Seven films that made Luca Guadagnino the man (and director) he is today

The Rome Film Festival it is an opportunity to attend previews, follow the red carpets of the stars, but also get to know the most loved directors better. As in the case of Luca Guadagnino who, together with the artistic director of the event Antonio Monda, told about it the seven films that have marked his growth and his cinematic vision.

Starman by John Carpenter (1984)
“It is the first film that introduced me to Jeff Bridges, making me aware of his extraordinary importance: I was so impressed by this alien who learns to be human that for years I have put Brisges as a thank you in my films. Carpenter is also one of the greatest living directors ».

I travel to italy by Roberto Rossellini (1954)
“This movie is my all time favorite. It is the film that continues to make me fall in love with cinema, despite sometimes feeling discouraged. Rossellini is perhaps the greatest ever: he managed to make a suspense film while talking about a love story. And then he seems to me a somewhat unheard master, because he is popular but complex. It doesn’t try to seduce the viewer in the simplest way, but connects with something deeper and more visceral ».

First name Carmen in Jean-Luc Godard (1983)
“When he came out it was forbidden to minors under 18 and I went crazy because I couldn’t go in to see it. I managed to sneak into a room and was obsessed with this movie, even though I didn’t understand anything at first. Then, reviewing him over time, he made me know Godard better and better, his plays on words and images, his political and subversive being ».

The Fly by David Cronenberg
“There is nothing more visceral and powerful than representing love in the cinema. And this film is also a love story. On the one hand there is the extraordinary interpretation of the actors, on the other a very powerful language economy. The director then does not use the genre with the aim of staying on the surface, but makes courageous choices ».

Zombi (Dawn of the Dead) by George A. Romero (1978)
“He too is a great director of economics, millimeter. This is a film that is difficult to make a truly successful remake: for example, the new interpretations have made the dead faster and more intelligent, but the relentlessness of the zombies makes sense if they are slow. He had seen a lot about America: he has a critical and reconciled vision of the United States, of the drive of capitalism, he is a satire and an x-ray ».

The moon by Bernardo Bertolucci (1979)
“He is the first director who seduced me in his capacity as a speaking director, for his ability to narrate. When I was a kid I wanted to be like him because he spoke three languages ​​perfectly and had a great ability to interpret reality through the filter of cinema and staging. The moon it is a cursed, invisible, extreme film, which has to do with taboos. But a director must always try to run on that fine line ».

Here is the empire of the senses di Ōshima (1976)
“It’s the first film by this director I’ve seen. He taught me that there is no such thing as something you cannot film, indeed it is a challenge for the filmmaker. He gives a speech on the despotism of post-war Japanese society in which there is the extreme action of a performance.