La Bella Figura 
| Directed by: | Harry Otto Brunjes |
|---|---|
| Written by: | Harry Otto Brunjes |
| Starring: | Kathy Hollingsworth, Harry Otto Brunjes, Emidio La Vella, Francesco Calabrese |
| Country: | Italy |
| Created: | 2008 |
| Runtime: | 84 min. |
| Member: | labellafilm |
Average rating: 5 by 1 users
Film Description:
Synopsis
Clara, a beautiful American opera singer seeks a fresh start in Rome. She meets Oliver, a disillusioned young English tour-guide, whose frivolous advances are an enticing but ominous breath of fresh air. With a sense of excitement back in Clara’s life, the two flirt with irresponsibility until the consequences can no longer be ignored: Clara becomes pregnant. Oliver lacks both strength and desire to face up to their predicament. Alone and flustered, Clara rapidly finds her world spiralling out of control, as the reality of her carefree existence comes tragically crashing home. The cycle of events are overseen by the understanding Giuseppe, who runs a bar near the Vatican City. His brother, Luca, is an angry and frustrated tour-guide, who ironically feels threatened by foreigners. Both brothers sense the inevitable catastrophe approaching: both are powerless to prevent it. The ephemeral wave of expatriate romances rolls on. As Oliver leaves, another young idealist arrives. Clara is left to struggle with the sweeping delights and ensuing drama that the lifestyle inherently dictates. With Rome as their playground, the characters and events expose the deeper meaning of the Italian mantra. La Bella Figura is Italy’s soul; the essence of appearance over substance.
Forms: Feature
Genres: Drama, Romance, Underground, Coming of Age , Independent, Post Modern, Reality, Art
Cast & Crew
Emma Brunjes (Executive Producer), Harry Otto Brunjes (Director (1st Project,1st Feature), Producer), James Edenborough (Production Manager), Nicola Ferlei-Brown (Production Coordinator)
WritingHarry Otto Brunjes (Writer (1st Feature))
PerformanceEmidio La Vella (Lead Actor), Francesco Calabrese (Lead Actor), Harry Otto Brunjes (Lead Actor), Kathy Hollingsworth (Lead Actor), Linda Condorelli (Supporting Actor), Luke Charles (Supporting Actor), Nicola Ferlei-Brown (Supporting Actor), Steve Del Tredici (Supporting Actor), Tiffany Parks (Supporting Actor), Yor Bonci (Supporting Actor)
CameraJames Edenborough (Cinematographer/DP)
Post ProductionElliott Malone (Sound Editor), Harry Otto Brunjes (Picture Editor), Joe Bell (Sound Editor)
MusicEric Brunjes (Original Music/Composer)
RepresentationEmma Brunjes (Manager, Publicist)
La Bella Figura Spanish Steps2.s
La Bella Figura Yor Bonci
Poster Landscape.s
La Bella Figura Kathy Hollingsworth
La Bella Figura Francesco Calabrese
La Bella Figura - Movie Trailer
Trailer for the independent feature film shot in Rome.
3 Comments about La Bella Figura
Sep 12, 2007 01:51AM
Hi, just watched your trailer. It looks beautiful. My boyfriends Italian, from near Milan, but I haven't been to Rome yet. Seeing your film makes we want to go. Good luck with it. P
Sep 09, 2007 04:09PM
PRODUCTION STATS:
In 3 weeks in July 2006:
- Over 20 hours of footage were shot
- At 46 different on-site locations in Rome
- With an acting cast of over 20
- Plus dozens of extras - in both English and Italian
- With a total crew of 2.
Sep 09, 2007 08:26AM
HOW MUCH IS THE TRUTH?
Director’s notes
"There are two ways to conceive of the cinema of the Real: the first is to pretend that you can present reality to be seen; the second is to pose the problem of reality. In the same way, there were two ways to conceive cinéma vérité. The first was to pretend that you brought truth. The second was to pose the problem of truth."
- Edgar Morin
We were aware during the filming process of La Bella Figura that there were times when reality and fiction blurred. However, since the production process ended the parallel of the film to real life became uncanny – indeed, parts of the film have in fact come true!
Kathy (who plays Clara in the film) discovered only a few weeks after filming that she was, in fact, pregnant and subsequently, certain scenes from the film were unwittingly re-enacted in reality. Most uncanny of all was the scene where Clara takes the pregnancy test in the bathroom – this happened in reality, weeks later, in that very bathroom. So, fingers crossed, that’s as far as it goes!
The Script
The script began as a ten-minute exercise in screenwriting class. All the story elements and characters reflect the various angles and stages of the dramatic pattern of living in Italy. In other words life dictates the story, though in reality it became the other way around. I realised narrative doesn’t have to be about story at all. Narrative is simply a transgression and as a result the script plays with conventional film language and audiences’ expectations of that.
The aim is to leave the viewer with not a sense of completion through the characters, but rather a sense of spirit and an impression of a specific place and time. And yes, I got a terrible mark from my University tutor, Chris Fallon, who told me it was great, but didn’t fulfil the brief!
The Production
The film was made entirely on a laptop with a total budget that amounted to the cost of two Ryanair flights to Rome (about £60 in total). From script to screen it’s been almost exactly a year. How we managed it? Hopefully the film can speak for itself, and the rest can be left to the viewer’s imagination!
The film explores the narrative of living under the guise of La Bella Figura. I was touched by the way everybody took so warm-heartedly to the subject matter and script at the time, I remember Francesco (Giuseppe) telling me that the script was the struggle of his life!
So eventually when I can show the film to those who inspired it, fact and fiction will again meet and I am looking forward to seeing how they reconnect on the other side.
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