Venice Classics in Venezia72

Venice Classics is the section of the Venice Film Festival that since 2012 has presented, with growing success, a world premiere selection of restored classic films. The section brings back to light underestimated or neglected films of the past - restored over the past year by film archives, cultural institutions or production companies around the world. Venice Classics also presents a selection of documentaries about cinema and its auteurs.

For the first time at the Venice International Film Festival the recipient of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement has been given “carte blanche” to select some rare, forgotten or underestimated films for the Venice Classics section.

French cinema auteur (and dedicated film critic) Bertrand Tavernier – Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 72nd Venice Film Festival– will introduce to the public before the screening four masterpieces he has personally chosen as Guest Director of the Venice Classics section: Pattes blanches (White Pawns) by Jean Grémillon, La Lupa (The Vixen) by Alberto Lattuada, Sonnenstrahl (Ray of Sunshine) by Pál Fejös, and A Matter Of Life and Death by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

Italian film director Francesco Patierno will chair the Jury of film students which, for the third time, will award the Venice Classics Award for Best Restored Film and the Venice Classics Award for Best Documentary On Cinema. The students of the jury, selected from various Italian universities, are 26 graduating students in the History of Cinema, recommended by the professors of Arts, Music and Performing Arts Departments (DAMS) and from the University of Ca’ Foscari in Venice.

Akahige (Red Beard), Akira Kurosawa, Japan, 1965
Aleksandr Nevskij (Alexander Nevsky), Sergei M. Eisenstein, USSR, 1938
Amacord, Federico Fellini, Italy, 1973
A Matter of Life and Death, Michael Powel nad Emeric Pressburger, UK, 1946
Apenas un Dellincuente (Hardly a Criminal), Hugo Fregonese, Argentina, 1949
Fenggui Lai de ren (The Boys from Feng-Kuei), Hsiao-Hsien Hou, 1983
Heaven Can Wait, Ernst Lubitsch, USA, 1943
I Mostri, Dino Risi, Italy, 1963
La Lupa (The Vixen aka She Wolf), Alberto Lattuada, Italy 1953
Le Beau Serge (Bitter Reunion), Claude Chabrol, France, 1958
Léon Morin, prêtre (Leon Morin, Priest), Jean-Pierre Melville, France, 1961
Pattes Blanches (White Pawns), Jean Grémillon, France, 1949
Pyaasa (The Thirsty One), Guru Dutt, India, 1957
Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma (Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodoma), Pier Paolo Pasolini, Italy, 1975
Sonnenstrahl (Ray of Sunshine), Pál Fejös, Germany and Austria, 1933
The Power and the Glory, William K. Howard, USA, 1932
To Sleep With Anger, Charles Burnett, USA, 1990
Umut (Hope), Yilmaz Güney, Turkey, 1970
Vogliamo I Colonnelli (We Want The Colonels), Mario Monicelli, Italy, 1973

Documentaties
A Flickering Truth, Pietra Brettkelly, New Zealand and Afghanistan
Alfredo Bini, The Unexpected Guest, Simone Isola, Italy
Dietro Gli Occhiali Bianchi (Behind the White Glasses), Valerio Ruiz, Italy
For The Love of a Man, Rinku Kalsy, India
Helmut Berger, Actor, Andreas Horvath, Austria
Jacques Tourneur Le Médium (Filmer L'Invisible), Alain Mazars, France
The 1000 Eyes of Dr. Maddin, Yves Montmayeur, France
Mifune: The Last Samurai, Steven Okazaki, Japan

Short Film
Venise, A Gaumont Chronochrome production, France, 1912, 10' (documentary)

There are 20 feature films, 19 of which are restored films, 1 restored short film and 8 documentaries about cinema.  Have to admit that even do have seen must restored films but there are a couple that absolutely called my attention ad will try to watch Umut and the very old short film.

Not really in Venice Classics but event absolutely refers to Classics of World Cinema. Pillole from the Archives of the Instituto Luce makes possible the presentation of film clips that will precede the screening of some of the films in the Official Selection. This year the clips are dedicated to a number of distinguished centenarians like Orson Welles, Ingrid Bergam, Edith Piaf, Frank Sinatra, Anthony Quinn and many others.

The lives of artists encapsulated in one-minute film. A rapid and irresistible voyage among the stars...

100 years in a minute – Significant Birthdays from the Luce Archives

Ingrid Bergman: on the set of Europa ’51, in Giovanna d’Arco at the San Carlo in Naples, an interview about her Oscar for the film Anastasia, on the set with Anthony Quinn in the film The Visit.
Alberto Burri: one-man shows in Rome and Milan
Arthur Miller: at his wedding with Marilyn Monroe
Mario Del Monaco: inaugurating the opera season in Othello at the Arena Flegrea
Mario Monicelli: the Golden Lion for the film La grande Guerra (The Great War) and an interview on the set of I compagni (The Organizer).
Ave Ninchi: in Papà diventa mamma (Dad Becomes Mom) with Aldo Fabrizi
Edith Piaf: singing Je ne regrette rien
Anthony Quinn: on the set of the blockbuster Barabbas
Frank Sinatra: at the microphones of RAI radio-television singing Night and Day
Steno: directing Diabolicus and I due colonnelli (Two Colonels)
Orson Welles: shooting Waterloo at the Reggia di Caserta

One-minute films curated by Nathalie Giacobino and edited by Patrizia Penzo.