Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
Vittorio De Sica put himself on the line in order to save his cast and crew, and the film he was making. This final segment describes how he managed to complete La porta del cielo (The Gates of Heaven). The song we hear at the end of this documentary is very famous and was sung by Vittorio De Sica himself for the movie Gli uomini, che mascalzoni... in which he acted. Listen to the entire song here.
Difficulty:
Beginner
Italy
Navigating the adjectives or pronouns che (what), cosa (what), and quale (what, which) is confusing to most learners, but Marika helps us make sense of it all.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
This segment recounts how Aldo De Rosa and Margherita met in a park in Florence as kids and later married. Aldo supported her in her scientific work throughout their marriage, which lasted over seventy years.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
The general hands De Sica a letter from Goebbels himself but since De Sica can't read German, it is translated for him ad alta voce (out loud). It's an invitation to Venice, which De Sica does not want to accept.
Difficulty:
Beginner
Italy
Marika gives us plenty of examples of expressions using l'occhio (the eye) in this final segment. We see and hear them in context by way of clips from Yabla videos.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
Although as an athlete, Margherita did make some compromises she felt she had to during the decades of Italian Fascism, she also took a stand against it, risking expulsion from school.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
Actors, including Alberto Sordi, who were performing at the Quattro Fontane (four fountains) theater on the fateful day of 23 March 1944 are in danger of being caught by the Germans. During the filming of his movie, De Sica leaves the safety of the basilica just once and is caught and questioned by a Nazi General about why the film is taking so long to be shot.
Difficulty:
Beginner
Italy
When you have plenty of confidence or trust someone, you might keep your eyes closed and do something "ad occhi chiusi" (with your eyes closed), but make sure to keep them open while watching this video about expressions featureing l'occhio (the eye).
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
Perhaps not everyone knows that Margherita Hack as a girl was quite the athlete. Her sport was track and field. She also had a passion for cycling and rode her bike well into her seventies.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
During the filming of Heaven's Gate, there were some dicey moments where De Sica had to deal with the German troops and needed all his wits about him. At the same time his crew was cooped up in the basilica and didn't always behave as they should — in fact, tutt'altro (anything but). The narrator also mentions an anecdotal story Fellini told about his experience with the Germans.
Difficulty:
Beginner
Italy
In this last part, Marika provides some expressions to use when you're frustrated or when you forget what you were about to say. They all use la testa (the head) as the featured body part.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
Margherita was much more interested in substance and knowledge than in material things, including physical appearance, and this became her brand, in a certain sense. That didn't keep people from loving and respecting her, although there were some occasional incidents, a few of which are recounted by people who knew her.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
To recreate the environment of the San Loreto church, the Basilica of St Paul's Outside the Walls was used for the final scene of the film. The crew was accustomed to working in a non-religious setting where they could do as they liked, so it was a full-time job trying to keep their bad habits (such as smoking) in check so they wouldn't get kicked out by their hosts.
Difficulty:
Beginner
Italy
Italians scratch their heads when they are perplexed, just like English speakers do. It's grattarsi la testa. In this segment, Marika explains this and other expressions having to do with the head. Sometimes "testa" can be translated as "head" and other times, as "mind."
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Italy
Margherita Hack made her mark on the University of Trieste, teaching Astronomy there for almost 30 years and linking it with the Observatory. She had to use some drastic means to be recognized, however, being a woman in a man's world. But the balance changed over time, with her help, to involve many more women than before, both as students and researchers.
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