''The Countess of Parma'' (Italian: ''La contessa di Parma'') is a 1937 Italian " white-telephones"

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Alessandro Blasetti Alessandro Blasetti (3 July 1900 – 1 February 1987) was an Italian film director and screenwriter who influenced Italian neorealism with the film ''Four Steps in the Clouds''. Blasetti was one of the leading figures in Italian cinema during the ...

and starring

Elisa Cegani Elisa Cegani (11 June 1911 – 23 February 1996) was an Italian actress. She appeared in 60 films between 1935 and 1983. Partial filmography * '' Aldebaran'' (1935) - Nora Bandi * ''Cavalry'' (1936) - Speranza di Frassineto * '' The Counte ...

Antonio Centa Antonio Centa (10 August 1907 – 19 April 1979) was an Italian film actor. Career Born in Maniago, Province of Pordenone, Centa was among the most active and popular actors between the mid-1930s and 1943 (when the Italian film industry almost ...

and

María Denis María Denis (22 November 1916 – 15 April 2004) was an Argentine-born actress in Italian made films. Denis moved to Italy in 1932 when she was 16, and appeared in her first film there the same year. Denis became a top Italian star between 1936 a ...

. Marcella, a

mannequin A mannequin (sometimes spelled as manikin and also called a dummy, lay figure, or dress form) is a doll, often articulated, used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, window dressers and others, especially to display or fit clothing and show off dif ...

working in a fashion store in

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, falls in love with an Italian

International International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

football player whose aunt has just acquired the store intending to replace its reliance on French fashions with Italian designs. Blasetti later described it as his only "

white telephone ''Telefoni Bianchi'' (; white telephones) films, also called deco films, were made by the Cinema of Italy, Italian film industry in the 1930s and the 1940s in imitation of American comedies of the time in a sharp contrast to the other important ...

" film,Moliterno p.41 although his 1939 comedy ''

Backstage Backstage may refer to: * Backstage (theatre), the areas of a theatre that are not part of the house or stage Film and television * ''Back Stage'' (1917 film), a silent film starring Oliver Hardy * ''Back Stage'' (1919 film), a silent film starri ...

'' has also been noted for its similar characteristics. It was shot at the Fert Studios in

and on location around the city including at the Stadio Municipale and the

Mirafiori The Stabilimento di Mirafiori (in English: Mirafiori Factory) is the headquarters and industrial district of the Italian automobile manufacturer Fiat, a subsidiary of FCA Italy, which is part of Stellantis, and is the headquarters of CNH Industr ...

district where the

racetrack A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also us ...

scenes were staged. Exterior shots were also taken at the

Avigliana Lakes Avigliana (; ; ) is a town and (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Piedmont region of Italy, with 12,129 inhabitants as of 1 January 2023. It lies about west of Turin in the Susa valley, on the motorway going from Turin to ...

and the resort town of

Sestriere Sestriere (, , , ) is a ski resort in Piedmont, Italy, a ''comune'' (municipality) of the Metropolitan City of Turin. It is situated in Val Susa, from the France, French border. Its name derives from Latin language, Latin: ''ad petram sistrariam ...

to the west of the city on the French border. Filming began in November 1936 and lasted through the winter, with the final shots being taken at Sestriere's

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area–a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North Am ...

Cast

as Marcella *

as Gino Vanni *

as Adriana *

Umberto Melnati Umberto Melnati (17 June 1897 – 30 March 1979) was an Italian film actor He appeared in over 35 films between 1932 and 1962. He starred in films such as the Mario Mattoli 1936 film ''L'uomo che sorride'' and ''Il signor Max'' (1937). He ...

as Carrani *

Osvaldo Valenti Osvaldo Valenti (17 February 1906 – 30 April 1945) was an Italian film actor. Valenti starred in several successful Italian movies of the late 1930s and early 1940s, such as the famous ''The Iron Crown'' and '' The Jester's Supper''. He ap ...

as Duca di Fadda *

Nunzio Filogamo Nunzio Filogamo (; 20 September 1902 – 24 January 2002) was an Italian television and radio presenter, actor and singer. Life and career Born in Palermo, Filogamo moved to Turin at a young age, then he studied law at the Sorbonne Universit ...

as Conte di Sebasta *

Ugo Ceseri Ugo Ceseri (30 June 1893 – 3 December 1940) was an Italian stage actor, stage and film actor. He appeared in forty two films between 1931 and his death in 1940. In 1934 he appeared in the play ''18 BL'', an attempt to create a mass theatre by t ...

as Marco *

Pina Gallini Pina Gallini (19 March 1888 – 31 January 1974) was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 82 films between 1935 and 1963. Selected filmography * ''The Countess of Parma'' (1936) * '' The Ferocious Saladin'' (1937) * '' The Former Matti ...

as Marta Rossi * Marichetta Stoppa as Una Guardarobiera *

Giannina Chiantoni Giannina Chiantoni (24 June 1881 – 17 May 1972) was an Italian actress. She appeared in more than twelve films from 1910 to 1955. Selected filmography References External links * 1881 births 1972 deaths Italian film actresses Pe ...

as La sarta della casa di mode * Mario Lembo as Il tassista * Pina Valli as Un'indossatrice * Mirica Albis as Un'altra indossatrice

References

Bibliography

* Liehm, Mira. ''Passion and Defiance: Film in Italy from 1942 to the Present''. University of California Press, 1984. * Moliterno, Gino. ''Historical Dictionary of Italian Cinema''. Scarecrow Press, 2008. * Paulicelli, Eugenia. ''Fashion Under Fascism: Beyond the Black Shirt''. Berg, 2004.

External links

*
''The Countess of Parma''
at

Variety Distribution Variety Distribution is an Italian-based film distribution company. It distributes Italian films worldwide, produced from the 1930s onward. History Variety Distribution (formerly Variety Film and Variety Communications) has been in the film ...

1937 films Italian comedy films Italian black-and-white films 1937 comedy films 1930s Italian-language films Films directed by Alessandro Blasetti Films set in Turin Films scored by Giovanni Fusco Italian association football films Films about fashion 1930s Italian films Italian-language comedy films {{1930s-Italy-comedy-film-stub