Selects: L

For our 50th instalment, we got in touch with Marco Prestini, an Italian director working in advertising, music, and fashion.

Below are Marco’s selects and what he had to say:

Thank you for the invite guys. So many exceptional films have made it onto this series already, including some of my all-time favorites, therefore I tried to go for very special ones that I think haven’t been mentioned yet.

So here it goes, I hope I won’t disappoint:

I’ve always loved this film. It surely defies any simplistic summing-up, so I’m just going to say that Mr. Glazer is probably the only director that ever lived who could top all three categories in the list – and I consider Birth to be the zeitgeist of his oeuvre. Beyond doubt one of the finest cinematic experiences I’ve ever lived and one of the best scores in cinema. Superlative.

FILM

‘Le Conseguenze dell’amore’ holds a precious place in my heart. It’s the film that made me fall in love with Sorrentino’s cinema and, to this day, it remains my favorite. I feel like most people outside of Italy are mainly familiar with his bigger films, but this is really a gem.

Watching the early work of masters is inspiring because you can observe, and understand, how a certain style takes form and ‘The Consequences of Love’ is Sorrentino in the making: the way his camera moves to obtain speed, elegance, and meaning. It magnifies the tiniest gestures and creates unexpected poetry out of ordinary things. I’m truly filled with admiration for this man and couldn’t recommend this film more.

FILM

Certainly not a feature-length, but what a piece of dynamite. So fearless and visceral. It’s like Terrence Malick running through the jungle on crack cocaine. As one Youtube comment puts it, quite honestly this might go down as one of the best films in human history.

I know I sound hyperbolic but I’m simply in awe of the complexity of vision, craft, and sheer talent flooding through this sensuous mythology. This is something I really wish I made.

SERIES FILM

Such a cool, iconic advert. I really wish that creatives working at agencies were feeding us with these types of concepts instead of trying to force prepackaged transitions into everything that breathes – maybe even people outside the industry would start watching commercials again.

CAMPAIGN

One of the well-hidden masterpieces in advertising, featuring Carl Lewis running on water like Jesus to an Aphex Twin track.

CAMPAIGN

I don’t think this was playing on Italian TV growing up – and thank God because they would have dubbed it weird – but a friend of mine showed this to me a few years back and it has stuck in my head ever since. It’s such a vibe: ”Shake, wiggle wiggle!” – A classic.

CAMPAIGN

Amusingly squalid and deranged – I think this is an exceptional piece of filmmaking. The concept is good but it’s the cinematic choices that make it great. Truly brilliant, and mildly criminal.

MUSIC VIDEO