Passione

Little wonder that Passione, John Turturro's wild, colorful, sexy ode to the music and people of Naples, was "rapturously received" (Variety) and interrupted by "spontaneous outbreaks of applause" (Sight + Sound) in Italy, where it played for more than four months (its soundtrack on the charts for five). A brilliant actor in film, theater, and television, Turturro is also the director of three features (including the hilarious, irreverent Romance & Cigarettes which premiered at Film Forum) and a man whose talents are fueled by an unquenchable zest for life. He describes Passione as "a musical adventure that comes directly out of the people and the volcanic land they inhabit. Conjuring ancient stories and myths that still live -- of love, sex, jealousy, and social protest -- each song is a small screenplay, an emotional postcard. I tried to see if I could understand in a small way, a little bit of the soul of the city, while at the same time killing clichés about it. There are places you go and once is enough. Then there's Napoli."