I’ve loved foreign films since I was in my early 20’s (way back in the early 2000s!) and French and Italian films were my favorites. I ended up actually studying and living in Italy for a year from 2005 to 2006 and during that time I took an Italian culture class that included a section focused on classic Italian films. A couple of these ‘best Italian movies’ recommendations come from that experience, but the rest are from my own deep dive into the world of Italian films.
Try watching these amazing classic Italian movies on Amazon Prime and Hulu if you’re practicing your Italian language skills or maybe just looking for a dose of Italian culture!
My Picks for 7 of the Best Italian Movies
Cinema Paradiso
This is perhaps the most heart-warming Italian movie ever made…!
Cinema Paradiso is the tale of a little boy and a movie projector (the person, not the machine) who become friends. The little boy falls in love with movies, and the movie man opens up the world of projecting and clipping film to the little boy, inspiring him to make a career of making movies. Later, the boy (now an adult filmmaker) reminisces on his childhood in the little town he grew up in and the man who played such an important role in his life. You won’t be able to finish this movie with dry eyes.
Cinema Paradiso is one of the absolute best Italian movies on Amazon Prime.
La Vita e Bella/Life is Beautiful
One of the most beautifully filmed and directed Italian movies in modern-day movie history (released in 1998). La Vita e Bella is the tragic, heartbreaking, heartwarming, and inspirational tale of a Jewish-Italian father and his son who are separated from their wife/mother and placed in concentration camps. Guido (the father) is so determined not to let the horror of their reality taint his son that he pretends the entire experience is a game, going to great lengths to keep a smile on his face, and to communicate messages of hope to his son.
The acting, the cinematography, and the story are all phenomenal. You will not be able to watch this movie without laughing but also tearing up or crying (you’ve been warned).
This amazing Italian movie is on Amazon, via Amazon Prime or you can also find it on Hulu.
Il Postino/The Postman
I know I keep saying this.. but this movie is also one of the absolute BEST Italian movies ever made. This is the movie that led me to discover the poetry of Pablo Neruda, a renowned Chilean poet (who also happened to be a diplomat and a political activist and to have won the Nobel Peace for Literature in 1971) back in my early 20s.
Il Paradiso is a lovely (if fictional) depiction of an inspired and insanely talented (and passionately political) artist/man (based on a real person) living out his life’s greatest love story in exile from his home country, on a remote but beautiful and peaceful Italian island.
The (funny, self-effacing, slightly awkward but very sweet) postman on the little island where this famous poet/political activist is exiled, is tasked with picking up and delivering Neruda’s letters and poems, and throughout this process develops a love and appreciation for poetry as a way to a woman’s heart. What’s not to love? This is definitely one of the top two best old-school classic Italian movies on Amazon Prime.
You can stream Il Postino on Disney+ or purchase it on Amazon.
Pane e Tulipani/Bread and Tulips
I hate to use the word heartwarming again but this Italian movie IS. Pane e Tulipani (Bread and Tulips) is a fun, uplifting, entertaining, and heartwarming film about a housewife who realizes that her husband and family are taking her completely for granted and don’t value her, when they accidentally leave her behind on a vacation. She thinks about how lonely life is with her husband and how her life has become nothing but thankless service to her husband and children and decides to simply not go home.
I won’t tell you the whole story because I don’t want to ruin it for you but this movie involves finding beauty and joy in the simple everyday things, taking chances and taking control (female empowerment), and a little bit of romantic comedy. You’ll also be treated to a glimpse of beautiful historic sites in Italy and the charming streets of Venice! A MUST-WATCH Italian film.
I watched this back in 2001 shortly after it came out and to this day it remains one of my favorite Italian movies. It’s also set in Venice, which makes it even more fun to watch.
Watch Bread and Tulips on Roku or Amazon Prime.
Malena
Starring the absolutely stunning Monica Belucci, Malena is what some call a ‘romantic classic’, but I find it more tragedy than romance, personally. This stunning, thought-provoking, maddening, tragic, sad, and romantic movie will make you feel sad, then anxious, then angry, then hopeful, and then happy/vindicated (though still a little angry).
Set in war-time Italy, this movie invovles a wife who’s husband is goes away to war, a young boy who loves her from afar, and a few powerful men who prey upon the needs/hunger of others to wield more power and influence or get what they want. It portrays the worst and the best aspects of human nature-the worst and the best kinds of people.. and beautiful cinematography. This may be the best Italian movie on Netflix.
Watch this movie on Prime Video or Netflix.
Lamerica
This film is a thought-provoking glimpse into the harsh reality of life in Albania shortly after the fall of communism. The film depicts the similarities between the economic situation in Albania and the desperation of many Albanians to leave their country and the former economic situation in southern Italy that drove so many Italians to emigrate to America. This movie centers on two Italian men who’ve been sent to Albania during a still very tumultuous and tentative time, politically, to launch a scam business based in Albania and funded by the Italian government. It highlights the significance of cultural identity and the lack of power that those who have no political identity or protection (i.e. a passport from a more economically prosperous country) endure.
It also highlights the stark reality of how similar the prejudices against Albanian immigrants (held by Italians), who loaded onto boats headed for Italy with hopes for a better life, were when compared to how so many poor southern Italians were viewed when they poured into the U.S. desperately seeking a life that offered more economic prosperity and security.
*Sadly, I don’t know anywhere that you can stream Lamerica currently, and it’s also difficult to find even to purchase a DVD version of the film. It feels like Italy decided it didn’t want this film to be widely distributed.. but it’s a great film if you can get your hands on it.
Baggio: The Divine Ponytail
The story of Baggio, a soccer player whom many consider to be the greatest forward in Italy’s history. Baggio was severely injured early in his career just after being sold to a major league team, and faced challenges struggling his way back up to playing professionally. This movie does a good job of showing the family dynamics of a large Italian family alongside the aspirations of a young, dedicated, and passionate athlete. It also feels like a blast to the past since it’s set in the 80s and 90s as well as a history lesson on Italian soccer.
Watch this Italian movie on Netflix.