July 10 - August 21

“A song of praise to Italian actresses.” – Anthony Lane, The New Yorker

A few summers ago, we presented a survey of career-defining performances of several French actresses. As part of our “grand tour,” we are now pleased to offer an Italian counterpart: eighteen films featuring similarly epochal performances by “the leading ladies of Italian cinema.” Originally curated by Piera De Tassis for presentation at the sixtieth anniversary of the Locarno film festival, this deluxe selection of classics both familiar and rare has toured in Europe and the United States and now arrives in Toronto, trailing critical praise. (In the case of Giulietta Masina and Claudia Cardinale, we have extended De Tassis’ choices a little.) Though it focuses on actresses, “Signore and Signore” obviously also serves as an immersion in postwar Italian cinema: many important auteurs are included, and we are particularly pleased to have this exceptional chance to show a film by Antonio Pietrangeli, enjoying something of a renaissance these days after decades of obscurity.

– James Quandt