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 Gu ...

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

Biography

Olmi was born to a Catholic family in Bergamo, in the Lombardy 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 h ...

, 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 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 sto ...

'' (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 Gio ...

'' (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 The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

at the 1978 Cannes Film Festival. 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. T ...

. In 1988, his ''

La leggenda del santo bevitore ''The Legend of the Holy Drinker'' ( it, La leggenda del santo bevitore) is a 1988 Italian film written and directed by Ermanno Olmi. The film won the Golden Lion at the 45th Venice Film Festival. It also won four David di Donatello Awards (for B ...

'' ( The Legend of the Holy Drinker), based on the novella by

Joseph Roth Moses Joseph Roth (2 September 1894 – 27 May 1939) was an Austrian journalist and novelist, best known for his family saga '' Radetzky March'' (1932), about the decline and fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, his novel of Jewish life '' Job'' ...

and starring

Rutger Hauer Rutger Oelsen Hauer (; 23 January 1944 – 19 July 2019) was a Dutch actor. In 1999, he was named by the Dutch public as the Best Dutch Actor of the Century. Hauer's career began in 1969 with the title role in the Dutch television series ' ...

, won the Golden Lion 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 award. His '' The Profession of Arms'' ''(

Il mestiere delle armi ''The Profession of Arms'' ( it, Il mestiere delle armi) is a 2001 Italian film directed by Ermanno Olmi. Plot In autumn of 1526, Emperor Charles V sends his German landsknechts led by Georg von Frundsberg to march towards Rome. The inferior pap ...

)'' also won a David di Donatello award. In 2008 he received the Honorary Golden Lion at the

. Olmi died on 7 May 2018 in

Asiago Asiago (; Venetian: ''Axiago'', Cimbrian: ''Slege'', German: ''Schlägen'' ) is a minor township (population roughly 6,500) in the surrounding plateau region (the ''Altopiano di Asiago'' or '' Altopiano dei Sette Comuni'', Asiago plateau) in th ...

, 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 Italian neorealism ( it, Neorealismo), also known as the Golden Age, is a national film movement characterized by stories set amongst the poor and the working class. They are filmed on location, frequently with non-professional actors. They pri ...

, 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

take A take is a single continuous recorded performance. The term is used in film and music to denote and track the stages of production. Film In cinematography, a take refers to each filmed "version" of a particular shot or "setup". Takes of each s ...

s, and generally contain some sort of

social commentary Social commentary is the act of using rhetorical means to provide commentary on social, cultural, political, or economic issues in a society. This is often done with the idea of implementing or promoting change by informing the general populace ab ...

, though rarely do the neorealists wear their political opinions on their sleeves.

Awards

*1978:

for ''

'' *1988: Golden Lion for '' The Legend of the Holy Drinker'' *2004:

Leopard of Honour The Leopard of Honour is a life's work achievement award at the Locarno International Film Festival held annually in Locarno, Switzerland. The award has been given out since 1989. The award especially denotes recognition of auteur cinema and cr ...

*2008: Honorary Golden Lion

David di Donatello

*1962:

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BA ...

for ''

'' *1989:

for '' The Legend of the Holy Drinker'' *2002:

for '' The Profession of Arms''

Nastro d'Argento

*1979:

for ''

'' *1989:

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 Gi ...

'' (1963) *'' A Man Named John'' (1965) * ''One Fine Day'' (1968) *'' The Circumstance'' (1973) *''

'' (1978) *'' Walking, Walking'' (1983) *''

Long Live the Lady! ''Long Live the Lady!'' ( it, Lunga vita alla signora!) is a 1987 Italian coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Ermanno Olmi. The film was entered into the main competition at the 44th edition of the Venice Film Festival, where it go ...

'' (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 f ...

'' (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 fu ...

'' (2011) *'' Greenery Will Bloom Again'' (2014)

Retrospectives

In February 2016, the

Cinémathèque suisse The Swiss Film Archive (French: ''Cinémathèque suisse'', German: ''Schweizer Filmarchiv'') is a Swiss state-approved noncommercial foundation based in Lausanne. Its aims are to collect, protect, study and present film archives.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 The Austrian Film Museum (German: Österreichisches Filmmuseum) is a film archive and museum located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Peter Konlechner and Peter Kubelka in 1964 as a non-profit organization. History In February 1964, indep ...

conducted a complete retrospective of Olmi's work (excluding only his short films) - together with the films of Federico Fellini - in collaboration with the

Cineteca Nazionale Cineteca Nazionale is a film archive located in Rome, Italy. It was founded in 1949. By law it manages the so-called legal deposit, with the task of collecting, preserving and disseminating the productions of Italian cinema. It is the only Italian ...

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. Fo ...

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 fir ...

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