La meglio gioventù (2003)

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:

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...

Plot Keywords:

Police | Photographer | Flood | Terrorism | 1960s

Awards:

19 wins & 14 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:
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

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 Jacoponi	....	makeup artist (as Enrico Iacoponi)
Samankta Mura	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Gianfranco Barbagallo	....	production supervisor
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	....	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
Chrystelle Robin	....	production coordinator

Sound Department
Luca Anzellotti	....	sound effects editor
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

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	....	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)
• Lumière Home Entertainment (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2007) (Finland) (TV) (TV2) (re-release)

Special Effects

• Germano Natali

Also Known As:

The Best of Youth (International: English title)
La mejor juventud (Argentina) (Spain) (first part title) [es]
Nos meilleures années (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
De bästa åren (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Die besten Jahre (Austria) [de]
Elämämme parhaat vuodet (Finland) [fi]
En italiensk familie (Denmark) (festival title) [da]
Los años soñados (Spain) (second part title) [es]
O Melhor da Juventude (Brazil) (cable TV title) [pt]
Ta kalytera mas niata (Greece) (festival title) [el]
Vores bedste år (Denmark) (TV title) [da]

MPAA:

Rated R for language and brief nudity. (parts 1 & 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:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Argentina:13 | Italy:T | 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

Filming Locations:

Florence, Tuscany, Italy

Company:

BiBi Film

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Right at the start, after a caption has shown that the film is set in 1966 at the beginning and the main characters are getting into a car, a radio is heard playing the song "Might just take your life" by Deep Purple. This song was released in 1974.

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 Jules et Jim (1962)

Soundtrack:

Oblivion

Beautiful and touching family story

I saw this movie a couple of weeks ago. Actually, you can't call it a movie because it's much more than that, it is a kind of mini-series. "La Meglio Gioventu" tells the story of two brothers: Matteo and Niccola. It starts when they are both about 18 years old; two young idealist who want to discover and change the world. What follows is partly Italian history, but mainly the personal history of the two brothers, growing up and finding their way through life.

This is one of the most beautiful, touching and human stories of the latest years. I enjoyed seeing this very much. Six hours may seem a long time but it isn't to tell a story of 50 years. It is wonderful to see both brothers growing up and changing.

The acting is excellent and the story is touching; the director has eye for detail and he manages the capture life in a very unique way. I can only advise everyone to see this. Outstanding! 9/10