Mauro Bolognini (28 June 1922 – 14 May 2001) was an Italian film and stage director of literate sensibility, known for his masterly handling of period subject matter.

Early years

Bolognini was born in

Pistoia Pistoia (, is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of a province of the same name, located about west and north of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno. It is a ty ...

, in the

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

region of Italy. After earning a master's degree in architecture at the University of Florence, Bolognini enrolled at the

Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia The Centro sperimentale di cinematografia (Experimental Film Centre or Italian National film school) was established in 1935 in Italy and aims to promote the art and technique of cinematography and film. The centre is the oldest film school in ...

(Italian National Film Academy) in

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 ...

, where he studied stage design. After graduation, he became interested in film direction and set out to work as an assistant to directors

Luigi Zampa Luigi Zampa (2 January 1905 – 16 August 1991) was an Italian film director. Biography Son of a worker, Zampa studied filmmaking from 1932 to 1937 at the Italian film school Centro sperimentale di cinematografia in Rome. He directed several ...

in Italy, and

Yves Allégret Yves Allégret (13 October 1905 – 31 January 1987) was a French film director, often working in the film noir genre. He was born in Asnières-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine and died in Paris. He was an assistant to film directors such as his broth ...

and

Jean Delannoy Jean Delannoy (12 January 1908 – 18 June 2008) was a French actor, film editor, screenwriter and film director. Biography Although Delannoy was born in a Paris suburb, his family was from Haute-Normandie in the north of France. He was a P ...

in France.

Film and television

Bolognini began directing his own feature films in the mid-1950s, and received his first international success with '' Wild Love'' (''Gli innamorati''). His other notable films of the 1950s and early 1960s include ''

Young Husbands ''Young Husbands'' ( it, Giovani mariti) is a 1958 Italian comedy film directed by Mauro Bolognini. It was entered into the 1958 Cannes Film Festival. For this film Armando Nannuzzi won a Silver Ribbon (Nastro d'Argento) for Best Cinematograp ...

'' (''Giovani mariti''), '' The Big Night'' (''La notte brava''), ''

From a Roman Balcony ''From a Roman Balcony'' (also known as ''Pickup in Rome'' and ''The Crazy Day'') is a 1960 drama film directed by Mauro Bolognini. It is a co-production between Italy (where it was released as ''La giornata balorda'') and France (where it is know ...

'' (''La giornata balorda''), and the

Marcello Mastroianni Marcello Vincenzo Domenico Mastroianni (28 September 1924 – 19 December 1996) was an Italian film actor, regarded as one of his country's most iconic male performers of the 20th century. He played leading roles for many of Italy's top di ...

Claudia Cardinale Claude Joséphine Rose "Claudia" Cardinale (; born 15 April 1938) is an Italian actress. She has starred in some of the most iconic European films of the 1960s and 1970s, acting in Italian, French, and English. Born and raised in La Goulette, a ...

starrer '' Il bell'Antonio'' (arguably his masterpiece), all written by

Pier Paolo Pasolini Pier Paolo Pasolini (; 5 March 1922 – 2 November 1975) was an Italian poet, filmmaker, writer and intellectual who also distinguished himself as a journalist, novelist, translator, playwright, visual artist and actor. He is considered one of ...

. Parting professionally with Pasolini in 1961, Bolognini directed two love stories starring Claudia Cardinale, '' The Lovemakers'' (''La viaccia'') and '' Careless'' (''Senilità''), and the coming-of-age films '' Agostino'' and ''

Corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

'' (''La corruzione'') before turning his talents to a series of international anthology films, including '' The Dolls'' (''Le bambole''), '' Three Faces of a Woman'' (''I tre volti''), '' The Queens'' (''Le fate'') and '' The Witches'' (''Le streghe''). Bolognini returned to features in 1966 with ''

Madamigella di Maupin ''Madamigella di Maupin'' is a 1966 Italian adventure film directed by Mauro Bolognini. It is loosely based on the life of Mademoiselle de Maupin and the novel with the same name by Théophile Gautier. Cast * Catherine Spaak as Magdeleine de ...

'' (''Mademoiselle de Maupin'') featuring

Catherine Spaak Catherine Spaak (3 April 1945 – 17 April 2022) was a French-born Italian actress and singer who acted in mostly in Italian films with some Hollywood and international productions. She is best known for her roles in the films '' Il Sorpasso'' ( ...

and

Robert Hossein Robert Hossein (30 December 1927 – 31 December 2020) was a French film actor, director, and writer. He directed the 1982 adaptation of ''Les Misérables'' and appeared in '' Vice and Virtue'', '' Le Casse'', ''Les Uns et les Autres'' and ''V ...

. His films of the 1970s include the period dramas '' Metello'' and ''

Bubù ''Bubù'' (also known as ''Bubu'') is a 1971 Italian historical drama film directed by Mauro Bolognini. The film is a transposition, set in Milan and Turin, of the novel ''Bubu de Montparnasse'' by Charles-Louis Philippe. Cast * Massimo Ranie ...

'', both starring Massimo Ranieri, ''

The Murri Affair ''The Murri Affair'' ( it, Fatti di gente perbene; french: La grande bourgeoise) is a 1974 historical drama film directed by Mauro Bolognini, starring Giancarlo Giannini and Catherine Deneuve. It is based on real events of a notorious 1902 murder ...

'' (''Fatti di gente perbene'') starring

Giancarlo Giannini Giancarlo Giannini (born 1 August 1942) is an Italian actor and voice actor. He won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for his performance in '' Love and Anarchy'' (1973) and received an Academy Award nomination for '' Seven Beauties ...

and

Catherine Deneuve Catherine Fabienne Dorléac (born 22 October 1943), known professionally as Catherine Deneuve (, , ), is a French actress as well as an occasional singer, model, and producer, considered one of the greatest European actresses. She gained recogni ...

and '' The Inheritance'' (''L'eredità Ferramonti'') with

Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known professionally as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican-American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental v ...

and Dominique Sanda. In 1981, Bolognini filmed '' The Lady of the Camellias'' (''La storia vera della signora delle camelie''), inspired by the Alexandre Dumas, fils novel and play. Throughout the decade, he continued directing feature films, as well as the television miniseries ''

The Charterhouse of Parma ''The Charterhouse of Parma'' (french: La Chartreuse de Parme, links=no) is a novel by Stendhal published in 1839. Telling the story of an Italian nobleman in the Napoleonic era and later, it was admired by Balzac, Tolstoy, André Gide, di Lam ...

'' and ''A Time of Indifference''. His final feature was the soft-core erotic drama ''

Husband and Lovers ''La villa del venerdì'' (internationally released as ''Husband and Lovers'') is a 1991 Italian erotic-drama film directed by Mauro Bolognini. The film is a transposition of the eponymous novel written by Alberto Moravia. It is the last film d ...

'' (''La villa del venerdì'') starring

Julian Sands Julian Richard Morley Sands''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, ...

and Joanna Pacula, released in 1991.

Stage and opera

In the mid-1960s, Bolognini started to show an interest, as stage director, in the production of operas and plays. His debut was in 1964 with

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the ...

's ''

Ernani ''Ernani'' is an operatic ''dramma lirico'' in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the 1830 play ''Hernani'' by Victor Hugo. Verdi was commissioned by the Teatro La Fenice in Venice to write ...

'' at the Teatro Massimo in

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The city is noted for its ...

, featuring tenor Mario Del Monaco. It was followed, in the same year, by Puccini's ''

Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1887 French-language dramati ...

'' at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma in Rome, and by many others, including:

Vincenzo Bellini Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini (; 3 November 1801 – 23 September 1835) was a Sicilian opera composer, who was known for his long-flowing melodic lines for which he was named "the Swan of Catania". Many years later, in 1898, Gius ...

's '' Norma'' at

La Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

(1972), and at the Bolshoi opera house in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

(1975);

's ''

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 Decemb ...

'' at

La Fenice Teatro La Fenice (, "The Phoenix") is an opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of "the most famous and renowned landmarks in the history of Italian theatre" and in the history of opera as a whole. Especially in the 19th century, La Fenice bec ...

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

(1978); and

Henze Henze is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Albert Henze (1894–1979), German Wehrmacht general *Frank Henze (born 1977), German slalom canoeist *Gertrud Henze (1901–2014), a German supercentenarian *Gregor Henze, German ...

's ''Pollicino'' at the

Poliziano Agnolo (Angelo) Ambrogini (14 July 1454 – 24 September 1494), commonly known by his nickname Poliziano (; anglicized as Politian; Latin: '' Politianus''), was an Italian classical scholar and poet of the Florentine Renaissance. His scho ...

opera house in Montepulciano (1995).

Death

Bolognini died in

Rome, Italy , 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 ...

, in 2001, aged 78.

Filmography

*' / ''We're in the Gallery'' (1953) *''

Knights of the Queen ''Knights of the Queen'' (Italian:''I cavalieri della regina'') is a 1954 Italian-American swashbuckler based on ''The Three Musketeers'' starring Sebastian Cabot. It was shot in Europe. It later led to a TV series, ''The Queen's Musketeers'' or ...

'' (1954) *'' La vena d'oro'' / ''Golden Vein'' (1955) *'' Gli innamorati'' / ''Wild Love'' (1955) *''I tre moschettieri'' / ''The Three Musketeers'' (1956 - TV Series) *'' Guardia, guardia scelta, brigadiere e maresciallo'' / ''Guard, Elite Guard, Brigadier and Marshall'' (1956) *' / ''Marisa'' (1957) *'' Giovani mariti'' / ''Young Husbands'' (1958) *'' Arrangiatevi!'' / ''You're On Your Own '' (1959) *''

La notte brava ''La notte brava'' (internationally released as ''Bad Girls Don't Cry'', ''The Big Night'', ''Night Heat'', and ''On Any Street'') is a 1959 Italian drama film directed by Mauro Bolognini. The film represents the debut of Tomas Milian in the Ital ...

'' / ''The Big Night'' / ''Bad Girls Don't Cry'' (1959) *'' La giornata balorda'' / ''From a Roman Balcony'' (1960) *'' Il bell'Antonio'' / ''Bell'Antonio'' (1960) *''

La viaccia ''The Lovemakers'' ( it, La viaccia) is a 1961 Italian drama film directed by Mauro Bolognini based on a novel by Mario Pratesi. The film which stars Claudia Cardinale and Jean-Paul Belmondo, was entered into the 1961 Cannes Film Festival. Plot ...

'' / ''The Lovemakers'' (1961) *'' Agostino'' (1962) *''

Senilità ''Senilità'', translated into English as ''As a Man Grows Older'' or ''Emilio's Carnival'', is Italo Svevo's second novel, first published in 1898. The novel's protagonist is Emilio Brentani, a failed writer torn between his longing for love and ...

'' / ''Careless'' (1962) *''

La corruzione ''Corruption'' ( it, La corruzione) is a 1963 Italian drama film directed by Mauro Bolognini. Plot A young man upon finishing college announces to his publisher father that he wants to become a priest. The father who wants his son to take over ...

'' / ''Corruption'' (1963) *'' La mia signora'' / ''My Wife'', segments "I miei cari" and "Luciana" (1964) *' / ''Woman Is a Wonderful Thing'', segments "Una donna dolce, dolce" and "La balena bianca" (1964) *''

Le bambole ''Le bambole'' (U.S. title: ''The Dolls'', UK title: ''Four Kinds of Love'') is a 1965 Italian comedy film in four segments; starring Nino Manfredi, Virna Lisi, Elke Sommer, and Mario Montuori. The four vignettes—The Telephone Call (La telefona ...

'' / ''Four Kinds of Love'' / ''The Dolls'', segment "Monsignor Cupido" (1965) *''

I tre volti ''The Three Faces'' ( it, I tre volti) is a 1965 Italian comedy film consisting of segments directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, Mauro Bolognini, and Franco Indovina. Cast ;"Il provino" * Soraya as Herself * Ivano Davoli as Davoli - Journalist ...

'' / ''The Three Faces of a Woman'', segment "Gli amanti celebri" (1965) *''

'' / ''Mademoiselle de Maupin'' (1966) *''

Le fate ''Sex Quartet'' (US title: ''The Queens'', it, Le fate, 'the fairies') is a 1966 Italian-French comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli, Mauro Bolognini, Antonio Pietrangeli and Luciano Salce. It starred Capucine, Claudia Cardinale, Monica Vitti ...

'' / ''The Queens'' / ''Sex Quartet'', segment "Fata Elena" (1966) *'' Le streghe'' / ''The Witches'', segment ''Senso civico'' (1967) *'' Le plus vieux métier du monde'' / ''The Oldest Profession'', segment "Nuits romaines" (1967) *''

Arabella ''Arabella'', Op. 79, is a lyric comedy, or opera, in three acts by Richard Strauss to a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, their sixth and last operatic collaboration. Performance history It was first performed on 1 July 1933 at the Dr ...

'' (1967) *''

Capriccio all'italiana ''Caprice Italian Style'' ( it, Capriccio all'italiana) is a 1968 Italian comedy film directed by six different directors, including Mario Monicelli and Pier Paolo Pasolini. The film starred both Totò and the comic duo Franco and Ciccio. Pl ...

'' / ''Caprice Italian Style'', segments "Perché?" and "La gelosia" (1968) *'' L'assoluto naturale'' / ''She and He'' (1969) * '' Un bellissimo novembre'' / ''That Splendid November'' (1969) *'' Metello'' (1970) *''

'' (1971) *''

Imputazione di omicidio per uno studente ''Chronicle of a Homicide'' ( it, Imputazione di omicidio per uno studente, also known as ''Italian Streetfighters'') is a 1972 Italian crime-drama film directed by Mauro Bolognini. Cast *Massimo Ranieri: Fabio Sola *Martin Balsam: Judge Aldo Sol ...

'' / ''Chronicle of a Homicide'' (1972) *'' Libera, amore mio...'' / ''Libera, My Love...'' (1973) *'' Fatti di gente perbene'' / ''The Murri Affair'' (1974) *'' Per le antiche scale'' / ''Down the Ancient Staircase'' (1975) *'' L'eredità Ferramonti'' / ''The Inheritance'' (1976) *''

Gran bollito ''Black Journal'' ( it, Gran bollito, lit=Large bollito) is a 1977 Italian black comedy film directed by Mauro Bolognini. It is loosely based on real-life serial killer Leonarda Cianciulli, who killed three women between 1939 and 1940, and turn ...

'' / ''Black Journal'' (1977) *'' Dove vai in vacanza?'' / ''Where Are You Going on Holiday?'', segment "Sarò tutta per te" (1978) *'' La storia vera della signora dalle camelie'' / ''La Dame aux camélias'' / ''The Lady of the Camellias'' (1980) *' / ''The Charterhouse of Parma'' (1981 - TV miniseries) *'' La Venexiana'' / ''The Venetian Woman'' (1986) *''

Mosca addio ''Farewell Moscow'' ( it, Mosca addio) is a 1987 Italian drama film directed by Mauro Bolognini. For this film Liv Ullmann was awarded with a David di Donatello for Best Actress. It is based on the life of Russian Jew Ida Nudel. Cast * Liv U ...

'' / ''Farewell Moscow'' (1987) *''

Imago urbis In biology, the imago ( Latin for "image") is the last stage an insect attains during its metamorphosis, its process of growth and development; it is also called the imaginal stage, the stage in which the insect attains maturity. It follows the ...

'' / ''Image of the City'' (1987) *' / ''A Time Of Indifference'' (1988 - TV miniseries) *' / ''12 Directors for 12 Cities'', segment "Palermo" (1989) *'' La villa del venerdì'' / ''Husband and Lovers'' (1992) *' / ''The Family Ricordi'' (1993 - TV miniseries)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bolognini, Mauro 1922 births 2001 deaths People from Pistoia Italian film directors David di Donatello Career Award winners