Daniele Magni Cuori matti (Italienisch)

Paperback · 234 pages · Bloodbuster · 2012 · Italian

At the end of the 1950s, Italian popular music underwent a radical transformation. With Domenico Modugno’s Volare, it became clear that a new era had begun: the fears and hardships of the post-war years were being cast off, the economic boom was approaching, and a young generation of singers was ready to break decisively with “old” music. The fabulous Sixties were on the horizon.

Italian cinema changed along with it. Out went Claudio Villa and Nunzio Gallo, in came the urlatori and rebels, ye-ye and beat performers, molleggiati and tarantolati. The musicarelli of the 1960s became the centerpiece of the most vibrant period in Italy’s musical film history.

After exploring various genres of Italian popular cinema—from horror to 1970s crime films, pseudo-Bond spy movies and 1980s science fiction—Bloodbuster now turns its attention to song-driven films. In collaboration with Maurizio Maiotti, publisher of Jamboree magazine and a leading authority on 1950s and 1960s pop culture, this book offers a clear and accessible guide to rediscovering these films and the world they reflect.

More than a film guide, this volume evokes a simpler, more naïve and optimistic Italy that now feels far removed. As film critic Stefano Della Casa aptly puts it:

“A song cannot change the world. But it can certainly tell its story.”

An informed and passionate journey into the wild, eccentric universe of Italian popular song cinema.

Enjoy the reading.