Paolo Taviani (8 November 1931 – 29 February 2024) and Vittorio Taviani (20 September 1929 – 15 April 2018), collectively referred to as the Taviani brothers, were Italian film directors and screenwriters who collaborated on film productions. At the Cannes Film Festival, the Taviani brothers won the Palme d'Or and the FIPRESCI prize for Padre Padrone in 1977 and the Grand Prix du Jury for La notte di San Lorenzo (The Night of the Shooting Stars, 1982). In 2012 they won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival with Caesar Must Die. Vittorio Taviani died on 15 April 2018 at the age of 88. Both born in San Miniato, Tuscany, Italy, the Taviani brothers began their careers as journalists. In 1960 they came to the world of cinema, directing with Joris Ivens the documentary L'Italia non è un paese povero (Italy is not a poor country). They went on to direct two films with Valentino Orsini, Un uomo da bruciare (A Man to Burn) (1962) and I fuorilegge del matrimonio (Outlaws of Marriage) (1963). Their first autonomous film was I sovversivi (The Subversives, 1967), with which they anticipated the events of 1968. With actor Gian Maria Volonté they gained attention with Sotto il segno dello scorpione (Under the Sign of Scorpio, (1969) where one can see the echoes of Brecht, Pasolini, and Godard. In 1971, they co-signed the media campaign against Milan's police commissioner Luigi Calabresi, published in the magazine L'espresso. The revolutionary theme is present both in San Michele aveva un gallo (1971), an adaptation of Tolstoy's novel The Divine and the Human, a film greatly appreciated by critics, and in the film Allonsanfan (1974), in which Marcello Mastroianni has a role as an ex-revolutionary who has served a long term in prison and now views his idealistic youth in a much more realistic light, and nevertheless gets entangled in a new attempt in which he no longer believes. Their next film Padre Padrone (1977) (Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival), taken from a novel by Gavino Ledda, speaks of the struggle of a Sardinian shepherd against the cruel rules of his patriarchal society. In Il prato (1979) there are nonrealistic echoes, while La notte di San Lorenzo (The Night of the Shooting Stars, 1982) narrates, in a fairy-tale tone, a marginal event in the days before the end of World War II, in Tuscany, as seen through the eyes of some village people. The film was awarded the Special Jury Award in Cannes. Kaos (1984)—another literary adaptation—is a poignantly beautiful and poetical film in episodes, taken from Luigi Pirandello's Short Stories for a year. In Il sole anche di notte (1990) the Taviani brothers transposed in 18th century Naples the story from Tolstoy's Father Sergius. From then onwards, the Tavianis' inspiration proved faltering. Successes like Le affinità elettive, (1996, from Goethe) and an attempt to woo the international audiences like Good morning Babilonia, (1987), on the pioneers of cinema history, alternate with lesser films like Fiorile (1993) and Tu ridi (1996), inspired by the characters and short stories of Pirandello. ... Source: Article "Paolo and Vittorio Taviani" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
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Biography from TMDB.
- November 8, 1931
- February 29, 2024 (aged 92)
- San Miniato, Tuscany, Italy
- Director and writer
- 12 on MovieCove · 37 credits in all
What are Paolo Taviani's films like?
Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Society.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 11
Light 1 · Serious 4 · Dark 6
Grounded 2 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 2
Gentle 3 · Charged 5 · Intense 3
Steady 7 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 0
Slow burn 8 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0
Casual 4 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 1 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 7
A split, not a type: Resolved 6 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 2
Moods and endings
- Bittersweet7
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Paolo Taviani's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).
Subscription and free streaming for Paolo Taviani's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
37 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page; 12 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Leonora addio(2022)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Wondrous Boccaccio(2015)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
Tutte le storie di Piera (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Caesar Must Die(2012)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Resurrection (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
La masseria delle allodole (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
The Lark Farm(2007)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
Luisa Sanfelice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
The Spring of 2002 - Italy Protests, Italy Stops (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Resurrection (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Tomorrow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
You Laugh (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Quando l'Italia non era un paese povero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Elective Affinities (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Fiorile(1993)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Night Sun(1990)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Good Morning Babylon(1987)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Kaos(1984)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Kaos (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
Sabatoventiquattromarzo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
The Meadow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
The South Bank Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Padre Padrone(1977)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Allonsanfan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
St. Michael Had a Rooster (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
Under the Sign of Scorpio (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
The Subversives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Outlaws of Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
A Man for Burning (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Italy Is Not a Poor Country (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
Sicilia all'addritta (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
La spada e la croce(1958)
Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films
L'uomo dai calzoni corti (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Rotelle nello sport (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
San Miniato, luglio '44 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
Career shape
A full career of 37 titles from 1954 to 2022.
Biggest box office
The Night of the Shooting Stars (1982)
Highest rated
Kaos (1984)
Most popular right now
Leonora addio (2022)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Paolo Taviani's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 70th percentile, the median of all 12; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 67th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up4
- 50th to 74th5
- 25th to 49th2
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
6 of their 12 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved1
- Divisive1
- Crowd Pleaser6
- Mixed4
Reviewers score the atmosphere 73/100 and the pacing 50/100 in their films, across 10 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Paolo Taviani work with?
People who share at least 2 of Paolo Taviani's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Roberto Perpignani shares the most, 11.
Directors
- Vittorio TavianiShared titles: Rainbow: A Private Affair (2017), Wondrous Boccaccio (2015), Caesar Must Die (2012), The Lark Farm (2007), Fiorile (1993), Night Sun (1990), Good Morning Babylon (1987), Kaos (1984), The Night of the Shooting Stars (1982), Padre Padrone (1977)See all 10 shared titles with Vittorio Taviani
Writers
- Tonino GuerraShared titles: Night Sun (1990), Good Morning Babylon (1987), Kaos (1984), The Night of the Shooting Stars (1982)See all 4 shared titles with Tonino Guerra
- Luigi PirandelloShared titles: Leonora addio (2022), Kaos (1984)See all 2 shared titles with Luigi Pirandello
Actors
- Claudio BigagliShared titles: Leonora addio (2022), Fiorile (1993), Kaos (1984), The Night of the Shooting Stars (1982)See all 4 shared titles with Claudio Bigagli
- Margarita LozanoShared titles: Night Sun (1990), Good Morning Babylon (1987), Kaos (1984), The Night of the Shooting Stars (1982)See all 4 shared titles with Margarita Lozano
- Omero AntonuttiShared titles: Good Morning Babylon (1987), Kaos (1984), The Night of the Shooting Stars (1982), Padre Padrone (1977)See all 4 shared titles with Omero Antonutti
- Massimo BonettiShared titles: Night Sun (1990), Kaos (1984), The Night of the Shooting Stars (1982)See all 3 shared titles with Massimo Bonetti
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Roberto PerpignaniShared titles: Leonora addio (2022), Rainbow: A Private Affair (2017), Wondrous Boccaccio (2015), Caesar Must Die (2012), The Lark Farm (2007), Fiorile (1993), Night Sun (1990), Good Morning Babylon (1987), Kaos (1984), The Night of the Shooting Stars (1982), Padre Padrone (1977)See all 11 shared titles with Roberto Perpignani
- Nicola PiovaniShared titles: Leonora addio (2022), Fiorile (1993), Night Sun (1990), Good Morning Babylon (1987), Kaos (1984), The Night of the Shooting Stars (1982)See all 6 shared titles with Nicola Piovani
- Giuseppe LanciShared titles: The Lark Farm (2007), Fiorile (1993), Night Sun (1990), Good Morning Babylon (1987), Kaos (1984)See all 5 shared titles with Giuseppe Lanci
- Simone ZampagniShared titles: Leonora addio (2022), Rainbow: A Private Affair (2017), Wondrous Boccaccio (2015), Caesar Must Die (2012)See all 4 shared titles with Simone Zampagni
Producers
- Grazia VolpiShared titles: Wondrous Boccaccio (2015), Caesar Must Die (2012), The Lark Farm (2007), Fiorile (1993), Night Sun (1990)See all 5 shared titles with Grazia Volpi
- Giuliani G. De NegriShared titles: Night Sun (1990), Good Morning Babylon (1987), Kaos (1984), The Night of the Shooting Stars (1982), Padre Padrone (1977)See all 5 shared titles with Giuliani G. De Negri
- Donatella PalermoShared titles: Leonora addio (2022), Rainbow: A Private Affair (2017), Wondrous Boccaccio (2015), Caesar Must Die (2012)See all 4 shared titles with Donatella Palermo
- Paolo Del BroccoShared titles: Leonora addio (2022), Caesar Must Die (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Paolo Del Brocco
