La prima cosa bella (2010)

Director:

Paolo Virzì

Writers:

Paolo Virzì (story) and
Francesco Bruni (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

15 January 2010 (Italy)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

A misanthropic professor returns to his hometown to assist his dying mother. |

Plot Keywords:

Contest | Beauty | Title From Song | 1970s | The Family

Awards:

14 wins & 28 nominations

Cast

Valerio Mastandrea	...	Bruno Michelucci - 2009
Micaela Ramazzotti	...	Anna Nigiotti in Michelucci - 1971-1981
Stefania Sandrelli	...	Anna Nigiotti in Michelucci - 2009
Claudia Pandolfi	...	Valeria Michelucci - 2009
Sergio Albelli	...	Mario Michelucci
Marco Messeri	...	Il Nesi
Fabrizia Sacchi	...	Sandra
Aurora Frasca	...	Valeria Michelucci - Bambina
Giacomo Bibbiani	...	Bruno Michelucci - Bambino
Giulia Burgalassi	...	Valeria Michelucci - 1981
Francesco Rapalino	...	Bruno Michelucci - 1981
Isabella Cecchi	...	Zia Leda Nigiotti
Emanuele Barresi	...	Roberto Lenzi
Dario Ballantini	...	Avvocato Cenerini
Paolo Ruffini	...	Cristiano Cenerini
Fabrizio Brandi	...	Giancarlo - 2009
Jacopo Dini	...	Giancarlo - 1981
Michele Crestacci	...	Luciano Vallesi
Roberto Rondelli	...	Armando Mansani (as Bobo Rondelli)
Alessio Colombini	...	Anselmo Viani
Paolo Giommarelli	...	Conte Augusto Paoletti
Alessia Innocenti	...	Contessa Paoletti
Giorgio Algranti	...	Vicesindaco
Claudio Marmugi	...	Presentatore 'Miss Pancaldi 1971'
Alessandra Cantini	...	Elena Talini - 1981
Edoardo Ferrari	...	Andrea Baldacci - 1981
Domenico Cirianni	...	Andrea Baldacci - 2009
Elena Bernardini	...	Giovane Farmacista
Isabelle Adriani	...	Luciana Cenerini
Marcellina Ruocco	...	Giuliana Cenerini - 2009
Marco Risi	...	Dino Risi
Raffaele Vannoli	...	Fotografo di Scena (as Lele Vannoli)
Diego Salvadori	...	Aldo
Alessio Silipo	...	Sergio
Lucilla Serchi	...	Professoressa
Giovanni Rindi	...	Marcello Mastroianni
Franca Antongiovanni	...	Dirimpettaia
Ada Antongiovanni	...	Dirimpettaia
Maria Pia Aricó	...	Chiara
Daniela Carrozzi	...	Cuoca
Toto Barbato	...	Traslocatore
Sara Mannucci	...	Infermiera

Directed by
Paolo Virzì

Writing credits
Paolo Virzì		(story and screenplay) and
Francesco Bruni		(story and screenplay) and
Francesco Piccolo		(story and screenplay)

Produced by
Ferdinando Bonifazi	....	line producer
Marco Cohen	....	producer
Fabrizio Donvito	....	producer
Lorenzo Gangarossa	....	assistant producer
Benedetto Habib	....	producer
Gabriele Muccino	....	producer
Carlo Virzì	....	producer
Paolo Virzì	....	producer

Original Music by
Carlo Virzì

Cinematography by
Nicola Pecorini

Film Editing by
Simone Manetti

Casting by
Elisabetta Boni
Dario Ceruti
Lorenzo Grasso

Production Design by
Tonino Zera

Set Decoration by
Donato Tieppo

Costume Design by
Gabriella Pescucci

Makeup Department
Massimo Gattabrusi	....	hair designer
Paola Gattabrusi	....	key makeup artist
Daniela Tartari	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Alessandro Mascheroni	....	production manager
Irma Misantoni	....	post-production supervisor
Christian Schiozzi	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Elisa Becchere	....	second assistant director
Elisabetta Boni	....	first assistant director
Dario Ceruti	....	first assistant director
Lorenzo Grasso	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Tommaso Dubla	....	head painter
Erminio Lauri	....	set finishing supervisor

Sound Department
Paolo Amici	....	sound effects editor
Daniela Bassani	....	sound editor
Alberto Battocchi	....	boom operator
Roberto Cappannelli	....	sound re-recording mixer
Luigi Melchionda	....	boom operator
Daniele Quadroli	....	sound effects editor
David Quadroli	....	sound effects editor
Fabrizio Quadroli	....	sound effects editor
Marco Streccioni	....	sound engineer
Antonio Tavassi	....	assistant audio engineer

Special Effects by
Massimiliano Bianchi	....	special effects rigger

Visual Effects by
Andrea Baracca	....	digital color timing
Niccolò Barbero	....	digital compositor
Valentina Bologna	....	visual effects
Gaia Bussolati	....	visual effects
Stefano Camberini	....	digital restoration artist
Roberto D'Ippolito	....	digital compositor (as D'Ippolito Roberto)
Chiara Feriani	....	visual effects
Stefano Leoni	....	visual effects
Roberta Longo	....	visual effects
Mauro Moretti	....	visual effects
Gabriele Motta	....	rotoscope artist
Alessandro Pantanella	....	digital compositor
Alessandro Pantanella	....	title designer
Gianni Silvestri	....	visual effects
Andrea Zimbaro	....	visual effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Giampaolo Bagala	....	key grip
Cristiano Bagalà	....	grip
Roberto Bagalá	....	grip
Daniele Cafolla	....	gaffer
Paolo Cigliello	....	still photographer
Francesco Di Giacomo	....	camera operator
Francesco Di Giacomo	....	cinematographer: second unit
Marco Lubrano	....	grip
Francisco Pintore	....	first assistant camera
Antonio Veracini	....	video assist

Casting Department
Elisa Becchere	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Maria Cristina La Parola	....	set costumer
Rossano Marchi	....	costume assistant
Massimo Cantini Parrini	....	assistant costume designer
Carolina Paterni	....	wardrobe assistant
Allegra Mori Ubaldini	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Elide Camberini	....	colorist
Pasquale Cuzzupoli	....	color timer
Irma Misantoni	....	post-production coordinator
Ilario Pacinotti	....	first assistant editor
Claudio Pisano	....	first assistant editor
Erica Sacco	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Antonello Navarra	....	music producer
Davide Settembrino	....	music consultant
Marco Streccioni	....	score recording engineer & mixer
Antonio Tavassi	....	assistant music engineer
Paola Vanoni	....	music licensing
Paola Vanoni	....	music production assistant

Other crew
Andrea Buchetti	....	labour department
Costanza Coldagelli	....	production coordinator
Giulia Contino	....	script supervisor
Federica De Vita	....	payroll accountant
Ester Ligori	....	production coordinator
Marco Malfi	....	post production supervisior
Mauro Monachini	....	financial controller
Simone Moraca	....	backstage
Alga Pastorelli	....	post production co-ordinator
Livia Pastorelli	....	accountant
Miuta Paterni	....	production secretary
Salvatore Ricciardi	....	conform supervisor
Giampaolo Rossi	....	dialogue transcriptor
Marco Ruggieri	....	finishing
Marco Spagnoli	....	labour department
Marco Spoletini	....	permissions

Production Companies

• Motorino Amaranto
• Medusa Film
• Indiana Production Company
• Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali (MiBAC) (support)

Distributors

• CDI Films (2011) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Cinéart (2011) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Cinéart (2011) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Medusa Distribuzione (2009) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Palisades Tartan (2011) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Seven Films (2011) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Wild Bunch Distribution (2011) (France) (TV)
• Wild Bunch (2011) (Spain) (all media)

Other Companies

• M&R Europe Mina Rotelli Lanfranconi Avvocati Associati  legal advisor

Also Known As:

"The First Beautiful Thing" - International (English title) (imdb display title)
"A Primeira Coisa Bela" - Brazil (festival title)
"Az első szép dolog" - Hungary
"Cos pieknego" - Poland (imdb display title)
"Gördügüm En Güzel Kadin" - Turkey (Turkish title) (imdb display title)
"I gynaika tis zois mou" - Greece (imdb display title)
"La prima cosa bella" - Argentina (imdb display title)
"La prima cosa bella" - France (imdb display title)

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Italy:T | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Livorno, Tuscany, Italy

Company:

Motorino Amaranto

Trivia:

Italy's official submission to the Best Foreign Language Film category for the 83rd Academy Awards.

Movie Connections:

References La moglie del prete (1971)

Soundtrack:

L'eternità

Virzi's Crusade

I live near director's town of birth, the town where this movie is set, too, and I had, last summer, the great opportunity to see how this man works, and I can say he's so nice and he tries to be calm, even when the actors (the younger ones, in particular) couldn't do that he wants.

But I've noticed an other thing: production was very very rich (in economical terms), and maybe my judge could be partial, but when I've seen this movie, I've seen a beautiful story, rich of messages and themes (family, and the incapability to repudiate that; impossibility to escape from past and nostalgia; against the drug, even if it could seem the opposite etc..), so great job as regards the screenplay; acting is good, although many actors were very young, and "for first time on screen"; photograph is quite good (some scene have a big and quite bad using of color correction), and sounds are right.

I think (joking) Virzì is happy whenever he reaches to export his accent in the world, and his own crusade includes, in my opinion, the justice for the speaking, which before him it was the same for Florence and Tuscany's Coast. In this way, actors like Mastrandrea and Pandolfi show their great capability to give a great interpretation even with a different accent (both come from Rome).

But the worst side of the movie I think it's the shoots. They aren't bad, but probably I believed Virzì's work had a greater attention for originality, and I asked me why, with the big quantity of entourage and money he had, he forgot the attention for the originality in shooting. The shoots are many times ordinary, far from other great movies, like Fellini's Amarcord, which the review Ciak had compared with this.

With an other kind of shoots (or maybe is just the video editing, I hope) which gives to movie that "ordinary taste", breaking a little part of amazing magic of the movie, this could be one of the greatest works of Virzì, because is a personal and introspective work, like Italians know to do very well.

Although this, "La Prima Cosa Bella" is able to move the spectator, and it's a good movie, but just a little better than the standard of the genre. My final vote is a 7,5.