Di Carmine Takes Film Studies Students to Italy

This year, professor Roberta Di Carmine, the director of the film studies minor in the English department, offered a remarkable class, ENG 379, Exploring Italy through Film. Professor Di Carmine grew up Pescara, in central Italy, and I emigrated to the US in 1994, ultimately earning her doctorate in film studies. She directs the film minor program in the department of English. Di Carmine explained that “I always wanted to bring students to Italy and show how Italian landscapes have been used in classic as well as contemporary Italian and American films. I always wanted to bring film students to Cinecitta’, the famous studios in Rome! And, I always wanted to share Italian culture (passion for the arts, food, language for instance) with film students” That dream became on reality on March 8th, as Professor Di Carmine and nine students traveled to Rome to begin their exploration Italian film in Italy, visiting the studios and sets, meeting with guides and directors, and immersing themselves in the experience of Italy for ten days.

To prepare for the trip, Di Carmine took the class through the history of Italian film, beginning with Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, and including classics like Rossellini’s Open City and de Sica’s Today and Tomorrow. The class also looked at Hollywood classics, like Roman Holiday, shot on location in the city. While there were many classic films, the class also caught up decade by decade, taking on films of Argento from the 70s, Merchant and Ivory productions from the 80s, checking in with Bertolucci from the 90s, before looking at contemporary Hollywood’s representations of Italy in Scott’s Hannibal and Howard’s Angel’s and Demons among many other films. Di Carmine contextualized all films with extensive lecture and discussion, and the class read Carlo Celli’s A New Guide to Italian Cinema. As graduate student Andrew Cripe put it, “Dr. Di Carmine didn’t simply play the hits and let it rest; she went to great lengths to ensure we had ample opportunity to learn more about filmmakers whose contributions to Italian cinema remain unsung in U.S. film studies.”

Having immersed themselves in Italian film, history, and criticism, the class left from Chicago’s O’Hare airport to fly to Rome on March 7th. They stayed at the Hostel Palladini on the Via Cattaneo, toured the city, and then spent time in the heart of the Italian film industry, the Cinecitta’ studios. Here, they walked the soundstages, sets, and back lots of some of the most famous films in cinema history. As junior Matthew Gedraitis put it, “Seeing the Italian film industry up close was oddly transformative for me. I have looked up to many filmmakers, but being able to be in the same place where the creatives I look up to toiled away for hours on end when developing one film struck me.” Graduate student Andrew Cripe felt the power of being at the famed studio too, “There were areas that were cordoned off from photography, such as a large expanse of a ghostly set that bore productions like HBO’s Rome and Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York. So much of this territory inspires film lovers, like myself, to return to the past when such grand, operatic designs for film backgrounds were attempted. I felt a certain eeriness during the tour, as this was a location that both celebrates and mourns a generation of filmmakers that no longer exists on the grand, hypnotic scale it once did in the era of Fellini, Visconti, and as we explored in great depth, Ettore Scola, whose workshop we got to spend time in.” Elizabeth Morales was also deeply impressed, “It was an amazing eye-opening experience. Seeing all the details that take place to have a film come to life made me more appreciative of film.”

The class also had an opportunity for lunch and an extended conversation with film director Lucia Mauro, and to spend time exploring Rome on their own outside the limits of the guided tours. Matthew Gedraitis made the most of these opportunities, “being able to walk or take the train to these ancient sites that had been standing for hundreds or thousands of years. While I didn’t particularly enjoy visiting them during the day, visiting them at night allowed me to sit and reflect on these places–not as tourist sites, but as a window into a time long past. These quiet, contemplative moments are what really made an impact for me.” Andrew Cripe affirmed the value of independent exploration, “Dr. Di Carmine provided us a great deal of independence and flexibility in appreciating and soaking in the gorgeous environments we had the chance to visit.” 

After four days in Rome, the class traveled to Florence. where they toured famous film locations and spent time in famed film director Franco Zeffirielli’s museum. For Elizabeth Morales, “The tour of the Great Beauty and the Zeffirelli Museum was the best! The Great Beauty tour was very engaging, and being able to see where specific scenes were shot was amazing! In addition, the Zeffirelli Museum was a great eye-opener and made me appreciate his films.” As Matthew Gedraitis notes, “We visited an office that Zeffirelli used when developing his ideas for films, and for the first time I felt like I wasn’t crazy. I was struck by not only the commitment to their craft but the passion that seemed to radiate from this space. I imagined Zeffirelli sitting at the desk, writing down idea after idea for days until he was satisfied with what he had come up with.” In Florence, the class also took in the Uffizi. museum, and the Palace Vecchio. Florence was an especial favorite with Andrew Cripe, noting his love for “Florence, in total, but especially the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower and Lorenzo Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise.

Then it was back to Rome for the final days of the trip, with class sessions at University Sapienza, and a visit to the Dario Argento museum. Di Carmine was so delighted with the success of the trip, “Seeing expressions of wonder and excitement in the students when we were in Cinecitta’ in Rome and then in Florence at the Franco Zeffirelli Foundation, both full of costumes, art decor, sets, and original works by famous Italian directors (Fellini, Scola, Bertolucci) and American directors (Scorsese). They absolutely loved Cinecitta’.” Elizabeth Morales explained what an amazing opportunity the trip was, “I would recommend this program to students. This was my last semester and I never thought that I would be able to study abroad. I think studying abroad in general gives you a new perspective of life, and helps you see that there is a whole world out there. People know that there is a whole world out there, but just being able to go and see it for yourself can be very eye-opening.” Di Carmine hopes to offer another section of this class in the future and spend even more time in Italy with her students.