You may have noticed the number one movie for the week before Christmas: “The Pursuit of Happyness”. You also probably know Will Smith is the big star of this movie.
What many have not noticed yet is that the director is the Italian Gabriele Muccino.
Muccino is definitely one of the more interesting directors from Italy in the past 10 years. He captured the interest of an international audience with “L’ultimo Bacio” (The Last Kiss) in 2001. In fact, Will Smith saw Muccino’s movie and had loved it. In a recent interview Muccino said: “He (Will Smith) got in touch with me and sent me The Pursuit script. I was in total disbelief and thought it was a waste of time. But then I met Will and realized he was a big fan of my work” (Italy Magazine).
I wish more Italian movies would get distribution outside of Italy. This case represents a perfect example. After the success of “The Pursuit of Happyness” I bet now the young Italian director has open doors to direct more major Hollywood productions and expose an international audience to the style and tradition of Italian movie making.
I welcome your comments on this matter.
Michele Ursino
