Hard Light Cinema at UR: "La Strada"

La Strada

Director: Federico Fellini
1954, 115 minutes

La Strada, an Italian poetic neorealist drama by Federico Fellini, follows a naïve young woman sold to a brutal strongman and carried along the dusty roads of postwar Italy. Giulietta Masina’s luminous performance turns suffering into grace, as circus life, loneliness, and faith collide in one of Fellini’s most moving and emotional masterpieces. Italian dialogue with English subtitles.

Hard Light Cinema is a Richmond-based collective of cinephiles bringing arthouse and non-mainstream films to central Virginia’s young professionals. The collaboration with the Film Studies Program and Italian Studies at the University of Richmond aims to connect UR students with Richmond city film fans and provide additional Italian films playing on campus around the inaugural Italian & French Film Festival held on March 27–30. Hard Light as a microcinema focuses on repertory films and new international or indie films typically unavailable in standard movie theaters. From spaghetti westerns to neo-realist road films, this semester will have a wide variety of Italian classics that deserve to be seen on the big screen.

Upcoming Hard Light at UR Events

All screenings will be held in Jepson Hall, Room 118. 

A Fistful of Dollars
Director: Sergio Leone
1964, 99 minutes
Tuesday, Feb. 17, 7–10 p.m.

A Fistful of Dollars, an Italian Spaghetti Western, is a 1964 reinvention of the Western inspired by Kurosawa’s Yojimbo. Clint Eastwood’s “Man with No Name” plays rival gangs against each other in a lawless border town, launching a new cinematic myth with iconic style and Morricone’s unforgettable score. Italian dialogue with English subtitles.

The Great Silence
Director: Sergio Corbucci
1968, 106 minutes
Tuesday, March 17, 7–10 p.m.

The Great Silence, a revisionist Spaghetti Western by Sergio Corbucci, follows a mute gunman who aids a town oppressed by corrupt and tyrannical authorities. Set in a frozen frontier where justice has failed, the film becomes a bleak story of resistance and injustice. Italian dialogue with English subtitles.

The Consequences of Love
Director: Paolo Sorrentino
2004 100 minutes
Tuesday, April 7, 7–10 p.m.

The Consequences of Love, an Italian psychological crime drama, centers on a solitary man living a monotonous life in a quiet Swiss hotel while entangled with the Mafia. This 2004 film presents a gripping tale of isolation and obsession, enhanced by striking visuals and a haunting soundtrack. Toni Servillo's powerful performance makes it a must-watch for fans of intricate narratives. Italian dialogue with English subtitles.