The Best of Youth (2003) La meglio gioventù (original title)

Director:

Marco Tullio Giordana

Writers:

Sandro Petraglia (writer)
Stefano Rulli (writer)

Release Date:

22 June 2003 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

The possibilities were endless...

Plot:

An Italian epic that follows the lives of two brothers, from the 1960s to the 2000s.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Photographer | 1960s | Epic | 2000s

Awards:

24 wins & 17 nominations

Cast

Luigi Lo Cascio	...	Nicola Carati
Alessio Boni	...	Matteo Carati
Adriana Asti	...	Adriana Carati
Sonia Bergamasco	...	Giulia Monfalco
Fabrizio Gifuni	...	Carlo Tommasi
Maya Sansa	...	Mirella Utano
Valentina Carnelutti	...	Francesca Carati
Jasmine Trinca	...	Giorgia
Andrea Tidona	...	Angelo Carati
Lidia Vitale	...	Giovanna Carati
Claudio Gioè	...	Vitale Micavi
Paolo Bonanni	...	Luigino
Mario Schiano	...	Medicine Professor
Giovanni Scifoni	...	Berto
Michele Melega	...	Literature Professor
Paolo De Vita	...	Don Vito
Mimmo Mignemi	...	Saro
Marcello Prayer	...	Sottotenente
Nila Carnelutti	...	Francesca Carati, aged 8
Therese Vadem	...	Therese
Riccardo Scamarcio	...	Andrea Utano, adult
Camilla Filippi	...	Sara Carati, adult
Stefano Abbati	...	Spacciatore
Giovanni Martorana	...	Maghrebino
Domenico Centamore	...	Enzo
Pippo Montalbano	...	Sicilian Commissario
Gaspare Cucinella	...	Viddanu
Dario Veca	...	Macellaio
Nicola Vigilante	...	Infermiere
Walter Da Pozzo	...	Mario
Krum De Nicola	...	Brigo
Maurizio Di Carmine	...	Terrorist
Roberto Accornero	...	President of Turin Tribunal
Fabio Camilli	...	Detenuto Tangentopoli
Antonello Puglisi	...	Sacerdote Palermo
Patrizia Punzo	...	Gallerista
Emilia Marra	...	Dottoressa
Greta Cavuoti	...	Sara Carati, aged 8
Sara Pavoncello	...	Sara Carati, aged 5
Francesco La Macchia	...	Andrea Uttano, aged 6
Valeria Colangelo	...	Elena
Laura Di Mariano	...	Paola
Massimiliano Petrucci	...	Fabio
Claudia Fiorentini	...	Cati
Giorgio Crisafi	...	Chief doctor at Villa Quieta
Paolo Emilio Alvarez de Castro	...	Man in jaguar
Rosa Canova	...	Moglie di Saro
Aldo Mansi	...	Ravenna barman
Ferdinando Martin	...	Station barman
Angelo Giuliano	...	Train station police
Angelino Costabile	...	Train station police
Enzo Marcelli	...	Celio sentry
Aldo Innocenti	...	Experienced soldier
Stefano Biscotti	...	Inexperienced soldier
Sjur Midttun	...	Young traveller (as Sjur Midttum)
Rasmus Bu	...	Young traveller
Mohammed Essaje	...	Young traveller
Cinzia Cartei	...	Young traveller
Sergio Risso	...	Maggiordomo
Assia Pallavicino	...	Riccobaldi sister
Lavinia Matteucci	...	Riccobaldi sister
Danilo Maria Valli	...	Marino
Fabio Roscillo	...	Felice
Alberto Pozzo	...	Rosario
Maddalena Recino	...	Anita
Massimo Del Sette	...	Manilo
Letterio Micalizzi	...	Giovanbattista
Roberto Faglia	...	Fulgenzio
Giovanni Tormen	...	Patient
Zefferino Stefanic	...	The accused
Giusto Lo Piparo	...	Lawyer for the defense
Marcella Mariotti	...	Assistant judge
Manuela Massarenti	...	Director of psychiatric hospital
Matteo Ceccarelli	...	Cabinieri marshal
Alessandro Trotta	...	Palermo policeman
Giuseppe Gandini	...	Local administrator
Angelica Zanardi	...	Neighbour
Joana Jiménez	...	Lolita (as Joana Edison Jimenez)
Maria Grazia Bon	...	Portiera
Mattia Osti	...	Office policeman (as Mattia Falchetto Osti)
Raffaele D'Orsi	...	Policeman
Giuseppe Mascia	...	Secondary school student
Leonardo Antiri	...	Orlando as a child
Fabio Rossi	...	Orlando
Alessio Brilli	...	Ludovico
Giovanni Giordana	...	Michele Tommasi
Fausto Maria Sciarappa	...	A doctor (as Fausto Sciarappa)
Kristine M. Opheim	...	Ermione
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Matthew McGrain	...	Lily-Livered Fanny
Emilio Fede	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Fabrizio Giannini	...	(uncredited)
Loredana Mazzella	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Marco Tullio Giordana

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Sandro Petraglia		writer
Stefano Rulli		writer

Produced by
Angelo Barbagallo	....	producer
Gianfranco Barbagallo	....	line producer
Donatella Botti	....	producer
Alessandro Calosci	....	executive producer

Cinematography by
Roberto Forza

Film Editing by
Roberto Missiroli

Casting by
Barbara Melega		(casting by)

Production Design by
Franco Ceraolo

Art Direction by
Jörg Baumgarten
Tony Reading		(supervising art director)

Set Decoration by
Penny Crawford
Paola Riviello

Costume Design by
Elisabetta Montaldo

Makeup Department
Alessandra Alessandroni	....	assistant hair stylist
Sara Del Zoppo	....	assistant makeup artist
Enrico Iacoponi	....	makeup artist
Francesca Latella	....	assistant hair stylist
Samankta Mura	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Gianfranco Barbagallo	....	production supervisor
Alessio Jim Della Valle	....	assistant unit manager
Marco Olivieri	....	unit production manager
Ezio Orita	....	production manager
Massimiliano Pisechi	....	unit manager
Chrystelle Robin	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Federico Ferrario	....	second assistant director
Barbara Melega	....	first assistant director
Federico Nuti	....	assistant director: Florence
Federico Olivetti	....	assistant director
Otello Ottavi	....	third assistant director
Sara Patti	....	assistant director: Turin

Art Department
Cristiana Amendola	....	assistant art director
Sabrina Coppolecchia	....	assistant art director
Roberto De Angelis	....	first assistant production designer
Luisa Iemma	....	assistant art director
Glauco Isidori	....	painter
Erminio Lauri	....	digital artist
Chrystelle Robin	....	production coordinator
Matteo Sani	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Jacopo Anzellotti	....	sound effects editor
Luca Anzellotti	....	sound effects editor
Massimo Anzellotti	....	foley artist
Marta Billingsley	....	sound editor
Fulgenzio Ceccon	....	sound
Paolo Segat	....	sound re-recording mixer
Decio Trani	....	boom operator

Special Effects by
Pasquale Catalano	....	special effects
Massimo Ciaraglia	....	special effects technician
Fabio Traversari	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Alessandro Pelliccia	....	colorist

Stunts
Massimiliano Bianchi	....	stunt rigger
Jacqueline Freda	....	stunts
Riccardo Mioni	....	stunts
Stefano Maria Mioni	....	stunt coordinator
Alessandro Novelli	....	stunts
Emiliano Novelli	....	stunts
Franco Maria Salamon	....	stunt supervisor

Camera and Electrical Department
Gianni Aldi	....	Steadicam operator
Federico Angelucci	....	first assistant camera
Piero Bosi	....	key grip
Vincenzo Carpineta	....	camera operator
Claudio D'Achille	....	grip
Fabio D'Achille	....	grip
Fabio De Meis	....	electrician
Claudio Gallicchio	....	electrician
Alberto Grassi	....	generator operator
Giuseppe Ieva	....	grip
Daniele Massaccesi	....	steadicam operator
Matteo Ortolani	....	second assistant camera
Roberto Ridolfi	....	gaffer
Alberto Rogante	....	electrician
Luciano Teolis	....	assistant camera

Casting Department
Luigi Palmulli	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Alessandra Carta	....	assistant costumes
Pamela Fontinovo	....	second assistant costumes
Silvana Mancini	....	seamstress
Nadia Salvatore	....	seamstress

Editorial Department
Paolo Petrucci	....	assistant editor
Ivan Tozzi	....	on-line editor

Other crew
Tatiana Basili	....	assistant extras coordinator
Stefano Benappi	....	location manager
Adriano Ceccolini	....	production assistant
Bruno Di Bartolomei	....	production accountant
Cinzia Liberati	....	script supervisor
Alessandro Luzi	....	cashier
Alfredo Miserocchi	....	production assistant
Simone Rosso	....	production assistant: Torino

Production Companies

• BiBi Film
• Rai Cinemafiction

Distributors

• 01 Distribuzione (2003) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Miramax Films (2005) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Polyfilm Verleih (2004) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Tokyo Theaters Company (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Vii Pillars Entertainment (2005) (Hong Kong) (theatrical)
• Front Row Filmed Entertainment (2004) (United Arab Emirates) (all media) (Middle East)
• Lumière Home Entertainment (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2007) (Finland) (TV) (TV2) (re-release)
• good movies! (2010) (Germany) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Germano Natali

Also Known As:

"La meglio gioventù" - Italy (original title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and brief nudity (part 2)

Runtime:

Canada:366 min (Montréal World Film Festival) | Canada:383 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | France:358 min (Cannes Film Festival) | USA:366 min (theatrical version) | Italy:383 min (2 parts) | Argentina:180 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | USA:R (part 1) | USA:R (part 2) | Ireland:15 | Australia:M | Hong Kong:IIA | Singapore:NC-16 | Argentina:13 | Italy:T

Filming Locations:

Florence, Tuscany, Italy

Company:

BiBi Film

Trivia:

Originally developed as a miniseries for television. It was then released in cinemas in June 2003 as two three-hour films after the uncut six-hour version had been screened to great acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival. Because of the films's success, it was eventually shown on Italian TV as originally intended, in 4 parts, in November 2003.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene where Nicola and Matteo meet again in Nicola's office after Giorgia has been found, they lay their right hand on each others shoulder. Nicola's hand is transferred from Matteo's one shoulder to the other in the close-up.

Quotes:

Sara Carati, adult:What should I do?
Nicola Carati:I don't know, it depends on how strong you feel... Are you happy now?
Sara Carati, adult:Of course I am!
Nicola Carati:Then, it's time to be generous

Movie Connections:

References The Godfather (1972)

Soundtrack:

House of the Rising Sun

A treasure - 6 moving hours of forgetting yourself

Having just returned at 2 am from a festival showing of the movie that started at 5:30, I still can think of nothing but looking for anything and everything about this exceptional film that I came across more or less by accident. I can only sum up two points: it is an excellent yet easy-going overview of recent Italian history, and a truly moving, in an unbanal and unstereotypical, unpopcorny way, movie about the value of friendship, closeness, family. This film makes you want to live, to cherish the people you love and to be aware of the consequences of your acts. City living makes sour cynics out of teenage optimists (I'd count myself in until now), and this one is a lesson of keeping the best of yourself throughout life. A true inspiration! Bravo.