JOHN TURTURRO, “PASSIONE”

By Brandon Harris

For the past twenty-five years John Turturro has been one of the most dynamic presences in American narrative filmmaking, both in the independent world and in Hollywood. His roles in films such as Do The Right Thing, Barton Fink, Quiz Show and The Big Lebowski cemented his place as one of the most versatile actors around, someone who could slip easily between extremely varied character roles while occasionally moonlighting as a leading man. Beyond his work as an actor, he’s also directed a trio of mostly terrific feature narratives, 1992′s Mac, 1998′s Illuminata and 2005′s Romance and Cigarettes. With his latest film Passione, he’s taken the leap into documentary filmmaking with the same pinache and fearlessness he’s brought to his many screen roles.

A “musical adventure” that chronicles the world of contemporary Neopolitan music from top to bottom, Passione is that rare film in our cynical times that embraces large gestures, outsized emotions and the lure of melodrama and sentimentality. It features performances from a seemingly never ending assortment of Naples’ most vibrant acts, traversing myriad genres and styles, the film’s big heart and bold sound stay with you long after the credits roll. Passione opens today at Manhattan’s Film Forum.

Filmmaker: I read somewhere that the travel writer Norman Lewis was an influence on you?

Turturro: Yeah. I loved that book that he wrote Naples ’44, it’s a great, great book. I read that and then later I worked there, I did a play that was set in 1946 and that helped a lot in terms of getting to know life back then. It’s a beautiful book.

Filmmaker: Do you trace any of your family roots to Naples? When did you first have the chance to go there?

Turturro: Naples was the kingdom of the two Sicilys. My mother’s family is from Sicily and my father’s family is from Puglia. I worked with the great Neopolitan director Francisco Rosi and he introduced me to a lot of different things in Italian literature and filmmaking. He specifically introduced me to a lot … Read the rest

“BLACK SWAN” TRAILER

By Jason Guerrasio

Looks like vintage Aronofsky. Can’t wait to see it. What do you think?

… Read the rest

VENICE COMPETITION TITLES ANNOUNCED

The Venice Film Festival have announced their slate of competition films vying for the Golden Lion. Included in the list is the opening night film, Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan as well as Kelly Reichart‘s Meek’s Cutoff and Sofia Coppola‘s Somewhere.

Also announced are out of competition titles The Town, directed by Ben Affleck; little brother Casey Affleck’s documentary on Joaquin Phoenix, I’m Still Here; and Robert Rodriguez’s Machete.

The festival runs Sept. 1-11.

The full list of titles are below.

“Attenberg,” Athina Rachel Tsangari, Greece
“Barney’s Version,” Richard J. Lewis, Canada/Italy
“Black Swan,” Darren Aronofsky, USA
“Black Venus,” Abdellatif Kechiche, France
“Detective Dee and the Mystery of Phantom Flame,” Tsui Hark, China
“Happy Few,” Antony Cordier, France
“Meek’s Cutoff,” Kelly Reichardt, USA
“Miral,” Julian Schnabel, USA/France/Italy/Israel
“Noi Credevamo,” Mario Martone, Italy
“Norwegian Wood,” Anh Hung Tran, Japan
“La Passione,” Carlo Mazzacurati, Italy
“La Pecora Nera,” Ascanio Celestini, Italy
“Post Mortem,” Pablo Lerrain, Chile
“Potiche,” Francois Ozon, France
“Promises Written in Water,” Vincent Gallo, USA
“Road to Nowhere,” Monte Hellman, USA
“A Sad Trumpet Ballad,” Álex de la Iglesia, Spain
“Silent Souls,” Aleksei Fedorchenko, Russia
“The Solitude of Prime Numbers,” Saverio Costanzo, Italy
“Somewhere,” Sofia Coppola, USA
“13 Assassins,” Takashi Miike, Japan
“Three,” Tom Tykwer, Germany… Read the rest