Amalfi Coast Movie List: 10 Movies to Watch
It should come as no surprise that the Amalfi Coast and its neighboring islands are among the most spectacularly cinematographic locations in the world. Legendary directors including Roberto Rossellini and Federico Fellini adored filming here. Sophia Loren had a vacation home with Carlo Ponti here. Greta Garbo got married here! From Capri to Ravello and beyond, the Amalfi Coast is home to some of the most iconic scenes shot in the last century. They are uplifting to watch in their own right and if you are planning a trip to the region, these films certainly set the tone!
“ ”They are crazy, drunk with the sun! But they live using a power known by few of us: the power of imagination!””
1) The Talented Mr. Ripley, Directed by Anthony Minghella
This film adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel by the same name is set in the fictional Italian town of Mongibello, modeled on Positano. While the thrilling plot surrounds the sinister murder of a young man off the coast of Italy, it is the jaw-dropping cinematography that immediately captures the imagination. Most of the filming, including the memorable scene of a statue of the Madonna emerging from the sea in a local procession, occurred on the islands of Procida and Ischia. Procida, with its pastel colored houses in the village of Corricella is one of the most photographed islands in all of Italy.
2) L’Amore, Directed by Roberto Rossellini
Federico Fellini and Roberto Rossellini co-wrote this 1948 film anthology, the second of which follows the story of an excessively religious woman who tends goats on the hills of the Amalfi Coast. Anna Magnani plays the role of the female protagonist, Nanni who becomes convinced that a mysterious wanderer she encounters on an old shepherd’s trail is in fact Saint Joseph. Rossellini shot scenes in the village of Maiori and along the Sentiero Dei Limoni, a trail connecting Maiori with the town of Minori. Magnani, who carried on an affair with director Rossellini while filming, later bought a house in the sea cove of Furore, with views of the Fiordo.
3) Cleopatra, Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
This notoriously overbudget picture was largely filmed on Ischia. The castle you see looming over Anthony and Cleopatra in many scenes is Castello Aragonese in the neighborhood of Ischia Ponte (also home to many scenes in the Talented Mr. Ripley). Liz and Dick brawled constantly while shooting the film, according to local elders. But don’t let that stop you from enjoying the delicious scenes that unfold in the Port of Ischia.
4) Scandal in Sorrento, Directed by Dino Rissi
Called Pane, Amore e…. (Bread Love and…) in Italian, this film starring Sophia Loren in the lead role was largely shot in the charming Marina Grande of Sorrento. Loren plays Donna Sofia a beautiful fishmonger who finds herself in a love triangle with a fellow fishmonger and a local traffic cop. The real shining co-star to Loren is the lovely Marina Grande which still retains much of its original charms. You can visit on foot from the Piazza of Sorrento taking a long winding cobblestone path down to this old port. Be sure not to confuse the Marina Grande and Marina Piccola. The Marina Piccola is the newer port of Sorrento where the ferries and ships arrive. The Marina Grande is the older and more charming of the two.
5) Il Postino, Directed by Michael Radford
Massimo Troisi plays the titular postman in this film made on the island of Procida. The film follows at the unlikely friendship between the exiled Chilean poet Pablo Neruda and a local postman, Mario. Neruda gives his postman romantic advice so he may woo a local beauty. The sumptuous coastal scenes are shot all over Procida. Writer and star, Troisi was sick throughout most of the filming and even postponed heart surgery so he could wrap shooting. Sadly, he died of a heart attack 12 hours after he finished filming Il Postino. He was posthumously nominated for best actor and best adapted screenplay Oscars in 1996. A true stand-out, Il Postino will bring you to tears both for the plot and the premature loss of Troisi, who was one of the finest actors of his generation.
6) The Emperor of Capri, Directed by Luigi Comencini
If you’ve never heard of Neapolitan comedic actor Totò (Antonio De Curtis) then listen up. He is the most famous and beloved actor in the South of Italy and this film will make you fall in love with him too. Sonia, a gold-digging beauty accidentally mistakes a Neapolian waiter, played by Totò, for a wealthy Indian prince. After making an appointment to take the beautiful gold-digger to Capri, Totò masquerades as a prince until through a series of crazy events, he actually does become prince of the island. It’s a good old fashion romp of a comedy. Capri features prominently. You will notice the rousing arches of the Faraglioni rock formations, the Blue Cave and the Piazzetta.
7) Beat the Devil, Directed by John Huston
Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones and Gina Lollobrigida star in this comedic thriller that is largely set in the Amalfi Coast hilltop town of Ravello. Widely considered a flop at the time of its release, the film has resurfaced as a sort of quirky treasure today. An American couple are on a get rich quick scheme to acquire uranium rich land in Africa when they become stuck in Ravello (kind of like Casablanca!). Not a bad place to get stuck. What follows is much scheming, thwarting and cavorting in Ravello. In real life, Bogart not only got in a car accident on the SS-163 Amalfi Coast highway while on location but also knocked out his front teeth. It’s hard to even pay attention to the zany plot because the backdrop of Ravello is simply stunning. You will notice Villa Cimbrone, the Piazza of Ravello and the winding roads of the Amalfi Coast.
8) Il Decameron, Directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini
In 1971, lauded Roman director Pier Paolo Pasolini released his magnum opus Trilogy of Life, which included three films based on the Decameron, Canterbury Tales and Arabian Nights. The Decameron portion was largely shot in Neapolitan dialect and follows a pupil of the painter Giotto (played by Pasolini) who arrives in Naples to paint a mural for the royal family. Pasolini filmed at the San Francesco Convent in Ravello, a thirteenth century Gothic style cloister with breathtaking views.
9) Paisan, Directed by Roberto Rossellini
A neorealist war drama that begins with the eve of the allied landing in Italy, this Rossellini film is divided into six episodes each dedicated to a different aspect of the allied arrival in Italy. A narrative voice-over in the opening scene states, “The war passed rapidly through the regions of southern Italy. On the 8th of September, the guns of the Allied fleet were trained on Naples. Having broken through the German defenses of Salerno, the Anglo Americans arrived on the Amalfi Coast.” Long sweeping shots of the temple at Paestum and Vesuvius offer an interesting cinematic juxtaposition of ancient ruins and geopolitical shifts, providing a different glimpse into an often ignored period in Amalfi Coast History—WWII! In fact, so many American GIs discovered the Amalfi Coast following the War that Positano, once a little know fishing village, was catapulted into the super strata of international destinations. It has remained an important travel destination ever since.
10) What?, Directed by Roman Polanski
This Roman Polanski directed and Carlo Ponti produced film is set in an unnamed village on the Amalfi Coast. An American ingenue stays in a coastal villa and befriends many of its strange guests, including Marcello Mastroianni who plays a retired pimp. The film was entirely shot on location in Amalfi and the spectacular views from the villa are reason enough to watch this very weird movie. Also, Marcello Mastroianni is a riot.
