Pietro Germi (; 14 September 1914 – 5 December 1974) was an Italian

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

, and

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

, noted for his development of the neorealist and commedia all'Italiana genres. His 1961 film '' Divorce Italian Style'' earned him a Best Original Screenplay Oscar and a Best Director nomination at the 35th Academy Awards. Seven of his films competed at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

, with his 1966 comedy '' The Birds, the Bees and the Italians'' winning the Palme d'Or.

Biography

He studied acting and directing at Rome's Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. During his time in school, Germi supported himself by working as an extra, bit actor, assistant director, and, on occasion, writer. Germi made his directorial debut in 1945 with the film '' Il testimone''. His early work, this film included, were very much in the Italian neorealist style; many were social dramas that dealt with contemporary issues pertaining to people of Sicilian heritage. Through the years, Germi shifted away from social drama towards satirical comedies, but retained his loved element of the Sicilian people. In the 1960s, Germi received worldwide success with the films '' Divorce Italian Style'', '' Seduced and Abandoned'', and '' The Birds, the Bees and the Italians''. He was nominated for

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

s in both directing and writing for ''Divorce Italian Style'', and, subsequently, won in the writing category. He also won the Grand Prize at the

for ''The Birds, the Bees and the Italians''. His 1968 film '' Serafino'' won the Golden Prize at the 6th Moscow International Film Festival. Germi collaborated on the scripts for all the films he directed and appeared as an actor in a few of them. He died in Rome of

hepatitis Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver tissue. Some people or animals with hepatitis have no symptoms, whereas others develop yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes ( jaundice), poor appetite, vomiting, tiredness, abdominal ...

on 5 December 1974.

Selected filmography

Writer

*''

Backstage Backstage most commonly refers to backstage (theatre), also in motion picture and television production. Backstage may also refer to: Film and television * ''Back Stage'' (1969 film), a silent film starring Oliver Hardy * ''Back Stage'' (1942 fil ...

'' (1939) *'' The Son of the Red Corsair'' (1943) *''

The Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ� ...

'' (1945) *'' The Testimony'' (1946) *'' Lost Youth'' (1947) *'' In the Name of the Law'' (1948) *'' Path of Hope'' (1950) *'' Against the Law'' (1950) *'' Four Ways Out'' (1951) *''

Mademoiselle Gobete ''Mademoiselle Gobete'' ( it, La Presidentessa) is a 1952 Italian comedy film directed by Pietro Germi. Cast * Silvana Pampanini: Gobette * Aroldo Tieri: Judge Luciano Pinglet * Carlo Dapporto: Cipriano Gaudet * Ave Ninchi: Aglae Tricoin * Lui ...

'' (1952) *''

The Bandit of Tacca Del Lupo ''The Bandit of Tacca Del Lupo'' ( it, Il brigante di Tacca del Lupo) is a 1952 Italian historical drama film directed by Pietro Germi. Plot In 1863 a company of Bersaglieri commanded by Captain Giordani, as part of the repression of banditry, ...

'' (1952) *'' Jealousy'' (1953) *''

Mid-Century Loves ''Mid-Century Loves'' ( it, Amori di mezzo secolo) is a 1954 Italian anthology historical melodrama film consisting of five segments directed by Glauco Pellegrini, Pietro Germi, Mario Chiari, Roberto Rossellini and Antonio Pietrangeli. Plot ...

'' (1953, episode 2) *'' The Railroad Man'' (1956) *'' L'uomo di paglia'' (1957) *'' Divorce Italian Style'' (1961) *'' Seduced and Abandoned'' (1963) *'' The Birds, the Bees and the Italians'' (1965) *''

L'immorale ''L'immorale'' is a 1967 Italian comedy film directed by Pietro Germi. It was entered into the 1967 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * Ugo Tognazzi as Sergio Masini * Stefania Sandrelli as Marisa Malagugini * Renée Longarini as Giulia Masini * Mari ...

'' (1966) *'' Serafino'' (1968) *''

A Pocketful of Chestnuts ''A Pocketful of Chestnuts'' it, Le castagne sono buone) is a 1970 Italian comedy film directed by Pietro Germi. Plot Luigi Vivarelli is a television director, a cynical and unrepentant womanizer. One day he meets Carla Lotito, an architecture ...

'' (1970) *'' Alfredo, Alfredo'' (1972)

Actor

*'' The Fornaretto of Venice'' (1939) - Frate domenicano *''Montecassino'' (1946) *'' Escape to France'' (1948) - Tembien *'' The Railroad Man'' (1956) - Andrea Marcocci *'' A Man of Straw'' (1958) - Andrea *'' The Facts of Murder'' (1959) - Il Dott. Ingravallo *'' Five Branded Women'' (1960) - Partisan Commander *''

Lipstick Lipstick is a cosmetic product used to apply coloration and texture to lips, often made of wax and oil. Different pigments are used to produce color, and minerals such as silica may be used to provide texture. The use of lipstick dates bac ...

'' (1960) - Commissario Fioresi *''Il sicario'' (1961) *'' The Lovemakers'' (1961) - Stefano *''

A Man Named John ''A Man Named John'' ( it, E venne un uomo) is a 1965 drama film directed by Ermanno Olmi and starring Rod Steiger. Plot The film is a biography of Pope John XXIII, who, however, does not appear in the film as an actual character. Instead Rod S ...

'' (1965) - Pontiff's Father (final film role)

Resources

Notes

* ''The Film Encyclopedia'' by

Ephraim Katz Ephraim Katz (11 March 1932 – 2 August 1992) was a writer, journalist and filmmaker who devoted his life to gathering the information in his book, ''The Film Encyclopedia'', first published in 1979. Biography Katz, born in Tel Aviv, stud ...

- 1993 edition

External links

*
Pietro Germi
at AllMovie {{DEFAULTSORT:Germi, Pietro 1914 births 1974 deaths Actors from Genoa Best Original Screenplay Academy Award winners Italian film directors Deaths from hepatitis Infectious disease deaths in Lazio Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia alumni David di Donatello winners Nastro d'Argento winners Directors of Palme d'Or winners Film people from Genoa 20th-century screenwriters