A grammar of cinepoiesis : poetic cameras of Italian cinema /

In this accomplished and altogether brilliant study, Carlorosi (adjunct, City College of New York) offers persuasive and detailed readings of a group of key films from Italian cinema history--Federico Fellini's La voce della luna, Pier Paolo Pasolini's Accatone and Mamma Roma, Michelangelo Antonioni's Red Desert and Blow-Up, and more recently Franco Piavoli's Il pianeta azzurro and Nostos, and Matteo Garrone's Primo amore and Gomorra. The author explores the philosophy of each of these gifted filmmakers as revealed in their films, and she does so in a manner that elides traditional taxonomic theory and pursues a much more humanist and aesthetic path. Carlorosi's passionate and erudite analysis of these films and their creators opens up a new path for film interpretation, which is in keeping with one of the aims of the series in which the book appears, "Cineesthetics: New Directions in Film and Philosophy." With these generous, perceptive, and deeply informed readings, Carlorosi makes the films come alive for a new generation of viewers. The book closes with illuminating interviews with directors Piavoli and Garrone. This is an original and vibrant book. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals. --Wheeler Winston Dixon, University of Nebraska--Lincoln