If you’re an Italian film buff or a travelling-whore entertainment journalist, you could do worse than attend the Capri Hollywood Film Festival, which ran from 12.26 through 1.2. And it’s nice to know that 86 year-old Lina Wertmuller, the legendary director of Seven Beauties, Swept Away and The Seduction of Mimi, is the honorary chairperson of the Istituto Capri nel mondo, which organizes the festival. Ditto that Silver Linings Playbook has won four awards from the CHFF, including Best Film of the Year, Best Actor (Bradley Cooper) and the Capri Hollywood Audience Award.

And it’s noteworthy that Wertmuller has praised David O. Russell‘s film, calling it “the most brilliant romantic comedy in years, but also a real audience-pleasing movie with a heartwarming story and amazing performances.” It never hurts to shower praise on a well-made film, especially if your position requires it.

But for whatever reason (and I can’t quite put this into words after trying for ten minutes), it feels a bit queer to hear the once-great Wertmuller melt over SLP, good as it is and as much as I love it. This is a woman who once stood as a collossus, a woman who blazed a trail by fusing leftwing politics and liberated sexual issues and farcical acting styles…from the early to late ’70s Lina Wertmuller held mountains in the palm of her hands. I don’t know what I’m saying except…I don’t know what I’m saying. 35 to 40 years is a long time ago?

Hollywood Elsewhere would be very interested in prostituting itself in the service of the next Capri Hollywood Film Festival in exchange for air fare and accomodations. That’ll probably never happen with Italy being in a financial crisis and all, but if you don’t speak up…