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, p ...

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 (), li ...

, noted for his development of the neorealist and

commedia all'Italiana Commedia all'italiana (, pl. Commedie all'italiana, "Comedy in the Italian way") or Italian-style comedy is an Italian film genre born in Italy in the 1950s and developed in the 1960s and 1970s. It is widely considered to have started with Mari ...

genres. His 1961 film ''

Divorce Italian Style ''Divorce Italian Style'' ( it, Divorzio all'italiana) is a 1961 Italian dark comedy film directed by Pietro Germi. The screenplay is by Germi, Ennio De Concini, Alfredo Giannetti, and Agenore Incrocci, based on Giovanni Arpino's novel '' Un de ...

'' earned him a

Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best Story. Beginning with the ...

Oscar and a

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BA ...

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 o ...

, with his 1966 comedy ''

The Birds, the Bees and the Italians ''The Birds, the Bees and the Italians'' is a 1966 Italian film directed by Pietro Germi. Its original Italian title is ''Signore & Signori'', which means 'Ladies and Gentlemen'. The anthology film is a sex comedy that presents three storylines, ...

'' winning the

Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

Biography

He studied acting and directing at Rome's

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 ...

. 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 Italian neorealism ( it, Neorealismo), also known as the Golden Age, is a national film movement characterized by stories set amongst the poor and the working class. They are filmed on location, frequently with non-professional actors. They pri ...

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 ''

'', '' Seduced and Abandoned'', and ''

''. 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 pa ...

on 5 December 1974.

Selected filmography

Writer

*'' Backstage'' (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 ''Lost Youth'' ( it, Gioventù perduta) is a 1948 Italian-language drama film directed by Pietro Germi. The style of the film is close to the Italian neorealism film movement. It was remade in 1953 as the British film '' Black 13''. Two im ...

'' (1947) *'' In the Name of the Law'' (1948) *''

Path of Hope A path is a route for physical travel – see Trail. Path or PATH may also refer to: Physical paths of different types * Bicycle path * Bridle path, used by people on horseback * Course (navigation), the intended path of a vehicle * Desire p ...

'' (1950) *'' Against the Law'' (1950) *''

Four Ways Out ''Four Ways Out'' ( it, La città si difende) is a 1951 Italian crime film directed by Pietro Germi and starring Gina Lollobrigida, Renato Baldini and Cosetta Greco. The film won the award for Best Italian Film at the 1951 Venice Film Festival. ...

'' (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 * L ...

'' (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 banditr ...

'' (1952) *''

Jealousy Jealousy generally refers to the thoughts or feelings of insecurity, fear, and concern over a relative lack of possessions or safety. Jealousy can consist of one or more emotions such as anger, resentment, inadequacy, helplessness or disgust. ...

'' (1953) *''

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

'' (1953, episode 2) *''

The Railroad Man ''The Railroad Man'' ( it, Il Ferroviere) is a 1956 Italian drama film directed by Pietro Germi. Plot Train operator Andrea Marcocci witnesses the suicide of a desperate man who jumps in front of his train. Under the influence of this shock, ...

'' (1956) *'' L'uomo di paglia'' (1957) *''

'' (1961) *'' Seduced and Abandoned'' (1963) *''

'' (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 s ...

'' (1970) *''

Alfredo, Alfredo ''Alfredo, Alfredo'' is a 1972 Italian award-winning comedy film co-written and directed by Pietro Germi. Plot The film, told mostly in flashback, tells the story of a timid bank clerk (Dustin Hoffman) living in Ascoli Piceno (Italian town ...

'' (1972)

Actor

*''

The Fornaretto of Venice ''The Fornaretto of Venice'' (Italian: ''Il fornaretto di Venezia'') is a 1939 Italian historical drama film directed by Duilio Coletti and starring Roberto Villa, Elsa De Giorgi and Clara Calamai.Forgacs & Gundle p.162 It is an adaptation of the ...

'' (1939) - Frate domenicano *''Montecassino'' (1946) *'' Escape to France'' (1948) - Tembien *''

'' (1956) - Andrea Marcocci *''

A Man of Straw ''A Man of Straw'' ( it, L'uomo di paglia) is a 1958 Italian drama film directed by Pietro Germi. It was entered into the 1958 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * Pietro Germi - Andrea * Franca Bettoia - Rita * Luisa Della Noce - Luisa * Edoardo Nevo ...

'' (1958) - Andrea *'' The Facts of Murder'' (1959) - Il Dott. Ingravallo *''

Five Branded Women ''Five Branded Women'' is a 1960 Italian-American film directed by Martin Ritt (his only war film) and produced by Dino De Laurentiis. It features an international cast including Silvana Mangano, Barbara Bel Geddes, Jeanne Moreau and Vera Miles. T ...

'' (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 back to ...

'' (1960) - Commissario Fioresi *''Il sicario'' (1961) *'' The Lovemakers'' (1961) - Stefano *'' A Man Named John'' (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