal and metaphorical—to examine how we look at others, how we see ourselves, and how we often ignore the history living right next door. The film is a sensory experience, famously using the art of pastry-making as a symbol of lost passion and secret history.

What We Will Explore

• The Weight of History: How a modern woman’s personal dissatisfaction is reflected and challenged by the memories of a Holocaust survivor.
• The Gaze: Analyzing the cinematography of “watching and being watched”—what does Giovanna see when she looks across the street?
• Sensory Redemption: The role of food, specifically baking, as a language of love and a connection to a forgotten past.
• A Legend’s Farewell: A tribute to Massimo Girotti’s haunting final performance and its connection to the history of Italian cinema.

How to Watch Before Class: Facing Windows is celebrated for its lush cinematography and its award-winning musical score. For the best experience, we recommend viewing the high-definition restoration.

• Where to Stream (USA):
  • Amazon Prime Video: Available for rent or purchase in HD.
  • Apple TV: Available for rent or purchase.
  • MUBI: Occasionally features this film as part of their Italian Cinema spotlights.

Please be sure to watch the Italian language version with subtitles.

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