Italian films about the 20th century

List of the best Italian films about the 20th century according to the audience: Pasolini, The Jewel, Serafino, Beat the Devil, Grace of Monaco, Don Camillo, The Mafia Kills Only in Summer, Paisan, The Traitor, He's Worse than Me.

In the top there are new films of 2021, a plot description and trailers for films that have already been released.

Country
Markimdb: 5.9
Genredrama, biography
CountryFrance, Belgium, Italy

We are with Pasolini during the last hours of his life, as he talks with his beloved family and friends, writes, gives a brutally honest interview, shares a meal with Ninetto Davoli, and cruises for the roughest rough trade in his gun-metal gray Alfa Romeo. Over the course of the action, Pasolini’s life and his art (represented by scenes from his films, his novel-in-progress Petrolio, and his projected film Porno-Teo-Kolossal) are constantly refracted and intermingled to the point where they become one.

Markimdb: 6.8
Genredrama
CountryItaly, France
Duration01:50

Amanzio Rastelli appointed several of his relations to managerial positions in his firm. They decided to think internationally and now business is heavily in debt. Luckily for the Rastellis, Bolta the accountant uses all the tricks of his art to cook the books, but catastrophe awaits.

Markimdb: 6.2
Genrecomedy
CountryItaly, France

Serafino a young and innocent shepherd inherits a huge fortune. He immediately spends the entire sum in presents for his friends. For this reason he is believed mad, and his uncle decides to legally forbid him to take any decision about his fortune. Serafino liaison with his cousin drive him few steps to marry. Tired of this entire situation Serafino finally decides to come back to the mountains by his sheep.

Markimdb: 6.4
Genrecomedy, melodrama, adventure
CountryUnited Kingdom, Italy, USA
Duration01:29

The script, which was written on a day-to-day basis as the film was being shot, concerns the adventures of a motley crew of swindlers and ne'er-do-wells trying to lay claim to land rich in uranium deposits in Kenya as they wait in a small Italian port to travel aboard an ill-fated tramp steamer en route to Mombasa.

Markimdb: 5.7
Genremelodrama, drama, biography
CountryFrance, Italy
Duration01:42

The story of former Hollywood star Grace Kelly's crisis of marriage and identity, during a political dispute between Monaco's Prince Rainier III and France's Charles De Gaulle, and a looming French invasion of Monaco in the early 1960s.

Markimdb: 7.6
Genrecomedy
CountryFrance, Italy
Duration01:47

In a village of the Po valley where the earth is hard and life miserly, the priest and the communist mayor are always fighting to be the head of the community. If in secret, they admired and liked each other, politics still divided them as it is dividing the country. And when the mayor wants his "People's House"; the priest wants his "Garden City" for the poor. Division exist between the richest and the poorest, the pious and the atheists and even between lovers. But if the people are hard as the country, they are good in the bottom of there heart.

Markimdb: 7.1
Genrecomedy, crime
CountryItaly
Duration01:30

Inspired by real events, this is a black comedy about 20 years of history of Sicily from 1970s to 1990s, mocking Mafia Bosses and restoring the generosity of the heroes of Antimafia. Its focused on Arturo, a young boy who grows up in Palermo and tries to conquer his beloved Flora.

Markimdb: 7.6
Genredrama, military
CountryItaly

Six vignettes follow the Allied invasion from July 1943 to winter 1944, from Sicily north to Venice.

Markimdb: 7.1
Genredrama, crime, biography
CountryItaly, France, Germany, Brazil
Duration01:40

Palermo, Sicily, 1980. Mafia member Tommaso Buscetta decides to move to Brazil with his family fleeing the constant war between the different clans of the criminal organization. But when, after living several misfortunes, he is forced to return to Italy, he makes a bold decision that will change his life and the destiny of Cosa Nostra forever.

Markimdb: 6.1
Genrecomedy
CountryItaly

Two reckless friends Leonardo (Adriano Celentano) and Luciano (Renato Potstsetto) are just doing whatever they want and getting into endless alterations. When one of them decides to marry, their friendship is in a crisis ...

Markimdb: 8
Genredrama
CountryItaly
Duration01:48

When Gelsomina, a naïve young woman, is purchased from her impoverished mother by brutish circus strongman Zampanò to be his wife and partner, she loyally endures her husband's coldness and abuse as they travel the Italian countryside performing together. Soon Zampanò must deal with his jealousy and conflicted feelings about Gelsomina when she finds a kindred spirit in Il Matto, the carefree circus fool, and contemplates leaving Zampanò.

Markimdb: 7.2
Genremelodrama, drama, music, biography
CountryBelgium, Italy

The true story of Rocco Granata, an Italian coal miner's son who followed his passion for music against his father's wishes and social barriers.

Markimdb: 7.9
Genrecomedy, crime
CountryItaly, France
Duration01:46

Best friends Peppe and Mario are thieves, but they're not very good at it. Still, Peppe thinks that he's finally devised a master heist that will make them rich. With the help of some fellow criminals, he plans to dig a tunnel from a rented apartment to the pawnshop next door, where they can rob the safe. But his plan is far from foolproof, and the fact that no one in the group has any experience digging tunnels proves to be the least of their problems.

Markimdb: 6.3
Genrecomedy
CountryFrance, Italy

Seven directors each dramatize one of the seven deadly sins in a short film. In "Anger," a domestic argument over a fly in the Sunday soup escalates into nuclear war. In "Sloth," a movie ...

Markimdb: 6.5
Genrecomedy
CountryItaly, France, Russia
Duration01:55

When he loses his position as a powerful government minister, Vincent is dropped by his pretty mistress and must begin life anew, without the privileges of power. As he gradually becomes acquainted with milieus which he d either forgotten or never known and a host of sometimes eccentric, often remarkable everyday people, Vincent really begins to start living again.

Markimdb: 4.7
Genrecomedy
CountryItaly

A few funny little novels about different aspects of life.

Markimdb: 5.9
Genrecomedy
CountryItaly

A father, who calls himself "open" and tolerant and fights against any form of discrimination, reveals himself as not so liberal when his son announces the engagement to his partner. Overwhelmed by the news, he regresses into the most fierce opponent of same sex marriage, and tries to undermine his son's happiness with a series of embarrassing situations.

Markimdb: 6.8
Genredrama
CountryItaly, France, Germany
Duration01:30

Margherita, a director in the middle of an existential crisis, has to deal with the inevitable and still unacceptable loss of her mother.

Markimdb: 6.3
Genrecomedy
CountryItaly
Duration01:27

The story of a father and a son. An on the road trip from South to North.

Markimdb: 6.9
Genremelodrama, drama, crime, detective
CountryItaly, USA
Duration02:08

Has-been director Harry Dawes gets a new lease on his career when independently wealthy Kirk Edwards hires him to write and direct a film. They go to Madrid to find Maria Vargas, a dancer who will star in the film.

Markimdb: 7.2
Genremelodrama, drama, crime
CountryFrance, Italy, Japan, Poland, West Germany
Duration02:00

Love at Twenty unites five directors from five different countries to present their different perspectives on what love really is at the age of 20. The episodes are united with the score of Georges Delerue and still photos of Henri Cartier-Bresson.

Markimdb: 7.9
Genrecomedy, drama
CountryItaly, France

Five young men dream of success as they drift lazily through life in a small Italian village. Fausto, the group's leader, is a womanizer; Riccardo craves fame; Alberto is a hopeless dreamer; Moraldo fantasizes about life in the city; and Leopoldo is an aspiring playwright. As Fausto chases a string of women, to the horror of his pregnant wife, the other four blunder their way from one uneventful experience to the next.

Markimdb: 6.2
Genredrama
CountryItaly

An aging soccer fanatic faces down the reality of his past while struggling to give himself and a young follower very different futures.

Markimdb: 5.5
Genrebiography
CountryItaly
Duration01:21

Discover Leonardo da Vinci, the man, the painter, the scientist and the inventor, through a unique, engaging and fascinating journey in the mind of Leonardo.

Markimdb: 6
Genreaction, thriller
CountryUSA, France, Italy, United Kingdom
Duration01:43

    American tourist Frank (Johnny Depp) meets mysterious British woman Elsie (Angelina Jolie) on the train to Venice. Romance seems to bud, but there's more to her than meets the eye. Remake of the 2005 French film "Anthony Zimmer", written and directed by Jérôme Salle.

    Markimdb: 5.3
    Genrehorror, drama, detective
    CountryItaly

    On a trip home to visit her father, Jenny is thrown into a world of mystery, horror and legend when she is called upon by 3000 year old spirits of the Neverlake to help return their lost artifacts and save the lives of missing children.

    Markimdb: 6.7
    Genrehorror, fantastic, melodrama
    CountryUSA, Italy
    Duration01:49

    A young man in a personal tailspin flees the US to Italy, where he sparks up a romance with a woman harboring a dark, primordial secret.

    Markimdb: 7.2
    Genrethriller, drama, crime
    CountryItaly, France
    Duration01:38

    Marcello, a small and gentle dog groomer, finds himself involved in a dangerous relationship of subjugation with Simone, a former violent boxer who terrorizes the entire neighborhood. In an effort to reaffirm his dignity, Marcello will submit to an unexpected act of vengeance.

    Markimdb: 6.2
    Genrecomedy, drama
    CountryItaly

    Mussolini reappears in Rome 72 years after his death, finding a Country still full of problems like racism and hate for politicians. Misguised for an actor, he sides with a young filmmaker and starts traveling along Italy to reconquer it.

    Markimdb: 6.8
    Genrethriller, drama, crime, biography
    CountryItaly, France, Romania
    Duration02:05

    Set in Italy in the 1970s, VALLANZASCA is the true story of the Italian underworld’s most infamous outlaw. A criminal by age 9, Renato Vallanzasca grew up to become the country’s most notorious mobster before the age of 27. Vallanzasca and his gang wrested control of the Milan underworld with a string of high profile robberies, kidnappings and murders. In the process, he captivated the public and earned the nickname ‘il bel Renè’ – for his devilish charm and handsome face. Arrested multiple times, his daring escapes from prison enraged the government, angered his rivals and fed his legend.

    Markimdb: 5.6
    Genrehorror, drama, crime
    CountryItaly
    Duration01:21

    In the suburbs of Rome, two disparate lives with only desire for vengeance and redemption in common find their destinies intertwined. Massimo's mind is plagued with images of his wife's violent death at the hands of a criminal gang involved in the production of snuff films. With every memory of the woman he loved replaced by unforgettable images of her horrific final moments, Massimo sees only one chance to take back his life: find the wealthy individual who commissioned the sickening murder - and make them pay. Barabba, a recently released convict, hopes to keep a promise he made to his father and start a new life with his brother, Spaccio, far from the violent world that they used to inhabit. Discovering that his brother is involved in the snuff gang, Barabba seeks to change things the only way he knows how: through violence and bloodshed.

    Markimdb: 6.2
    Genredrama, adventure, family
    CountryGermany, Italy
    Duration01:55

    A girl struggling with asthma is taken to a clinic in South Tyrol to be cured. After some time she decides to get out of this hell (that's how she feels about it) and soon she'll meet a new friend. Together they try to reach the peak of a mountain where, according to an old custom, she can be healed.

    Markimdb: 6.4
    Genrecomedy, drama
    CountryItaly

    Serena Bruno is an architect who studied and got several masters in different countries of the world but she decides to go back to Italy so she can live and work there. She will soon find out that her native country is not as open minded and she will struggle to find a job that she truly loves and is passionate about. Along the way she will meet Francesco a gay man who will help and support her throughout her journey.

    Markimdb: 5.8
    Genrecomedy
    CountryItaly

    Alessandro and Anna meet by chance. Same night, different tables, both on a date where the other person does not show up. Initially Alessandro cannot stand Anna, but things change when he gets to know her.

    Markimdb: 6.9
    Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama, military
    CountryItaly

    It's 1943 and World War II is raging in Europe. In New York, Arturo and Flora the daughter of a restaurant owner are in love, but she is promised in marriage to the son of a Mafia boss. There is a way around this, but to be able to marry Flora, Arturo needs to get permission from her father, who lives in a village in Sicily. Arturo doesn't have any money, so the only way he can get to Sicily is to enlist in the U.S. Army, which is preparing for a landing on the island.

    Markimdb: 6
    Genredrama
    CountryItaly, Luxembourg, Albania, Poland

    Threatened by creditors, a newly unemployed man agrees to work for a debt collector, but soon discovers his deal with the devil has unexpected costs.

    Markimdb: 5.8
    Genremelodrama, drama, detective
    CountryItaly

    In a Naples suspended between magic and superstition, madness and rationality, a mystery envelops the existence of Adriana (Giovanna Mezzogiorno), overwhelmed by a sudden love and a violent crime.

    Markimdb: 7.8
    Genrecomedy, drama
    CountryItaly, France
    Duration02:21

    Jep Gambardella has seduced his way through the lavish nightlife of Rome for decades, but after his 65th birthday and a shock from the past, Jep looks past the nightclubs and parties to find a timeless landscape of absurd, exquisite beauty.

    Markimdb: 6.1
    Genrecomedy, drama
    CountryItaly
    Duration01:42

    Leo falls in love with Beatrice, a slightly older high-school student who has leukemia.

    Markimdb: 6.6
    Genrecomedy
    CountryItaly, Germany
    Duration01:42

    Alberto (Claudio Bisio), post office manager of a small town in Brianza, under pressure of his wife Sylvia (Angela Finocchiaro), is willing to do anything to get the transfer to Milan. Even pretending to be disabled to climb in the ranking. But the trick does not work and as punishment, he is transferred in a small town in Campania, which to an inhabitant of the north is equivalent to a nightmare ...

    Markimdb: 6.3
    Genrecomedy, melodrama, music
    CountryUSA, Italy, Spain
    Duration01:52

      Four tales unfold in the Eternal City: While vacationing in Rome, architect John encounters a young man whose romantic woes remind him of a painful incident from his own youth; retired opera director Jerry discovers a mortician with an amazing voice, and he seizes the opportunity to rejuvenate his own flagging career; a young couple have separate romantic interludes; a spotlight shines on an ordinary man.

      Markimdb: 6.7
      Genredrama, biography, history
      CountryItaly
      Duration02:23

      A luminously beautiful biopic of the celebrated eighteenth-century Italian poet, essayist and philosopher Giacomo Leopardi, who created immortal verse whilst struggling with a debilitating illness.

      Markimdb: 6.1
      Genredrama, biography, sport
      CountryItaly

      A chronicle biopic of the 22-year career of soccer star Roberto Baggio, including depictions of his difficult debut as a player, his deep rifts with some of his coaches, his triumph over injuries and personal discovery of Buddism.

      Markimdb: 4.8
      Genrecomedy
      CountryItaly
      Duration01:33

      Womanizer father teaches clumsy son the decalogue of seduction: ten foolproof rules to make any woman fall in love. But the results will be not what expected.

      Markimdb: 6.5
      Genredrama
      CountryItaly
      Duration01:43

      An introverted teenager tells his parents he is going on a ski trip, but instead spends his time alone in a basement.

      Markimdb: 6.6
      Genrecomedy
      CountryItaly
      Duration02:19

      Checco is 39 and lived his entire life with his parents. He loves his job where he does nothing the all day until something happens that will change his behavior and maybe his life..

      Markimdb: 5.8
      Genrecomedy
      CountryItaly

      A man dedicated to religion and very faithful husband suddenly finds himself single. The new shop assistant in his shop will overwhelm his life.

      Markimdb: 6.4
      Genrecomedy
      CountryItaly

      Francesco Taramelli is a psychoanalyst who is dealing with three patients going through various hurdles in their love lives: Marta is chasing a deaf-mute man who has stolen things from her book shop, Sara is a lesbian who was left by her girlfriend just after she proposed to her, and 18-year-old Emma is seeing a 50-year-old architect called Alessandro, who is already married. Unfortunately, these three patients are Francesco's three beloved daughters.

      Markimdb: 6.5
      Genredrama, history
      CountryItaly, Belgium
      Duration01:42

      Romulus and Remus, two shepherds and loyal brothers, end up taking part to a journey that will lead one of them to be the founder of the greatest nation ever seen. However, the fate of the chosen one will pass from killing his own brother.

      Markimdb: 4.6
      Genrehorror, thriller
      CountryItaly
      Duration01:24

      After a divorce, Sophia moves to the south of Italy with her daughter, Helena. Their new home, an apartment within an austere building of the fascist age, is a chance for them to start a new life. But inside an old storage room hides a mysterious closet and a buried secret. After the loss of Helena’s first baby tooth, a chilling obsession begins and an apparition haunts her sleep...




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