The cinematic representation of a kind of meta-art, a self-reckoning through artistic expression, is nothing new. Whatever the form, most depictions have centered on either the creative process and its attendant difficulties, or the revelations of character that stem from the material (and in many cases both). Spettacolo, a documentary centering around the annual play staged in the Italian town of Monticchiello, largely eschews these staid subjects in favor of a more sedate, quietly ruminative view of how art and tradition are so often intertwined, and how the rapidly changing modern world affects these two cultural artifacts. Though the tone and treatment fall too often into the elegiac, there are still some surprises and insights to be found.
Spettacolo is the Italian word for performance or play, and for all intents and purposes this is the main focus of the film. Monticchiello, a small town with a population of, at the start of filming,...
Spettacolo is the Italian word for performance or play, and for all intents and purposes this is the main focus of the film. Monticchiello, a small town with a population of, at the start of filming,...
- 9/10/2017
- by Ryan Swen
- The Film Stage
Jeff Malmberg and Chris Shellen’s documentary Spettacolo ostensibly operates as a story of creation, but it’s really one of decay and exhaustion. The film follows the residents of Monticchiello, a small Tuscan town perched atop a hill, who have put on an annual summer play about their lives for the past 50 years.…
Read more...
Read more...
- 9/5/2017
- by Vikram Murthi
- avclub.com
"What problems could you have in a paradise like this?" You have to watch it to find out. Grasshopper Films has unveiled an official trailer for the documentary Spettacolo, from the filmmaker of the acclaimed documentary Marwencol previously. Jeff Malmberg & Chris Shellen's Spettacolo takes us to a tiny town in Tuscany, where for years they've put on a play in their piazza in which the locals tell stories about their own lives. This tradition may be at its end, which is why the doc team wants to tell this story, and show us a remarkably unique look at the way this little town and its residents confront their issues. This looks like a very special, very humanistic film that gives us a look at a slice of life in Italy that few ever get to experience. Here's the trailer (+ poster) for Jeff Malmberg & Chris Shellen's documentary Spettacolo, from...
- 9/1/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Several years after their acclaimed, soon-to-be-remade-by-Robert-Zemeckis Marwencol, filmmakers Jeff Malmberg and Chris Shellen premiere their latest documentary, Spettacolo. It, like their breakout work, considers the strange lengths people will go to make art a part of their life, even (or especially) if these connections are formed by trauma — though the subject this time around is far more idyllic and scenic, set as it is in a corner of Tuscany that often represents a Food Network or Travel Channel shooting spot than location for theater-as-psychoanalysis.
The film begins its theatrical run on September 6, ahead of which there is a trailer that swirls together Spettacolo‘s many moving pieces: theater, of course, but also a miniature history of Italian culture, a look at generational gaps, and a sense of place uncommon in documentary filmmaking with such a specific subject.
Watch the trailer below:
Once upon a time, villagers in a tiny hill...
The film begins its theatrical run on September 6, ahead of which there is a trailer that swirls together Spettacolo‘s many moving pieces: theater, of course, but also a miniature history of Italian culture, a look at generational gaps, and a sense of place uncommon in documentary filmmaking with such a specific subject.
Watch the trailer below:
Once upon a time, villagers in a tiny hill...
- 8/31/2017
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
“All the world’s a stage,” Shakespeare famously wrote, but for the residents in one small Tuscan village, that’s especially true. “Marwencol” director Jeff Malmberg and producer Chris Shellen are back with another intriguing documentary, exploring a slice of life you won’t find anywhere else with “Spettacolo,” and today we have the exclusive trailer.
Read More: Review: ‘Marwencol’ Is A Place Worth Visiting
The film takes viewers to the titular town, where for fifty years, they have turned their lives into a play.
Continue reading Exclusive ‘Spettacolo’ Trailer: A Play Unfolds In Paradise at The Playlist.
Read More: Review: ‘Marwencol’ Is A Place Worth Visiting
The film takes viewers to the titular town, where for fifty years, they have turned their lives into a play.
Continue reading Exclusive ‘Spettacolo’ Trailer: A Play Unfolds In Paradise at The Playlist.
- 8/29/2017
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
It goes without saying that a chief purpose of art, if nothing else, consists of the catharsis of its creator(s). The aesthetic realm is where artists sort out their innermost conflicts and dreams, melding them into a form of expression that honours the emotion behind the impetus; the final product is its manifestation. Never have I seen this theme explored so literally than through the subjects of Jeff Malmberg and Christina Shellen’s new documentary, Spettacolo, which had its Canadian premiere last week at the Hot Docs film festival. The film will be released in the Us by Grasshopper Film and in Canada through Blue Ice Docs this fall. Spettacolo tells the story of a quaint Italian village perched up in the hills of Tuscany and...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 5/10/2017
- Screen Anarchy
Jeff Malmberg’s documentary feature debuted at SXSW.
Blue Ice Docs has acquired Canadian rights to Spettacolo, Jeff Malmberg and Chris Shellen’s follow-up to 2010’s Marwencol.
Spettacolo won the special jury prize for documentary feature at the Dallas International Film Festival and received its international premiere at this year’s Hot Docs.
Blue Ice Docs plans an autumn theatrical release for the film that centres on a village in Tuscany where the people confront their issues by turning their lives into a play.
Their singular experiment became a 50-year tradition.
The deal was made at Hot Docs with Robin Smith of Blue Ice Docs in conjunction with Andrew Herwitz of The Film Sales Company and Malmberg.
Grasshopper Film acquired Us rights to Spettacolo at the end of last month.
Blue Ice Docs has acquired Canadian rights to Spettacolo, Jeff Malmberg and Chris Shellen’s follow-up to 2010’s Marwencol.
Spettacolo won the special jury prize for documentary feature at the Dallas International Film Festival and received its international premiere at this year’s Hot Docs.
Blue Ice Docs plans an autumn theatrical release for the film that centres on a village in Tuscany where the people confront their issues by turning their lives into a play.
Their singular experiment became a 50-year tradition.
The deal was made at Hot Docs with Robin Smith of Blue Ice Docs in conjunction with Andrew Herwitz of The Film Sales Company and Malmberg.
Grasshopper Film acquired Us rights to Spettacolo at the end of last month.
- 5/4/2017
- ScreenDaily
Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.
– Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired the North American rights to the Tribeca Film Festival entry “November.” Directed by Rainer Sarnet, the film is based on Andrus Kivirähk’s novel “Rehepapp,” about about a peasant girl in 19th century Estonia who longs for village boy. The story of requited love takes place in an incredibly complicated, dark landscape where spirits, werewolves, plagues, and the devil himself converge.
Read More: Film Acquisition Rundown: The Orchard Picks Up ‘Thelma,’ Samuel Goldwyn Films Buys ‘Gook’ and More
“’November’ is one of the most unique and stunning films to come along in some time,” Oscilloscope president Dan Berger said in a statement. “It’s equal measures beautiful love story and balls-to-wall bonkers-ass folk tale.
– Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired the North American rights to the Tribeca Film Festival entry “November.” Directed by Rainer Sarnet, the film is based on Andrus Kivirähk’s novel “Rehepapp,” about about a peasant girl in 19th century Estonia who longs for village boy. The story of requited love takes place in an incredibly complicated, dark landscape where spirits, werewolves, plagues, and the devil himself converge.
Read More: Film Acquisition Rundown: The Orchard Picks Up ‘Thelma,’ Samuel Goldwyn Films Buys ‘Gook’ and More
“’November’ is one of the most unique and stunning films to come along in some time,” Oscilloscope president Dan Berger said in a statement. “It’s equal measures beautiful love story and balls-to-wall bonkers-ass folk tale.
- 4/28/2017
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
Documentary about unique theatre group in Tuscany premiered at SXSW.
Grasshopper Film has acquired Us rights to Spettacolo, the follow-up to the 2010 documentary Marwencol from Jeff Malmberg and producer Chris Shellen.
Spettacolo premiered at SXSW and will open theatrically in the autumn followed by VOD and home video release.
The film centres on the 50th anniversary of a unique theatre group in Tuscany whereby villagers depict themselves on stage as a way of working through their issues.
As the village’s aging population and the rise of the Facebook generation threatens the group’s existence,members of Teatro Povero di Monticchiello prepare a performance about the end of the world.
Grasshopper Film founder and president Ryan Krivoshey distributed Marwencol when he was at The Cinema Guild.
“Spettacolo is a wonder,” Krivoshey said. “The story of a tiny Italian village that for the past half-century has created an alternate world to deal with their own.
“Seven years after first...
Grasshopper Film has acquired Us rights to Spettacolo, the follow-up to the 2010 documentary Marwencol from Jeff Malmberg and producer Chris Shellen.
Spettacolo premiered at SXSW and will open theatrically in the autumn followed by VOD and home video release.
The film centres on the 50th anniversary of a unique theatre group in Tuscany whereby villagers depict themselves on stage as a way of working through their issues.
As the village’s aging population and the rise of the Facebook generation threatens the group’s existence,members of Teatro Povero di Monticchiello prepare a performance about the end of the world.
Grasshopper Film founder and president Ryan Krivoshey distributed Marwencol when he was at The Cinema Guild.
“Spettacolo is a wonder,” Krivoshey said. “The story of a tiny Italian village that for the past half-century has created an alternate world to deal with their own.
“Seven years after first...
- 4/27/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.
Lineup Announcements
– Cardiff Animation Nights will be returning to run a dedicated animation strand at Cardiff Independent Film Festival (C.I.F.F.) for a second year this May. This year’s animation strand at C.I.F.F. will comprise three programs of animated short films in competition for the Best Animation Award, as well as an Animated Family Shorts program curated by renowned Cardiff-based studio Cloth Cat Animation, networking events, and an Animation Quiz run by the team at Skwigly Animation Magazine.
The competition program features animated short films from across Europe, Asia, North America, South America and Australia, including Mikey Hill’s The Orchestra, Anete Melece’s Analysis Paralysis, Chris Shepherd’s Johnno’s Dead, Ross Hogg’s Life Cycles and Alois Di Leo’s Way of Giants.
Lineup Announcements
– Cardiff Animation Nights will be returning to run a dedicated animation strand at Cardiff Independent Film Festival (C.I.F.F.) for a second year this May. This year’s animation strand at C.I.F.F. will comprise three programs of animated short films in competition for the Best Animation Award, as well as an Animated Family Shorts program curated by renowned Cardiff-based studio Cloth Cat Animation, networking events, and an Animation Quiz run by the team at Skwigly Animation Magazine.
The competition program features animated short films from across Europe, Asia, North America, South America and Australia, including Mikey Hill’s The Orchestra, Anete Melece’s Analysis Paralysis, Chris Shepherd’s Johnno’s Dead, Ross Hogg’s Life Cycles and Alois Di Leo’s Way of Giants.
- 4/13/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
In Jeff Malmberg’s 2010 Spirit Award-winning documentary Marwencol, an artist constructs a one-sixth scale imaginary town, populated with miniatures, that is both his creative project and therapeutic enterprise; it’s through this work that he processes a violent attack that left him near-dead and brain-damaged. For the new Spettacolo, Malmberg, this time directing with filmmaker Chris Shellen, has focused on another individual for whom the world is a stage. Here, however, the scope is larger as theater director Andrea Cresti gathers each year the citizens of his small town in Tuscany to make a play based on their lives and histories. […]...
- 3/11/2017
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Brace yourself. The annual multi-pronged South By Southwest Conferences and Festivals — SXSW, of course — is hitting Austin, Texas later this week for days and days of fresh film offerings (and music and interactive stuff, too, but we can only do so much here). With it comes the promise of a brand new season of festival-going, along with a slew of films to get excited about finally checking out (and, because it’s Austin, lots of tasty barbecue to enjoy).
From SXSW regulars like Bob Byington and Joe Swanberg to rising stars like Nanfu Wang and Laura Terruso to marquee names like Terrence Malick and Edgar Wright — and just about everything in between — this year’s SXSW Film Festival is offering up its most robust slate yet. We’ve picked out a baker’s dozen of worthy new features to add to your SXSW schedule.
Check out 13 new films from this...
From SXSW regulars like Bob Byington and Joe Swanberg to rising stars like Nanfu Wang and Laura Terruso to marquee names like Terrence Malick and Edgar Wright — and just about everything in between — this year’s SXSW Film Festival is offering up its most robust slate yet. We’ve picked out a baker’s dozen of worthy new features to add to your SXSW schedule.
Check out 13 new films from this...
- 3/8/2017
- by Chris O'Falt, David Ehrlich, Eric Kohn, Jude Dry, Kate Erbland and Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Like Marwencol, Jeff Malmberg’s superb documentary feature about an extraordinary outsider artist, his new film, co-directed by Chris Shellen, concerns a form of Diy theater. But there are none of the earlier film’s harrowing twists and narrative resets; the elegiac Spettacolo is in some ways a familiar story, revolving around the universal tug of war between time and tradition. Specifically, it explores the half-century custom of “autodrama,” or self-produced plays, in the tiny Tuscan village of Monticchiello, amid a rapidly changing economy.
The filmmakers capture the medieval hill town’s Teatro Povero at a moment when its survival is...
The filmmakers capture the medieval hill town’s Teatro Povero at a moment when its survival is...
- 3/7/2017
- by Sheri Linden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.