list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around The Tiger and the Snow (La Tigre e la Neve) on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/The_Tiger_and_the_Snow_La_Tigre_e_la_Neve/270745/default.aspx Title: The Tiger and the Snow (La Tigre e la Neve)
Year: 2006
Director: Roberto Benigni
Plot: A love-struck poet travels into the heart of wartime Iraq in hopes of rescuing the woman he loves in Academy award-winning director Roberto Benigni's affecting tale of love and devotion. A kind poet and father to his daughters, a respected lecturer and literary figure to his students, and a complete nuisance in the eyes of his beloved Vittoria (Nicoletta Braschi), Attilio (Benigni) finds his life suddenly turned upside down when he learns that the object of his undying affections has been critically injured in a Baghdad bombing. Now, despite the chaos sweeping through Iraq, Attilio vows to risk everything in order to travel into the heart of Baghdad and deliver the medicine that will awaken the woman of his dreams from a potentially eternal slumber. Jean Reno and Tom Waits co-star in a heartfelt, seriocomic romance that pits the uplifting power of love against the destructive force of bombs. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Number of Lists: 2
Number of blog posts: 4
SpoutRating: 4
]]>Mon, 20 Oct 2008 22:00:27 GMTThe Tiger and the Snow (La Tigre e la Neve)2006Roberto BenigniA love-struck poet travels into the heart of wartime Iraq in hopes of rescuing the woman he loves in Academy award-winning director <a href="/players/P____81377/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Roberto Benigni</a>'s affecting tale of love and devotion. A kind poet and father to his daughters, a respected lecturer and literary figure to his students, and a complete nuisance in the eyes of his beloved Vittoria (<a href="/players/P_____8136/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Nicoletta Braschi</a>), Attilio (Benigni) finds his life suddenly turned upside down when he learns that the object of his undying affections has been critically injured in a Baghdad bombing. Now, despite the chaos sweeping through Iraq, Attilio vows to risk everything in order to travel into the heart of Baghdad and deliver the medicine that will awaken the woman of his dreams from a potentially eternal slumber. <a href="/players/P____59644/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Jean Reno</a> and <a href="/players/P___115730/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Tom Waits</a> co-star in a heartfelt, seriocomic romance that pits the uplifting power of love against the destructive force of bombs. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide244http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/s270745.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/The_Tiger_and_the_Snow_La_Tigre_e_la_Neve/270745/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/10/20/36532.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 10/20/2008 6:00:27 PM
Body: This is the first in what will be a series of posts examining the artistic life cycles of Oscar winners who failed to find continued mainstream success after taking home the statuette. If you have suggestions for stars or filmmakers that you’d like to see profiled, let us know in the comments. Roberto Benigni swang from general obscurity in the United States to media darling following his Academy Award for Life Is Beautiful. But what’s happened to him since? He was only the second filmmaker since Sir Laurence Olivier to direct himself in an Oscar-winning performance. That’s a long way to go for someone who had only been seen here in Blake Edwards’ terrible Son of the Pink Panther and as a sex-obsessed cabbie in Jim Jarmusch’s Night on Earth. While we love the underdog success story, we also love the fall from grace, and we’re in search of the crater that Benigni must have left somewhere. Benigni was poised to become an Italian Spielberg (if Spielberg appeared in his own movies) after Life is Beautiful, but in the five years after winning the Oscar, he only appeared as an actor in the comic book adaptation Asterix and Obelix Take on Caesar. That film was never even seen in American theaters, and only an import version of the DVD is available to order. Since then, he’s appeared in a one tiny role, and directed himself in two flops that failed to connect with audiences or critics, and is now touring in a one-man show based on Dante’s Divine Comedy. The comic actor didn’t return to the other side of the camera until 2002’s live-action Pinocchio, which has the dreaded distinction of being both the most expensive Italian film ever made, and one of its biggest critical failures. It grossed just over three and a half million dollars in the States, a far cry from Life’s $57 million. Critics said that the film had wonderful sets and costumes, but that no one could swallow Benigni in the role of a little puppet boy who wishes to be real. Especially since he was 50 years old at the time. But can one enormous flop really turn audiences off for good? With Benigni it’s more of a case of the curtain being drawn back to reveal The Wizard, and The Wizard not being what he’s cracked up to be. Benigni’s followup to Pinocchio was 2006’s The Tiger and the Snow, a comedy about an Italian poet stuck behind enemy lines during the Iraq war. The film received some of the worst reviews of the year. Jeannette Catsoulis at the New York Times said, “Roberto Benigni’s film is a scorching affront to Italians, Iraqis and the intelligence of movie audiences everywhere.” Prior to that, Benigni was in 2003’s Jarmusch’s short film mashup Coffee and Cigarettes, which oddly pairs him with narcoleptic comedian Steven Wright, although both of them seem highly caffeinated in this scene. This scene had been filmed as a short in 1986, and it’s a big departure from his dialogue heavy role as the chatty taxi driver in Night On Earth. In Coffee, he just looks manic and nervous, and check out that hairstyle. For someone as chatty and witty as Benigni seems to be, he’s fairly silent in this clip. Looks like a bad day at the Improv. A few years before Life is Beautiful, Benigni starred in Blake Edwards’ last theatrical film (to date) in an attempt to reboot the Pink Panther series. Despite Benigni’s pratfalls and enormous smile, it failed with audiences and critics, and mostly just underscored the fact that Peter Sellers was no longer with us. How they could possibly be making a sequel to Steve Martin’s The Pink Panther is still beyond me. Regardless, Son has been relegated to this discard bin, and is not considered part of the official Panther canon and has quietly been swept under the rug. What’s interesting is the fact that Benigni’s early Italian television career is just as colorful as some of his roles. He starred in a television show called Onda Libera, where he sang a hymn about the joys of defecation entitled “L’inno del corpo sciolto,” which was later censored. He’s also been a constant political figure in Italy as well, publicly criticizing the former Pope (which was also censored) and demonstrating for the Italian Communist Party. His outspoken nature and eccentric acting style brought him a lot of infamy in Italy, and before long he was starring in feature films, including 1985’s Nothing Left to Do But Cry, where he plays a modern day schoolteacher who time travels to the 15th century and plays cards with Leonardo da Vinci while trying to keep Columbus from discovering America. He starred in more than a dozen films from 1977 until Jarmusch put him in a short segment in Coffee and Cigarettes in 1986, just before giving him a larger role in Down By Law, which is still his highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes. So what is this Oscar winning actor/director doing now? For the past few years since directing and starring in The Tiger and the Snow he’s been starring in TuttoDante on stages across Europe. It’s a one-man show based on The Divine Comedy, and is supposed to be coming to America next year. It wouldn’t be surprising if he tries to make a feature film out of it. But would audiences even turn out for it? Based on his quickly plummeting box office appeal, it’s doubtful. Benigni was once hailed by the press as an Italian Charlie Chaplin, but it’s a name he hasn’t lived up to. Not to slight Life is Beautiful, which is a very touching film and Benigni’s performance is endearing, but he’s a one-note actor who thrives on slapstick comedy. Audiences quickly tired of repeated gags and pratfalls, and he was left exposed like the Emperor in “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” Studios didn’t want to dismiss him so quickly, since surely someone who has won an Oscar knows what they’re doing, but Pinocchio and The Tiger and the Snow both show that he was probably highly overrated as a director. Perhaps he needs to work with Jarmusch again, or try more serious roles. Although for a terrific example of Benigni’s comedy in a darker setting, go rent his 1994 movie The Monster, which is probably one of the funniest films about a serial killer you’ll ever see. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Mon, 20 Oct 2008 22:00:27 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com10/20/2008 6:00:27 PM This is the first in what will be a series of posts examining the artistic life cycles of Oscar winners who failed to find continued mainstream success after taking home the statuette. If you have suggestions for stars or filmmakers that you’d like to see profiled, let us know in the comments. Roberto Benigni swang from general obscurity in the United States to media darling following his Academy Award for Life Is Beautiful. But what’s happened to him since? He was only the second filmmaker since Sir Laurence Olivier to direct himself in an Oscar-winning performance. That’s a long way to go for someone who had only been seen here in Blake Edwards’ terrible Son of the Pink Panther and as a sex-obsessed cabbie in Jim Jarmusch’s Night on Earth. While we love the underdog success story, we also love the fall from grace, and we’re in search of the crater that Benigni must have left somewhere. Benigni was poised to become an Italian Spielberg (if Spielberg appeared in his own movies) after Life is Beautiful, but in the five years after winning the Oscar, he only appeared as an actor in the comic book adaptation Asterix and Obelix Take on Caesar. That film was never even seen in American theaters, and only an import version of the DVD is available to order. Since then, he’s appeared in a one tiny role, and directed himself in two flops that failed to connect with audiences or critics, and is now touring in a one-man show based on Dante’s Divine Comedy. The comic actor didn’t return to the other side of the camera until 2002’s live-action Pinocchio, which has the dreaded distinction of being both the most expensive Italian film ever made, and one of its biggest critical failures. It grossed just over three and a half million dollars in the States, a far cry from Life’s $57 million. Critics said that the film had wonderful sets and costumes, but that no one could swallow Benigni in the role of a little puppet boy who wishes to be real. Especially since he was 50 years old at the time. But can one enormous flop really turn audiences off for good? With Benigni it’s more of a case of the curtain being drawn back to reveal The Wizard, and The Wizard not being what he’s cracked up to be. Benigni’s followup to Pinocchio was 2006’s The Tiger and the Snow, a comedy about an Italian poet stuck behind enemy lines during the Iraq war. The film received some of the worst reviews of the year. Jeannette Catsoulis at the New York Times said, “Roberto Benigni’s film is a scorching affront to Italians, Iraqis and the intelligence of movie audiences everywhere.” Prior to that, Benigni was in 2003’s Jarmusch’s short film mashup Coffee and Cigarettes, which oddly pairs him with narcoleptic comedian Steven Wright, although both of them seem highly caffeinated in this scene. This scene had been filmed as a short in 1986, and it’s a big departure from his dialogue heavy role as the chatty taxi driver in Night On Earth. In Coffee, he just looks manic and nervous, and check out that hairstyle. For someone as chatty and witty as Benigni seems to be, he’s fairly silent in this clip. Looks like a bad day at the Improv. A few years before Life is Beautiful, Benigni starred in Blake Edwards’ last theatrical film (to date) in an attempt to reboot the Pink Panther series. Despite Benigni’s pratfalls and enormous smile, it failed with audiences and critics, and mostly just underscored the fact that Peter Sellers was no longer with us. How they could possibly be making a sequel to Steve Martin’s The Pink Panther is still beyond me. Regardless, Son has been relegated to this discard bin, and is not considered part of the official Panther canon and has quietly been swept under the rug. What’s interesting is the fact that Benigni’s early Italian television career is just as colorful as some of his roles. He starred in a television show called Onda Libera, where he sang a hymn about the joys of defecation entitled “L’inno del corpo sciolto,” which was later censored. He’s also been a constant political figure in Italy as well, publicly criticizing the former Pope (which was also censored) and demonstrating for the Italian Communist Party. His outspoken nature and eccentric acting style brought him a lot of infamy in Italy, and before long he was starring in feature films, including 1985’s Nothing Left to Do But Cry, where he plays a modern day schoolteacher who time travels to the 15th century and plays cards with Leonardo da Vinci while trying to keep Columbus from discovering America. He starred in more than a dozen films from 1977 until Jarmusch put him in a short segment in Coffee and Cigarettes in 1986, just before giving him a larger role in Down By Law, which is still his highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes. So what is this Oscar winning actor/director doing now? For the past few years since directing and starring in The Tiger and the Snow he’s been starring in TuttoDante on stages across Europe. It’s a one-man show based on The Divine Comedy, and is supposed to be coming to America next year. It wouldn’t be surprising if he tries to make a feature film out of it. But would audiences even turn out for it? Based on his quickly plummeting box office appeal, it’s doubtful. Benigni was once hailed by the press as an Italian Charlie Chaplin, but it’s a name he hasn’t lived up to. Not to slight Life is Beautiful, which is a very touching film and Benigni’s performance is endearing, but he’s a one-note actor who thrives on slapstick comedy. Audiences quickly tired of repeated gags and pratfalls, and he was left exposed like the Emperor in “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” Studios didn’t want to dismiss him so quickly, since surely someone who has won an Oscar knows what they’re doing, but Pinocchio and The Tiger and the Snow both show that he was probably highly overrated as a director. Perhaps he needs to work with Jarmusch again, or try more serious roles. Although for a terrific example of Benigni’s comedy in a darker setting, go rent his 1994 movie The Monster, which is probably one of the funniest films about a serial killer you’ll ever see. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/karina/archive/2008/8/12/33910.aspx Post By: Karina
Post To: Karina on SpoutBlog
Post Date: 8/12/2008 2:00:55 PM
Body: Yesterday saw the launch of iArthouse, a download-to-burn service offering a large selection of foreign films. According to Scott Kirsner, the site is an outgrowth of an existing service that I’ve never heard of called EZ Takes––Scott calls it “a rebranding of EZTakes.com without some of the schlockier stuff — no ‘Extreme Sports’ category, for instance, and no Troma movies like Toxic Avenger.” Currently promoted on the front page of iArthouse: Roberto Benigni’s much-maligned The Tiger and the Snow. Scott goes on to note that EZTakes’ traffic currently falls far short of iArthouse’s logical competitor, Jaman.com, although metrics for actual downloads on these kinds of sites are hard to come by. Meanwhile, in news that’s so related as to seem ironic: today comes the news that both Starz!-owned Vongo and Morgan Freeman-owned ClickStar are shutting down. Vongo had  big studio titles, but its profile never matched that of iTunes; Starz! will license its library for download through third parties, with Verizon being the first. Meanwhile, ClickStar’s stated mission of bringing indie-arm-ish releases (Brad Silberling’s 10 Items of Less, the John Travolta/Salma Hayek vehicle Lonely Hearts) to the download realm shortly after their traditional exhibition premiere failed, in large part because theater owners are still hesitant to book anything that’s going to be available in homes within a matter of weeks. So with EZTakes looking to “indiefy” at the same time that download sites with higher star power are shutting down, is this evidence that highbrow content is in higher demand than “schlockier stuff” when it comes to downloads? Maybe. It does seem clear that while Jaman seems to be doing surprisingly well trafficking in festival films and classics (right now Teeth and the original The Italian Job are being promoted on the front page of site, which is ranked just inside Alexa’s Top 5,000 sites on the web), and iTunes––which of course benefits from being the top name brand in s selling 50,000 downloads a day (mostly of high-profile new releases like 21 and Harold and Kumar), the sites trying to hit the middle of the market are not having much luck. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth
]]>Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:00:55 GMTKarinaKarina on SpoutBlog8/12/2008 2:00:55 PM Yesterday saw the launch of iArthouse, a download-to-burn service offering a large selection of foreign films. According to Scott Kirsner, the site is an outgrowth of an existing service that I’ve never heard of called EZ Takes––Scott calls it “a rebranding of EZTakes.com without some of the schlockier stuff — no ‘Extreme Sports’ category, for instance, and no Troma movies like Toxic Avenger.” Currently promoted on the front page of iArthouse: Roberto Benigni’s much-maligned The Tiger and the Snow. Scott goes on to note that EZTakes’ traffic currently falls far short of iArthouse’s logical competitor, Jaman.com, although metrics for actual downloads on these kinds of sites are hard to come by. Meanwhile, in news that’s so related as to seem ironic: today comes the news that both Starz!-owned Vongo and Morgan Freeman-owned ClickStar are shutting down. Vongo had  big studio titles, but its profile never matched that of iTunes; Starz! will license its library for download through third parties, with Verizon being the first. Meanwhile, ClickStar’s stated mission of bringing indie-arm-ish releases (Brad Silberling’s 10 Items of Less, the John Travolta/Salma Hayek vehicle Lonely Hearts) to the download realm shortly after their traditional exhibition premiere failed, in large part because theater owners are still hesitant to book anything that’s going to be available in homes within a matter of weeks. So with EZTakes looking to “indiefy” at the same time that download sites with higher star power are shutting down, is this evidence that highbrow content is in higher demand than “schlockier stuff” when it comes to downloads? Maybe. It does seem clear that while Jaman seems to be doing surprisingly well trafficking in festival films and classics (right now Teeth and the original The Italian Job are being promoted on the front page of site, which is ranked just inside Alexa’s Top 5,000 sites on the web), and iTunes––which of course benefits from being the top name brand in s selling 50,000 downloads a day (mostly of high-profile new releases like 21 and Harold and Kumar), the sites trying to hit the middle of the market are not having much luck. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/8/12/33909.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 8/12/2008 2:00:45 PM
Body: Yesterday saw the launch of iArthouse, a download-to-burn service offering a large selection of foreign films. According to Scott Kirsner, the site is an outgrowth of an existing service that I’ve never heard of called EZ Takes––Scott calls it “a rebranding of EZTakes.com without some of the schlockier stuff — no ‘Extreme Sports’ category, for instance, and no Troma movies like Toxic Avenger.” Currently promoted on the front page of iArthouse: Roberto Benigni’s much-maligned The Tiger and the Snow. Scott goes on to note that EZTakes’ traffic currently falls far short of iArthouse’s logical competitor, Jaman.com, although metrics for actual downloads on these kinds of sites are hard to come by. Meanwhile, in news that’s so related as to seem ironic: today comes the news that both Starz!-owned Vongo and Morgan Freeman-owned ClickStar are shutting down. Vongo had  big studio titles, but its profile never matched that of iTunes; Starz! will license its library for download through third parties, with Verizon being the first. Meanwhile, ClickStar’s stated mission of bringing indie-arm-ish releases (Brad Silberling’s 10 Items of Less, the John Travolta/Salma Hayek vehicle Lonely Hearts) to the download realm shortly after their traditional exhibition premiere failed, in large part because theater owners are still hesitant to book anything that’s going to be available in homes within a matter of weeks. So with EZTakes looking to “indiefy” at the same time that download sites with higher star power are shutting down, is this evidence that highbrow content is in higher demand than “schlockier stuff” when it comes to downloads? Maybe. It does seem clear that while Jaman seems to be doing surprisingly well trafficking in festival films and classics (right now Teeth and the original The Italian Job are being promoted on the front page of site, which is ranked just inside Alexa’s Top 5,000 sites on the web), and iTunes––which of course benefits from being the top name brand in s selling 50,000 downloads a day (mostly of high-profile new releases like 21 and Harold and Kumar), the sites trying to hit the middle of the market are not having much luck. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:00:45 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com8/12/2008 2:00:45 PM Yesterday saw the launch of iArthouse, a download-to-burn service offering a large selection of foreign films. According to Scott Kirsner, the site is an outgrowth of an existing service that I’ve never heard of called EZ Takes––Scott calls it “a rebranding of EZTakes.com without some of the schlockier stuff — no ‘Extreme Sports’ category, for instance, and no Troma movies like Toxic Avenger.” Currently promoted on the front page of iArthouse: Roberto Benigni’s much-maligned The Tiger and the Snow. Scott goes on to note that EZTakes’ traffic currently falls far short of iArthouse’s logical competitor, Jaman.com, although metrics for actual downloads on these kinds of sites are hard to come by. Meanwhile, in news that’s so related as to seem ironic: today comes the news that both Starz!-owned Vongo and Morgan Freeman-owned ClickStar are shutting down. Vongo had  big studio titles, but its profile never matched that of iTunes; Starz! will license its library for download through third parties, with Verizon being the first. Meanwhile, ClickStar’s stated mission of bringing indie-arm-ish releases (Brad Silberling’s 10 Items of Less, the John Travolta/Salma Hayek vehicle Lonely Hearts) to the download realm shortly after their traditional exhibition premiere failed, in large part because theater owners are still hesitant to book anything that’s going to be available in homes within a matter of weeks. So with EZTakes looking to “indiefy” at the same time that download sites with higher star power are shutting down, is this evidence that highbrow content is in higher demand than “schlockier stuff” when it comes to downloads? Maybe. It does seem clear that while Jaman seems to be doing surprisingly well trafficking in festival films and classics (right now Teeth and the original The Italian Job are being promoted on the front page of site, which is ranked just inside Alexa’s Top 5,000 sites on the web), and iTunes––which of course benefits from being the top name brand in s selling 50,000 downloads a day (mostly of high-profile new releases like 21 and Harold and Kumar), the sites trying to hit the middle of the market are not having much luck. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/sherlock_mac/archive/2007/7/20/15445.aspx Post By: sherlock_mac
Post To: sherlock_mac Blog
Post Date: 7/20/2007 8:16:17 PM
Body: Yes that's right, I called it the best. And I've seen so many movies because it's my favorite genre but this one was an exception. I wish I'd seen a Roberto Benigni film sooner! He was brilliant it this movie. It's a great script, well directed and the cast all did a great job making this wonderful and magical movie. I need to see more movies like this. More movies that speak from the heart and make your inside feel like minefield. I recommend this movie to all people, specially ones who enjoy comedy romantics.
]]>Sat, 21 Jul 2007 00:16:17 GMTsherlock_macsherlock_mac Blog7/20/2007 8:16:17 PMYes that&#39;s right, I called it the best. And I&#39;ve seen so many movies because it&#39;s my favorite genre but this one was an exception. I wish I&#39;d seen a Roberto Benigni film sooner! He was brilliant it this movie. It&#39;s a great script, well directed and the cast all did a great job making this wonderful and magical movie. I need to see more movies like this. More movies that speak from the heart and make your inside feel like minefield. I recommend this movie to all people, specially ones who enjoy comedy romantics. http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/iraq/MemberTagFilms.aspxiraq
Number of films tagged: 241

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]]>Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:18:09 GMT2411740Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/poet/MemberTagFilms.aspxpoet
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]]>Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:01:43 GMT13300Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/recovery-health/MemberTagFilms.aspxrecovery-health
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