Advertisement

Movies & TV

Water And Sugar: Carlo Di Palma, The Colours Of Life (Acqua e Zucchero: Carlo Di Palma, I Colori Della Vita)

DOCS D: Fariborz Kamkari. Italy. 90 min. Sep 11, 4:30 pm, TIFF Bell Lightbox 3 Sep 13, 9:15 pm, Scotiabank 13 Sep 17, 2:15 pm, Scotiabank 9. Rating: NNN


Italian cinematographer Carlo Di Palma is profiled in this all-star documentary, produced with considerable love by his widow Adriana Chiesa, who travels the world collecting testimonials from surviving collaborators and longtime admirers. (Several of them are even at TIFF this year.)

There’s no question that the late Di Palma – who developed his distinctive eye working with neo-realists like De Sica, Rossellini and Visconti before defining Michelangelo Antonioni’s style in the 60s and becoming Woody Allen’s constant collaborator for most of the 80s and 90s – deserves a feature-length examination.

But Water And Sugar is a pretty superficial study of a colossal talent, assembling clips and appreciative talking heads to do little more than salute his talent. 

It’s all very pleasant, and it looks splendid, but it’s not especially informative or insightful. 

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Recently Posted