The moment is now

摘要

Forget Italy's minister of culture, who says his country's films stink. A new generation of Italian directors is emerging that recalls the golden age of neo-realism 50 years ago, and some film makers who came to the fore then or soon after have staged remarkable comebacks. Luciano Emmer, who is 84, has just made his first film in ten years, while in "Il mestiere delle armi" ("The Profession of Arms"), the 70-year-old Ermanno Olmi has delivered one of the most majestic pictures of his career. Nanni Moretti, who won the top prize at the Cannes film festival last year for "La stanza del figlio" ("The Son's Room"), is only one of several promising young Italian directors. No less powerful, despite being less well known outside Italy, is Giuseppe Piccioni. "Chiedi la luna" ("Ask for the Moon", 1991) and "Fuori dal mondo" ("Not of This World", 1999) established him as a realist with a profoundly human touch. "Luce dei miei occhi" ("Light of My Eyes"), his latest film, is his finest so far.