''I, Hamlet'' (Italian: ''Io, Amleto'') is a 1952 Italian

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Giorgio Simonelli Giorgio Simonelli (14 November 1901 Birth name: Giorgio Simonelli. – 3 October 1966), was an Italian film director, editor, screenwriter and journalist. Life and career Born in Rome, Simonelli obtained a high school diploma in business stud ...

and starring Erminio Macario,

Franca Marzi Franca Marzi (18 August 1926 – 6 March 1989) was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 80 films between 1943 and 1977. Life and career Born in Rome as Francesca Marsi, after working in the revue, Marzi made her film debut in her early ...

and

Rossana Podestà Rossana Podestà (born Carla Dora Podestà; 20 June 1934 – 10 December 2013) was an Italian actress who worked mainly in Italy from the 1950s to the 1970s. Biography Podestà was born in Tripoli in the Italian colony of Libya. She spent her f ...

. A parody of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's tragedy ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'', its lack of commercial success led the newly formed production company Macario Film to a rapid bankruptcy. The film's sets were designed by the art directors

Arrigo Breschi Arrigo Breschi was an Italian set decorator. He was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Art Direction for the film ''It Started in Naples'' (1960) which starred Clark Gable, Sophia Loren, and Vittorio De Sica. Selected filmogra ...

and

Saverio D'Eugenio Saverio is a given name of Italian origin. It is a cognate of Xavier and Javier, both of which originate from ''Xabier'', the Basque name for the Spanish town Javier. ''Xabier'' is itself the romanization of ''etxe berri'' meaning "new house" or ...

. It was shot at the

Palatino Studios The Safa Palatino Studios are a complex of film and television studios in the Italian capital Rome. It is owned by Mediaset, who use it for the production of television programmes. Historically, the site was used as a film studio from the 1930s to ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Cast

* Erminio Macario as Hamlet *

as Valchiria *

as Ophelia *

Adriano Rimoldi Adriano Rimoldi (1912–1965) was an Italian film actor. Career He appeared in more than sixty films during his career, which stretched from the late 1930s to his death in the mid 1960s. In 1940 he played the male lead in the melodrama '' Good ...

as Laertes *

Luigi Pavese Luigi Pavese (25 October 1897 – 13 December 1969) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Born in Asti, Pavese started his career in 1916 working as a silent film actor at 19 years of age. He then began his theatrical debut in 192 ...

as King Claudius * Marisa Merlini as Queen Gertrude *

Giuseppe Porelli Giuseppe Porelli (24 November 1897 – 5 March 1982) was an Italian stage, film and television actor. Life and career Born Giuseppe Porcelli in Naples, he graduated from the Istituto Tecnico and became an employee of Ferrovie dello Stato. W ...

as Polonius *

Virgilio Riento Virgilio Riento (29 November 1889 – 7 September 1959) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 108 films between 1936 and 1959. Selected filmography * ''Sette giorni all'altro mondo'' (1936) - Man on train * '' Il signor Max'' (1937) - ...

as Anturius *

Carlo Rizzo Carlo Rizzo (April 30, 1907 – July 26, 1979) was an Italian stage and film actor.Chiti & Poppi p.333 He was the brother of the actor Alfredo Rizzo. A regular in post-war Italian cinema he also featured in several American films produced in I ...

as Horatio * Silvio Noto as Rosadorno *

Sergio Bergonzelli Sergio Bergonzelli (25 August 1924 – 24 September 2002) was an Italian director, screenwriter, producer and actor. Life and career Born in Alba, Cuneo, Bergonzelli graduated in Philosophy, then he started working as an actor with the stage ...

as Fencing Master * Guido Riccioli as Jorik il buffone * Manlio Busoni as Ambasciatore d'Inghilterra * Giancarla Vessio as Ausonia * Giovanni Onorato as Guardia reale

References

External links

* 1952 films 1950s Italian-language films Films directed by Giorgio Simonelli Films based on Hamlet Italian parody films Films with screenplays by Ruggero Maccari Films with screenplays by Giovanni Grimaldi Films with screenplays by Mario Amendola Italian comedy films 1952 comedy films Italian black-and-white films Films shot at Palatino Studios 1950s Italian films {{1950s-Italy-film-stub