My Voyage to Italy

For over four hours, Martin Scorsese unfolds his perpetual passion for movies in this tribute to five Italian directors and more than 20 of their films, featuring long clips from classics ranging from Neorealist works by Roberto Rossellini (Open City) and Vittorio De Sica (The Bicycle Thief) to more elaborate efforts by Luchino Visconti (Senso), Federico Fellini (8 1/2), and Michelangelo Antonioni (L'avventura). Unfortunately, Scorsese ignores genre filmmakers such as Sergio Leone, Mario Bava, and Dario Argento, and he stops at the early ‘60s, leaving out modern talents such as Bernardo Bertolucci and Nanni Moretti. Scorsese narrates over the chosen clips (thanks to help from editor Thelma Schoonmaker, he doesn't compete with the original dialogue, although he doesn't think twice about giving away the endings to many of these classics), and while My Voyage to Italy is less analytical or comprehensive than the wonderful A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (VL-5/98), it's--ironically--far more personal. Indeed, the film begins with old home movie footage introducing us to Scorsese's elder relatives, many of whom came to the U.S. speaking only Sicilian. A private diary in which Scorsese explores his Italian heritage and widens our own cinematic horizons through world film, My Voyage to Italy is highly recommended. (J.M. Anderson)