The Best of Youth (2003)

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

Director:

Marco Tullio Giordana

Writers:

Sandro Petraglia, Stefano Rulli

Stars:

Luigi Lo Cascio, Alessio Boni, Jasmine Trinca

33 wins & 25 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 Esposti
Andrea Tidona	...	Angelo Carati
Lidia Vitale	...	Giovanna Carati
Claudio Gioè	...	Vitale Micavi
Paolo Bonanni	...	Luigino
Giovanni Scifoni	...	Berto
Riccardo Scamarcio	...	Andrea Utano
Camilla Filippi	...	Sara Carati

Storyline

Nicola and Matteo Carati are two brothers of Rome, who live the years from 1966 to 2000 and all the events which have signed this period. They begin their adventure, helping Giorgia, a young girl confined in an asylum. Then, after the flood of Florence, Nicola meets Giulia a talented piano player with a dangerous sympathy for the BR. Matteo, a rebel spirit entered in the police, will find the optimistic photographer Mirella. These four characters and many others will cross the years of terrorism and Tangentopoli.

---

Plot Keywords:

watching tv | years of lead | year 2000 | brother | police | 

---

Taglines:

The possibilities were endless...

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and brief nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian English Norwegian

Release Date:

20 June 2003 (Italy)

Also Known As:

The Best of Youth

Filming Locations:

Florence, Tuscany, Italy

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,490, 6 March 2005

Gross USA:

$274,024

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,799,773

Company Credits

Production Co:

BiBi Film, Rai Fiction, Film Commission Torino-Piemonte

Technical Specs

Runtime:

366 min (two parts) 95 min (4 episodes) (TV)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.

---

Goofs

Midnight sun does not take place in November (1966 - beginning of the film) nor during spring (2003 - end of the film), but is visible at the Arctic Circle only from June 12 until July 1.

---

Quotes

Andrea Utano: I watch the midnight sun sink towards the horizon, then it stops and doesn't enter the sea. I think of my father, mother, and you, how you've always said that everything is beautiful. I think you were right. Everything is truly beautiful.

---

Connections

Features The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)

---

Soundtracks

Sonatine, M. 40. First Movement: Modéré
Composed by Maurice Ravel

User Reviews

Testimony to the transcending power of art

"There is, nevertheless, a certain respect and a general duty of humanity that ties us, not only to beasts that have life and sense, but even to trees and plants." Montaigne

Rarely does a new film find a place on a longstanding short list of best ever. The Italian import Best of Youth recently entered my all time best ten, a singular honor considering I had to sit still for six hours of viewing, and I rarely sit still anytime, even if my name is DeSando and it's a family saga.

Director Francis Ford Coppola created a movie empire with his Godfather series and ended up with what some consider the best American movie ever made. It is unforgettable for its emphasis on family values mafia style and its stunning photography. The Best of Youth is decidedly not mafia related; rather it is a romantic and historical rendering of Italy from the 1960's as seen through the lives of the Carati family and their friends and lovers. The two brothers, Nicola and Matteo, represent the Janus-like conflict of liberal and conservative in the volatile last half-century of Italian social and cultural change.

This is humanistic history at its best as director Marco Tullio Giordana takes us through the sexy seventies, a devastating Florence flood, the emergence of Red Brigades, assassinations and business downturns including the Fiat layoffs. Despite deaths, suicide, and disappointment, the last line of the film, spoken in the new century, repeats the sentiment of the youthful days in the last century that everything is truly beautiful. How can you miss that theme when the cinematography emphasizes the antique charm of Italy and the close up beauty of actors who look their parts, albeit rarely ugly? The film, often tightly framed, accentuates character over plot and a certain imprisonment in character and destiny. The choice of actors is nothing short of inspired.

The genius of Best of Youth is that like Italy itself, this family is a stew of ideologies that offers up dignity of the individual as the highest value and respect (remember The Godfather) for humanity the only arbiter of peace. This film stands with Brokeback Mountain and The New World as a towering achievement and testimony to the transcending power of art to make us look at ourselves as vulnerable and beautiful.