Italian cinema is one of the most glorious and energetic celebrations of the medium that any nation has ever offered.

For many years, this astonishing legacy was largely unseen, but the DVD revolution is making virtually everything available, from Steve Reeves' muscle epics to long-unseen Italian art house movies. The one characteristic that most of the great (and not so great) Italian movies have in common is the sheer individualism of the directors. This applies to populist moviemakers and the giants of serious cinema.

While Fellini, Visconti and Antonioni have rightly assumed their places in the pantheon, so have such talented popular auteurs as Sergio Leone, who was doing something with the Western that no American director would dare do. All the glory of Italian cinema is celebrated here in comprehensive essays, along with every key film in an easy-to-use reference format.