La tigre e la neve (2005)

Director:

Roberto Benigni

Writers:

Roberto Benigni (writer)
Vincenzo Cerami (writer)

Release Date:

14 October 2005 (Italy)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | War

Plot:

A love-struck Italian poet is stuck in Iraq at the onset of an American invasion.

Plot Keywords:

Poet | Iraq | Champagne | Local Blockbuster | Directed By Star

Awards:

3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Roberto Benigni	...	Attilio de Giovanni
Jean Reno	...	Fuad
Nicoletta Braschi	...	Vittoria
Tom Waits	...	Himself / Sè stesso
Emilia Fox	...	Nancy Browning
Gianfranco Varetto	...	Avvocato Scuotilancia
Giuseppe Battiston	...	Ermanno
Lucia Poli	...	Signora Serao
Chiara Pirri	...	Emilia
Anna Pirri	...	Rosa
Andrea Renzi	...	Dottor Guazzelli
Abdelhafid Metalsi	...	Dottore Salman
Amid Farid	...	Al Giumeil
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Israel Aduramo	...	Soldato americano
Mohmed Hedi Bahri	...	Firas scarpe
Franco Barbero
Mohamed Malek Bchatnia	...	Ladro bazar
Steven Beckingham	...	First Sergeant
Ahmed Ben Massoud	...	Vecchio campo minato
David Birkin	...	US Marine
Jorge Luis Borges	...	Himself (archive footage)
Spartaco Calanchini
Simone Carella
Donato Castellaneta
Alexis Conran	...	Private Roadblock
Francesca Cutolo	...	Carla
Francesco De Vito	...	Valeri
Wahjda Dridi	...	Salwa
Stefania Frangipani	...	Fiorala
Simone Gandolfo	...	Poliziutte aeroporto
Ida Grieco	...	Signora zebra
Derek Hagen	...	Soldato americano
Enrico Iannello	...	Poliziutte aeroporto
Enrico Innocenti Barduzzi	...	Poliziutte aeroporto
Laarbi Kmiri	...	Prisoniere
Jonah Lotan	...	American Soldier
Feriel Madaoui	...	Bambino
Susanna Marcomeni
Noah Lee Margetts	...	Private Roadblock (as Noah Margetts)
Rosa Matteucci	...	Presentatrice
Mark McKerracher	...	American Officer
Franco Mescolini
Daniele Miglio	...	Studente
Abdelkader Mokdad	...	Pedrone Scarpe
Eugenio Montale	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jeffery Gordon Pedersen	...	Soldato americano
Jeff Peterson	...	American Soldier
Javone Prince	...	Soldato americano
Adel Rabah	...	Abbas Scarpe
Martin Sherman	...	Soldato americano
Peter Swander	...	Trembling Soldier
Giuseppe Ungaretti	...	Himself (archive footage)
Mariella Valentini
Marguerite Yourcenar	...	Herself (archive footage)

Directed by
Roberto Benigni

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Roberto Benigni		writer
Vincenzo Cerami		writer

Produced by
Gianluigi Braschi	....	associate producer
Nicoletta Braschi	....	producer
Elda Ferri	....	executive producer
Ridha Turki	....	executive producer: Tunisia

Original Music by
Nicola Piovani

Cinematography by
Fabio Cianchetti

Film Editing by
Massimo Fiocchi

Casting by
Nathalie Cheron

Production Design by
Maurizio Sabatini

Art Direction by
Cosimo Gomez

Costume Design by
Louise Stjernsward

Makeup Department
Elena Gregorini	....	hair stylist
Giorgio Gregorini	....	key hair stylist
Fernanda Perez	....	makeup artist
Morag Ross	....	makeup department head

Production Management
Federico Boldrini Parravicini	....	production manager
Alessandro Calosci	....	production manager
Mauro Maggioni	....	unit manager
Giulia Maura	....	post-production supervisor
Francesco Trifirò	....	unit production manager
Monica Verzolini	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Fabrizio Sergenti Castellani	....	first assistant director
Giorgia Gambone	....	second assistant director
Alessio Spinelli	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Lucia Barbato	....	assistant art director
Lucia Barbato	....	unit production designer

Sound Department
Daniela Bassani	....	sound editor
Fabio D'Amico	....	dialogue editor
Mark Kenna	....	consultant: Dolby film sound
Mark Kenna	....	consultant: dolby film sound
Andrea Lancia	....	sound re-recording mixer
Davide Palmiotto	....	ProTools operator
Davide Palmiotto	....	sound assistant
Lorenzo Pontecorvi	....	sound mixer assistant
Bruno Pupparo	....	sound
Dave Tinsley	....	adr consultant

Visual Effects by
Stefano Ballirano	....	digital intermediate coordinator
Debora Bellintani	....	visual effects producer
Paola Broggi	....	administration: visual effects
Silvia Buttignon	....	digital artist
Stefano Camberini	....	digital intermediate editor
Tommaso Cassano	....	system administrator
Roberto Clochiatti	....	CG artist
Nicola Danese	....	CG artist
Gabriele Diaferia	....	visual effects art director
Marina Di Patrizi	....	film recorder operator
Igor Fiorentini	....	digital compositor
Simone Fontana	....	digital mastering editor
Francesco Gasparotto	....	digital compositor
Christian Gazzi	....	film scanning
Giulia Lamacchia	....	CG artist
Paolo Lato	....	visual effects producer
Mauro Minazzato	....	animator
Cristina Panizzuti	....	visual effects producer
Emanuele Pavarotti	....	animator
Pablo Mariano Picabea	....	film recording
Pietro Ponti	....	CG artist
Josè Sala	....	digital compositor
Nicola Scarpinato	....	3D supervisor
Franco Valenziano	....	visual effects supervisor
Paolo Verrucci	....	digital color grading

Camera and Electrical Department
Luigi Andrei	....	Steadicam operator
Luigi Andrei	....	camera operator
Cristiano Biagioli	....	grip
Alessandro Cardelli	....	electrician
Claudio Frollano	....	gaffer
Gian Claudio Giacomini	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Alberto Grassi	....	generator operator
Simone Lucchetti	....	electrician
Marcostavros Maggi	....	second assistant camera
Maura Morales Bergmann	....	assistant camera
Cristiano Natalucci	....	focus puller: "b" camera
Walter Pernazza	....	central loader
Alessandro Picchi	....	electrician
Giovanni Tancredi	....	electrician
Emiliano Topai	....	first assistant camera: "c" camera
Davide Zanetti	....	camera loader

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sandrine Douat	....	wardrobe assistant
Jane Law	....	costumes: Ms. Braschi
Claudette Lilly	....	costume supervisor
Abdelfattah Qzaibar	....	costume assistant
Cristiana Ricceri	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Simone Fontana	....	digital intermediate editor

Music Department
Kathleen Brennan	....	composer: song "You Can Never Hold Back Spring"
Aidan Zammit	....	musician: keyboards, programming

Transportation Department
Spartaco Calanchini	....	driver

Other crew
Simona Bellettini	....	legal services
Christian Collovà	....	legal services
Bruno Di Bartolomei	....	production accountant
Maurizio Di Bartolomei	....	assistant cashier
Dale Dye	....	senior military advisor
Alessio Lazzareschi	....	legal services
Marcello Mustilli	....	legal services
Paola Rossi	....	production coordinator
Mike Stokey	....	military advisor
Matteo Vallecoccia	....	production secretary

Production Companies

• Melampo Cinematografica
• Post Media

Distributors

• A-Film Distribution (2006) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Ascot Elite Entertainment Group (2005-2006) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Bioscop (2006) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Distribution Company (2006) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Focus Features (2005) (worldwide) (theatrical)
• Odeon (2005) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Pathé (France) (theatrical)
• Rai Cinema (2005) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Shaw Organisation (2006) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Strand Releasing (2006) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• 01 Distribuzione (2005) (Italy) (all media)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2007) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2007) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2007) (Japan) (DVD)
• EuroVideo (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Hart Sharp Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Paradise Group (2006) (Russia) (all media)

Other Companies

• Epstein, Levinsohn, Bodine, Hurwitz & Weinstein  legal services
• Warriors  military advisors

Also Known As:

The Tiger and the Snow (USA) (literal English title)

Runtime:

114 min | USA:110 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian | Arabic | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-11 | Netherlands:MG6 | Malaysia:U | Sweden:15 | Singapore:PG | Argentina:13 | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:M | South Korea:12

Filming Locations:

Naples, Campania, Italy

Company:

Melampo Cinematografica

Trivia:

Roberto Benigni named his character "Attilio" as a tribute to poet Attilio Bertolucci (1911-2000) father of famous directors Giuseppe and Bernardo Bertolucci.

Quotes:

Vittoria: Oh my beloved all creation overflows with passion, and like a golden comet in the sky, from my mouth bursts forth this cry: I love you.
Vittoria: I want to make love to you now.
Attilio de Giovanni: That's the best line I ever heard in my life.

Movie Connections:

Features Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo. (1966)

Soundtrack:

Granada

Another Benigni classic

Anyone who calls this film superficial, banal or trivial has spectacularly missed the point and is exactly the same type of person who was levelling precisely the same kind of criticism at La Vita è Bella. Now, though I do like Benigni (in my opinion La Vita è Bella is a masterpiece and films like Il Piccolo Diavolo, Johnny Stecchino and Il Mostro are exceedingly worthy comedies - that said I thought Pinocchio was an expensive disaster), I will try to be as objective as possible. In La Tigre e la Neve, Benigni repeats the masterfully delicate feat he accomplished in La Vita è Bella: he touches on complex, spikey issues (in La Vita è Bella it was the holocaust, here we have the war in Iraq) in a fable-like, simple manner - he doesn't politicise the film, and he doesn't delight in the gruesome (and very real) aspects of war. Yet this is NOT trivialisation of the subject matter. To believe that is to believe that the true horrors of war (or the holocaust) can only be conveyed on the screen by a documentary-style approach, and that cannot be the case. Benigni is far more effective - he does not shock the audience with visual representations of war, but his comedy in the face of war creates a subtle paradox that makes the whole film even more touching. La Tigre e La Neve is a fable about love, love in the face of adversity, stubborn optimism, hope and desperation and relationships between people of different races and creeds. Don't expect to see a Michael Moore rant at the injustice of war - Benigni is far more subtle. Perhaps the only criticism I have is that Nicoletta Braschi's performance is not always one hundred percent convincing, but Benigni and Reno more than make up for it. I truly hope it makes it on an international level - definitely a film to watch.