His wide vision
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in "Stromboli", also known as "Stromboli, terra di dio"
I've written quite a bit about current movies, and, in my view, how they give us a compass for modern culture and its mores. But, that doesn't mean that I've neglected the classic masterpieces at all. Of course they are harder to find, but the inimitable Cinéclub of the Television Educative et Culturelle de l'Ontario Francais, simply known as TFO, provides periodic mini-festivals of well-known directors. I don't know why the English counterpart, TVO, showcases very few films, focusing instead on British TV dramas. Could it be that this is where the superiority of the French (vis-à-vis the British) is evident, with their advanced understanding of film as an art form?
We've recently had a fantastic cornucopia of Roberto Rossellini films.
It is extraordinary how many styles Rossellini incorporates into his films: from beautiful photographic and cinematic shots to pure documentary techniques; from revelatory psychological dramas to obtuse relationship derailments; and where the human is the prime subject, and yet the geography takes on a character of its own.
Rossellini says that his films take on God's aspect at some point, perhaps to guide the seemingly incongruent and unexpected decisions that his characters finally make to resolve their tensions and frustrations.
