Le Quattro Volte
by Michelangelo Frammartino
Germany/Italy/Switzerland, 2010, colour
An old shepherd lives his last days in a quiet medieval village perched high on the hills of Calabria, at the southernmost tip of Italy. He herds goats under skies that most villagers have deserted long ago. He is sick, and believes to find his medicine in the dust he collects on the church floor, which he drinks in his water every day.
A new goat kid is born. We follow its first few tentative steps, its first games, until it gains strength and goes to pasture. Nearby, a majestic fir tree stirs in the mountain breeze and slowly changes through the seasons.
The tree now lies on the ground. It has been reduced to its own skeleton, and is transformed into wood coal through the ancestral work of the local coal makers. Our sight gets lost in the ashes' smoke.
Le Quattro Volte is a poetic vision of the revolving cycles of life and nature and the unbroken traditions of a timeless place. The story of one soul that moves through four successive lives.
Reviews
"The most profound, expansive and unsettling view of nature I have ever encountered on film."
A.O. Scott, NEW YORK TIMES
"Revelations like this one are exceptional. Cineastes like Michelangelo Frammartino must be honoured. (…) Astonishing beauty and seriousness."
Jean-Luc Douin, LE MONDE
"A film of striking beauty and originality. (...) Intriguing from beginning to end."
Lee Marshall, SCREEN INTERNATIONAL
"A maaaa-sterpiece. The festival's one feelgood cult-in-the-making. (...) The best fun in the fest."
Jonathan Romney, THE INDEPENDENT
"A Tour de force."
Natasha Senjanovic, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
"Probably the most accomplished piece of cinema you’ll see this year. (...) Witty, wondrous and profound."
Wendy Ide, THE TIMES
"A devastating, profound and at times surreal work of art."
Michael O’Sullivan, THE WASHINGTON POST
"A fascinating magical reflection on the cycle of nature."
Paolo Mereghetti, CORRIERE DELLA SERRA
"A gem of art cinema. (… ) Every shot is framed and composed with outstanding judgement."
Peter Bradshaw THE GUARDIAN
"Not for a long time will a film direct our glance in such a vivid and thrilling way onto the world."
Bert Rebhandl, FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE SONNTAGSZEITUNG
"Le Quattro Volte is a film without dialogue which relies on its strong imagery, a lucid light and impressive choreography which unifies everything."
Martina Knoben, SÜDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG
"Striking for its arid splendor, its serenity, and the humour it displays. A new mix of narrative minimalism and unexpected burlesque. (...) Daring and beautiful."
Isabelle Regnier, LE MONDE
"A terrific film poem"
Jan Schulz-Ojala, ZEIT ONLINE
"A hypnotic journey...With long and contemplative takes the most trivial of realities become unexpectedly poetic"
Mathilde Blottière, TELERAMA
"An extraordinary achievement. (…) An essay, a cinematic poem, a spiritual exploration of time and space designed to make us think and feel about the world around us and our place in it."
Philip French, THE OBSERVER
"An ingenious film halfway between Tati and Pasolini. (...) At once sinister and magical, always singular, never boring, very organic and constructed. (....) Superb."
J.B. Morain, LES INROCKUPTIBLES
"You’ll laugh, you’ll cry. (...) LE QUATTRO VOLTE is cinema at its most primal, yet simultaneously contains a wealth of ideas."
Eric Kohn, INDIEWIRE
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Trailer
| Play |
Michelangelo Frammartino
Michelangelo Frammartino was born in 1968 and studied architecture at the Polytechnic School of Milan. In 1992, he directed his first short film. He directed video installations (TRACCE, PRESENZE S-CONNESSE, LA CASA DELLE BELLE ADDORMENTANTE, FILM) between 1995 and 1998. His first feature film, IL DONO, received awards in several prominent international film festivals. LE QUATTRO VOLTE his second feature film premiered at the Directors' Fortnight in Cannes.
Filmography
2010 LE QUATTRO VOLTE, Fiction, 88 min.
2003 IL DONO (THE GIFT), Fiction, 80 min.
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Cast
Giuseppe Fuda - Himself
Bruno Timpano - Himself
Nazareno Timpano - Himself
Crew / Technical Info
Crew
Director: Michelangelo Frammartino
Country of Production: Italy
Year Completed: 2010
Producers: Marta Donzelli, Gregorio Paonessa, Susanne Marian, Philippe Bober, Gabriella Manfrè, Andres Pfaeffli, Elda Gudinetti
Production Companies: Invisible Film, Vivo Film, Essential Filmproduktion GmbH, Ventura Film
Director of Photography: Andrea Locatelli
Editing: Maurizio Grillo
Sound Design: Daniel Iribarren
Sound: Paolo Benvenutti
Costumes: Gabriella Maiolo
Production Design: Matthew Broussard
Technical Info
Category: Feature Film
Original Language: Silent
Format: 35mm
Screen Ratio: 1:1:85
Speed: 24 fps
Sound: Dolby 5.1
Number of Reels: 5
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Festivals
PREMIERE
 | Cannes 2010, Directors' Fortnight |
MAIN AWARDS
Europa Cinema Label 2010, Best Film
CPH:DOX 2010, DOX:AWARD
Munich 2010, Award Cine Vision
Bratislava 2010, Grand Prix
ADDITIONAL SELECTIONS
Karlovy Vary 2010, Open Eyes
New York 2010, Main Slate
Pusan 2010, World Cinema
San Sebastian 2010, Zabaltegi-Pearls
Toronto 2010, Official Selection
Download press photo
|
Michelangelo FrammartinoMichelangelo Frammartino was born in 1968 and studied architecture at the Polytechnic School of Milan. In 1992, he directed his first short film. He directed video installations (TRACCE, PRESENZE S-CONNESSE, LA CASA DELLE BELLE ADDORMENTANTE, FILM) between 1995 and 1998. His first feature film, IL DONO, received awards in several prominent international film festivals. LE QUATTRO VOLTE his second feature film premiered at the Directors' Fortnight in Cannes. |
Germany 
Italy 
Switzerland An old shepherd lives his last days in a quiet medieval village perched high on the hills of Calabria, at the southernmost tip of Italy. He herds goats under skies that most villagers have deserted long ago. He is sick, and believes to find his medicine in the dust he collects on the church floor, which he drinks in his water every day.
A new goat kid is born. We follow its first few tentative steps, its first games, until it gains strength and goes to pasture. Nearby, a majestic fir tree stirs in the mountain breeze and slowly changes through the seasons.
The tree now lies on the ground. It has been reduced to its own skeleton, and is transformed into wood coal through the ancestral work of the local coal makers. Our sight gets lost in the ashes' smoke.
Le Quattro Volte is a poetic vision of the revolving cycles of life and nature and the unbroken traditions of a timeless place. The story of one soul that moves through four successive lives.
"The most profound, expansive and unsettling view of nature I have ever encountered on film."
A.O. Scott, NEW YORK TIMES
"Revelations like this one are exceptional. Cineastes like Michelangelo Frammartino must be honoured. (…) Astonishing beauty and seriousness."
Jean-Luc Douin, LE MONDE
"A film of striking beauty and originality. (...) Intriguing from beginning to end."
Lee Marshall, SCREEN INTERNATIONAL
"A maaaa-sterpiece. The festival's one feelgood cult-in-the-making. (...) The best fun in the fest."
Jonathan Romney, THE INDEPENDENT
"A Tour de force."
Natasha Senjanovic, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
"Probably the most accomplished piece of cinema you’ll see this year. (...) Witty, wondrous and profound."
Wendy Ide, THE TIMES
"A devastating, profound and at times surreal work of art."
Michael O’Sullivan, THE WASHINGTON POST
"A fascinating magical reflection on the cycle of nature."
Paolo Mereghetti, CORRIERE DELLA SERRA
"A gem of art cinema. (… ) Every shot is framed and composed with outstanding judgement."
Peter Bradshaw THE GUARDIAN
"Not for a long time will a film direct our glance in such a vivid and thrilling way onto the world."
Bert Rebhandl, FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE SONNTAGSZEITUNG
"Le Quattro Volte is a film without dialogue which relies on its strong imagery, a lucid light and impressive choreography which unifies everything."
Martina Knoben, SÜDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG
"Striking for its arid splendor, its serenity, and the humour it displays. A new mix of narrative minimalism and unexpected burlesque. (...) Daring and beautiful."
Isabelle Regnier, LE MONDE
"A terrific film poem"
Jan Schulz-Ojala, ZEIT ONLINE
"A hypnotic journey...With long and contemplative takes the most trivial of realities become unexpectedly poetic"
Mathilde Blottière, TELERAMA
"An extraordinary achievement. (…) An essay, a cinematic poem, a spiritual exploration of time and space designed to make us think and feel about the world around us and our place in it."
Philip French, THE OBSERVER
"An ingenious film halfway between Tati and Pasolini. (...) At once sinister and magical, always singular, never boring, very organic and constructed. (....) Superb."
J.B. Morain, LES INROCKUPTIBLES
"You’ll laugh, you’ll cry. (...) LE QUATTRO VOLTE is cinema at its most primal, yet simultaneously contains a wealth of ideas."
Eric Kohn, INDIEWIRE
An old shepherd lives his last days in a quiet medieval village perched high on the hills of Calabria, at the southernmost tip of Italy. He herds goats under skies that most villagers have deserted long ago. He is sick, and believes to find his medicine in the dust he collects on the church floor, which he drinks in his water every day.A new goat kid is born. We follow its first few tentative steps, its first games, until it gains strength and goes to pasture. Nearby, a majestic fir tree stirs in the mountain breeze and slowly changes through the seasons. The tree now lies on the ground. It has been reduced to its own skeleton, and is transformed into wood coal through the ancestral work of the local coal makers. Our sight gets lost in the ashes’ smoke.Le Quattro Volte is a poetic vision of the revolving cycles of life and nature and the unbroken traditions of a timeless place. The story of one soul that moves through four successive lives.
Giuseppe Fuda - HimselfBruno Timpano - HimselfNazareno Timpano - Himself
Crew
Director: Michelangelo Frammartino
Country of Production: Italy
Year Completed: 2010
Producers: Marta Donzelli, Gregorio Paonessa, Susanne Marian, Philippe Bober, Gabriella Manfrè, Andres Pfaeffli, Elda Gudinetti
Production Companies: Invisible Film, Vivo Film, Essential Filmproduktion GmbH, Ventura Film
Director of Photography: Andrea Locatelli
Editing: Maurizio Grillo
Sound Design: Daniel Iribarren
Sound: Paolo Benvenutti
Costumes: Gabriella Maiolo
Production Design: Matthew Broussard
Technical InfoCategory: Feature FilmOriginal Language: SilentFormat: 35mmScreen Ratio: 1:1:85Speed: 24 fpsSound: Dolby 5.1Number of Reels: 5
Downloads
PREMIERE
| Cannes 2010, Directors' Fortnight |
MAIN AWARDS
Europa Cinema Label 2010, Best Film
CPH:DOX 2010, DOX:AWARD
Munich 2010, Award Cine Vision
Bratislava 2010, Grand Prix
ADDITIONAL SELECTIONS
Karlovy Vary 2010, Open Eyes
New York 2010, Main Slate
Pusan 2010, World Cinema
San Sebastian 2010, Zabaltegi-Pearls
Toronto 2010, Official Selection
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