La meglio gioventu' ( The Best of Youth ) - Italian Movie

• The Best of Youth is a 6 hour film directed by Marco Tullio Giordana that was originally aired in Italy in 2003 on Rai Uno, the state television channel, in four parts. The film chronicles the life of an Italian family, the Caratis, but focuses primarily on two brothers, Matteo (Alessio Boni) and Nicola, (Luigi Lo Cascio), documenting their journey from the prime of their wild youth in the mid-1960s counter-culture, to parenthood and retirement in the early 2000's. The film aims to show the interaction of the personal and the political, the ways in which small events may become turning points in the important choices made by individuals. Set against the backdrop of contemporary Italian history, the film follows the characters through such major historical incidents as the flooding of Florence in 1966, the terrorist activities of the Red Brigades, mental asylum reforms, the student protests of 1968, Italy's elimination from the 1966 World Cup at the hands of Korea and its subsequent victory in 1982, the radical politcs of the 1960's and 70's and the political corruption of Tangentopoli (Bribesville) in the years that follow; and also the death of anti-mob judge Giovanni Falcone committed by the Mafia. But the deep subject of the movie is the way the lives of ordinary citizens reflect and shape the life of a nation.The film was a sensation in Italy, winning many national film awards, and was also the recipient of the prestigious Un Certain Regard award at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. Giordana, who directed a film about the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of poet and director Pier Paolo Pasolini, again paid tribute to the director, as the title of the epic comes from a Pasolini poem.