Ermanno Olmi (24 July 1931 – 7 May 2018)Lane, John Francis (May 7, 2018).
Ermanno Olmi obituary
. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

''. theguardian.com. Retrieved 11 May 2018. was an Italian film director and screenwriter.

Biography

Olmi was born to a Catholic family in

Bergamo Bergamo (; lmo, Bèrghem ; from the proto- Germanic elements *''berg +*heim'', the "mountain home") is a city in the alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from Switzerland, the alpine lakes Com ...

, in the

Lombardy (man), (woman) lmo, lumbard, links=no (man), (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , ...

region in northern Italy. Roberts, Sam (May 8, 2018).
Ermanno Olmi, Whose Films Captured Humble Lives, Dies at 86
. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. nytimes.com. Retrieved 2018-05-12. Print version, May 10, 2018, p. A25. When Olmi was three years old, his family moved to

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

, where he attended a scientific high school and took acting classes at the Academy of Dramatic Arts. He became interested in filmmaking while he was working at the Milanese electrical company Edisonvolta, where he began by producing

16mm 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, edu ...

documentaries about power plants. In 1963 he married Loredana Detto, who had played Antonietta Masetti in his film ''

Il Posto ''Il Posto'' is a 1961 Italian film directed by Ermanno Olmi. Often cited as Olmi's first major work, it is an example of Italian neorealism. Olmi won the David di Donatello for Best Director for his work on the film. Plot The film tells the stor ...

'' (1961). Another early film was ''

I fidanzati ''The Fiancés'' ( it, I fidanzati) is a 1963 Italian film directed by Ermanno Olmi. It tells the story of a young man who moves to Sicily for a job, but pines for his fiancée back home. It was entered into the 1963 Cannes Film Festival. Plot G ...

'' (1963). Perhaps his best known film is ''

The Tree of Wooden Clogs ''The Tree of Wooden Clogs'' () is a 1978 Italian film written and directed by Ermanno Olmi. The film concerns Lombard peasant life in a '' cascina'' (farmhouse) of the late 19th century. It has some similarities with the earlier Italian neor ...

'' (''L'Albero degli zoccoli''), which was awarded the Palme d'Or at the

1978 Cannes Film Festival The 31st Cannes Film Festival was held from 16 to 30 May 1978. The Palme d'Or went to the L'albero degli zoccoli by Ermanno Olmi. This festival saw the introduction of a new non-competitive section, 'Un Certain Regard', which replaces 'Les Yeux Fe ...

. The film drew heavily on Olmi's grandmother's stories about peasant life in agricultural regions of Italy. In 1983 his film '' Walking, Walking'' was screened out of competition at

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The ...

. In 1988, his '' La leggenda del santo bevitore'' ( The Legend of the Holy Drinker), based on the novella by Joseph Roth and starring Rutger Hauer, won the

Golden Lion The Golden Lion ( it, Leone d'oro) is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most prestigious and distinguis ...

at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

as well as a

David di Donatello The David di Donatello Awards, named after Donatello's ''David'', a symbolic statue of the Italian Renaissance, are film awards given out each year by the ''Accademia del Cinema Italiano'' (The Academy of Italian Cinema). There are 26 award cat ...

award. His '' The Profession of Arms'' ''( Il mestiere delle armi)'' also won a

award. In 2008 he received the Honorary

at the

. Olmi died on 7 May 2018 in Asiago, after a long battle with Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Directing techniques

Olmi's films have been described as "humanistic and reflective, portraying everyday people in particular landscapes and locations, while at the same time being charged with social comment and poetic flashes." His films fit into the artistic mold of Italian neorealism, though Olmi argued, in an interview found on the Criterion Edition DVD of his 1961 film, ''Il Posto'', that this was the artistic tradition he was responding against because he used non-actors in authentic locations whereas neorealism, he claimed, used professional actors. However, many neorealist directors also used non-professional actors for secondary and sometimes even primary roles. His films, like most of those considered to be products of the neorealist movement, are shot in long, slow takes, and generally contain some sort of social commentary, though rarely do the neorealists wear their political opinions on their sleeves.

Awards

*1978: Palme d'Or for ''

'' *1988:

for '' The Legend of the Holy Drinker'' *2004: Leopard of Honour *2008: Honorary

David di Donatello

*1962: Best Director for ''

'' *1989: Best Director for '' The Legend of the Holy Drinker'' *2002: Best Director for '' The Profession of Arms''

Nastro d'Argento

*1979: Best Director for ''

'' *1989: Best Director for '' The Legend of the Holy Drinker''

Filmography

*'' Time Stood Still'' (1959) *''

'' (1961) *''

The Fiances ''The Fiancés'' ( it, I fidanzati) is a 1963 Italian film directed by Ermanno Olmi. It tells the story of a young man who moves to Sicily for a job, but pines for his fiancée back home. It was entered into the 1963 Cannes Film Festival. Plot Gio ...

'' (1963) *''

A Man Named John ''A Man Named John'' ( it, E venne un uomo) is a 1965 drama film directed by Ermanno Olmi and starring Rod Steiger. Plot The film is a biography of Pope John XXIII, who, however, does not appear in the film as an actual character. Instead Rod S ...

'' (1965) * ''One Fine Day'' (1968) *'' The Circumstance'' (1973) *''

'' (1978) *'' Walking, Walking'' (1983) *'' Long Live the Lady!'' (1987) *'' The Legend of the Holy Drinker'' (1988) *''

The Secret of the Old Woods ''The Secret of the Old Woods'' () is a 1993 Italian fantastic drama film written, directed and starred by Ermanno Olmi. It is based on the novel with the same name by Dino Buzzati. For his performance Paolo Villaggio won the Nastro d'Argento fo ...

'' (1993) *'' Genesis: The Creation and the Flood'' (1994) *'' The Profession of Arms'' (2001) *'' Singing Behind Screens'' (2003) *'' One Hundred Nails'' (2007) *''

The Cardboard Village ''The Cardboard Village'' ( it, Il villaggio di cartone) is a 2011 Italian drama film directed by Ermanno Olmi. Plot A now uninhabitable church is decommissioned in the presence of the old pastor. The environment is stripped of all sacred fur ...

'' (2011) *''

Greenery Will Bloom Again ''Greenery Will Bloom Again'' ( it, Torneranno i prati) is a 2014 Italian anti-war film written and directed by Ermanno Olmi. Set in the trenches of the Asiago plateau, during World War I, it is loosely based on the short story ''La paura'' (192 ...

'' (2014)

Retrospectives

In February 2016, the Cinémathèque suisse honored Olmi with a retrospective at the cinema "Le Capitole" in

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...

. From January 10 to February 28, 2019, the Austrian Film Museum conducted a complete retrospective of Olmi's work (excluding only his short films) - together with the films of

Federico Fellini Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and most ...

- in collaboration with the Cineteca Nazionale and the "Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Vienna". Also in 2019,

Film at Lincoln Center Film at Lincoln Center, previously known as the Film Society of Lincoln Center until 2019,Aridi, Sara (April 28, 2019).. ''The New York Times''. nytimes.com. Retrieved April 29, 2019. is a film society based in New York City, United States. F ...

honored Olmi with a two-week retrospective, from June 14 to 26. The series was co-produced by Istituto Luce Cinecittà and presented in association with the Ministry of Culture of Italy. The films then traveled to Cleveland, where the

Cleveland Institute of Art The Cleveland Institute of Art, previously Cleveland School of Art, is a private college focused on art and design and located in Cleveland, Ohio. History The college was founded in 1882 as the Western Reserve School of Design for Women, at firs ...

Cinematheque hosted a seven-part retrospective, from July 6 to August 17, 2019.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Olmi, Ermanno 1931 births 2018 deaths David di Donatello winners Directors of Palme d'Or winners Directors of Golden Lion winners Italian film directors Italian Roman Catholics Italian-language film directors Nastro d'Argento winners Ciak d'oro winners Film people from Bergamo