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The Last Judgment (1961 Film)
''The Last Judgment'' () is a 1961 commedia all'italiana film by Italian director Vittorio De Sica. It was coproduced with France. It has an all-star Italian and international cast, including Americans Jack Palance and Ernest Borgnine, Greek Melina Mercouri, and French Fernandel, Anouk Aimée and Lino Ventura. The film was a huge flop, massacred by critics and audiences when it was released. It was filmed in black and white, but the last sequence, the dance at theatre, is in color. Plot At the morning of a normal day of a Naples that begins to hear complex and not always positive effects of the economic boom, a stentorian voice (Nicola Rossi-Lemeni) which seems to come down from heaven announces that "At 18 begins the Last Judgement!". The announcement is repeated with increasing insistence, first treated with disdain and then more and more frightening. The plot is fragmented into a series of scenarios and stories intertwined: the preparation of the great ball of the Duke ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vittorio De Sica
Vittorio De Sica ( , ; 7 July 1901 – 13 November 1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement. Widely considered one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, four of the films he directed won Academy Awards: '' Sciuscià'' and '' Bicycle Thieves'' (honorary), while '' Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow'', and '' Il giardino dei Finzi Contini'' won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Indeed, the great critical success of ''Sciuscià'' (the first foreign film to be so recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) and ''Bicycle Thieves'' helped establish the permanent Best Foreign Film Award. These two films are considered part of the canon of classic cinema. ''Bicycle Thieves'' was deemed the greatest film of all time by '' Sight & Sound'' magazine's poll of filmmakers and critics in 1952, and was cited by Turner Classic Movies as one of the 15 most influential films in cinema history ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Silvana Mangano
Silvana Mangano (; 21 April 1930 – 16 December 1989) was an Italian film actress. She was one of a generation of thespians who arose from the neorealist movement, and went on to become a major female star, regarded as a sex symbol for the 1950s and '60s. She won the David di Donatello for Best Actress three times – for '' The Verona Trial'' (1963), ''The Witches'' (1967), and '' The Scientific Cardplayer'' (1972) – and the Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress twice. Raised in poverty during World War II, Mangano trained as a dancer and worked as a model before winning a Miss Rome beauty pageant in 1946. This led to work in films; she achieved success in '' Bitter Rice'' (1949) and went on to forge a successful career in films, working with many notable directors like Pier Paolo Pasolini, Luchino Visconti, Alberto Lattuada, and Vittorio De Sica. Her career continued well into her 50s, with supporting roles in David Lynch's ''Dune'' (1984) and Nikita Mikhalkov ''Dark Eyes' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alberto Bonucci
Alberto Bonucci (; 19 May 1918 – 5 April 1969) was an Italian film actor and director. He appeared in 53 films between 1950 and 1967. Partial filmography * ''Variety Lights'' (1950) - Night Club Comic * ''Fugitive in Trieste'' (1951) * ''Toto in Color'' (1952) - Il regista russo * ''It Happened in the Park'' (1953) - Il presentatore del concorso di bellezza (segment: Concorso di bellezza) * ''Neapolitan Carousel'' (1954) - Lyricist #1 * ''The Contessa's Secret'' (1954) - Castiglione * ''La moglie è uguale per tutti'' (1955) - Leopoldo Rossi * ''Les Hussards'' (1955) - Raphaël * ''The Best Part (film), The Best Part'' (1955) - Antoine * ''Lo svitato'' (1956) - Un vigile urbano * ''Susanna tutta panna'' (1957) - Massimo * ''Femmine tre volte'' (1957) - Santucci * ''Ladro lui, ladra lei'' (1958) - Dottor Valletti * ''Promesse di marinaio'' (1958) - Giulio * ''Il terrore dell'Oklahoma'' (1959) - Benny * ''Roulotte e roulette'' (1959) - Alberto * ''Il Mattatore'' (1960) - Gloria ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maria Pia Casilio
Maria Pia Casilio (5 May 1935 – 10 April 2012) was an Italian film actress, best known for major roles in ''Umberto D.'' and ''An American in Rome''. Born in San Pio delle Camere, L'Aquila, Casilio was quite active between 1952 and 1960, usually filling roles as a querulous and naive small-town girl. After her marriage with voice actor Giuseppe Rinaldi, she semi-retired from acting. On the Criterion Collection DVD release of ''Umberto D.'' Vittorio De Sica comments she was a lucky charm to have her in his films. Partial filmography * ''Umberto D.'' (1952) - Maria * ''Half a Century of Song'' (1952) * ''Siamo tutti inquilini'' (1953) - Una cameriera * ''Terminal Station (film), Terminal Station'' (1953) - Young bride from Abruzzo (uncredited) * ''Il viale della speranza'' (1953) - Concettine * ''Thérèse Raquin (1953 film), Therese Raquin'' (1953) - Georgette, la bonne * ''La valigia dei sogni'' (1953) - Mariannina * ''Bread, Love and Dreams'' (1953) - Paoletta * ''Angels ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Akim Tamiroff
Akim Mikhailovich Tamiroff (born Hovakim Tamiryants; October 29, 1899 – September 17, 1972) was an Armenian-American actor of film, stage, and television. One of the premier character actors of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tamiroff developed a prolific career despite his thick accent, appearing in at least 80 motion pictures over a span of 37 years. He was nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in ''The General Died at Dawn'' (1936) and '' For Whom the Bell Tolls'' (1943), winning the first ever Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for the latter. Orson Welles, a friend and oft-collaborator, praised him as "the greatest of all screen actors." Early life and education Tamiroff was born Hovakim Tamiryants () to Armenian parents living in the Russian Empire. Different sources cite either Tiflis (in modern-day Georgia) or Baku (in modern-day Azerbaijan) as his places of birth. His father was an oil worker, and his mother a seamst ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mike Bongiorno
Michael Nicholas Salvatore Bongiorno (; May 26, 1924 – September 8, 2009) was an American Italian television presenter. After a few experiences in the U.S., he started working on RAI in the 1950s and was considered to be the most popular host in Italy. He was also known by the nickname ''il Re del Quiz'' ('The Quiz King'), and the peculiarity of starting all his shows with his trademark greeting: ''Allegria!'' ('Cheers!', 'Joy!'). Early years Bongiorno was born in New York City to parents of Italian descent. He moved to Turin (his mother's native city), when he was young. His father was a Sicilian-American lawyer. During World War II, he abandoned his studies and joined a group of Italian partisans. He was captured and spent seven months in the San Vittore Prison in Milan and was then deported to a German concentration camp. He was liberated before the end of the war due to an exchange of war prisoners between the United States and Germany. He returned to New York and in 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marisa Merlini
Marisa Merlini (6 August 1923 – 27 July 2008) was an Italian character actress active in Italy's post-World War II cinema. Merlini appeared in over fifty films during her career, which spanned from World War II to 2005. In Luigi Comencini's 1953 film '' Pane, amore e fantasia'', she portrayed Annarella, a village midwife, who marries the local police marshal, played by Vittorio De Sica. Biography A native of Rome, where she was born on 6 August 1923, Merlini was well known for playing the ''romana verace'', or "born-and-bred Roman" characters. Merlini also appeared in several high-profile comedic films alongside Italian actor, Totò, as well as the 1960 film '' Il vigile'' with actor Alberto Sordi. Additionally, Merlini appeared in a number of films opposite her real life friend, Italian actress Anna Magnani. Merlini's awards included the Nastro d'Argento (Silver Ribbon), a film critics' award in 1957 for portraying a tourist in the 1956 Antonio Racioppi directed film, '' Te ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Domenico Modugno
Domenico Modugno (; 9 January 1928 – 6 August 1994) was an Italian singer, actor and, later in life, a member of the Italian Parliament. He is known for his 1958 international hit song " Nel blu dipinto di blu", for which he received the first Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. He is considered the first Italian cantautore.Domenico Modugno: biography Early life The youngest of four children, Modugno was born at Polignano a Mare, in the province of Bari ( |
Ciccio Ingrassia
Francesco "Ciccio" Ingrassia (5 October 1922 – 28 April 2003) was an Italian actor, comedian and film director. He was born in Palermo, Sicily, and began his career in the 1950s, although his career only really took off in the 1960s. He starred in many comedies, mainly appearing together with Franco Franchi as the comedy duo Franco and Ciccio. During the 1980s he also did television work. In the 1966 film '' Due Marines e un Generale'' (released internationally as ''War Italian Style''), Franco and Ciccio worked with Buster Keaton. The comedy duo Franco & Ciccio In 1959, Franco Franchi finally settled a contract with his friend Ciccio Ingrassia to start a brilliant career in the theater. From 1961 until the end in 1992, the two friends will be the most famous comedy duo in Italy. In fact, the secret of their success is the creation of two Sicilian buffoons characters, charlatans and extremely messy, very similar to those of Totò and Peppino De Filippo, or Laurel and Har ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Franco Franchi
Francesco Benenato (18 September 1928 – 9 December 1992), known as Franco Franchi, was an Italian actor, comedian and singer. He was born in Palermo, Sicily and began his career in the 1950s, although his career only really took off in the 1960s. He starred in many comedies, mainly appearing together with Ciccio Ingrassia as the comedy duo Franco and Ciccio, but also in more dramatic material such as Luigi Comencini's ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' (1972, TV miniseries also edited into a theatrical film) as the Cat (Franco) the Fox (Ingrassia). In the film '' War Italian Style'' (1966), the pair worked with Buster Keaton in one of his last roles. The comedy duo Franco and Ciccio In 1959, Franco Franchi settled a contract with his friend Ciccio Ingrassia which started up a brilliant theater career. From 1961 to Franco's death in 1992, they will be one of Italy's most famous comedy duo. Their success is based on a format similar to that of Totò and Peppino De Filippo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jimmy Durante
James Francis Durante ( , ; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side New York accent, accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and prominent nose helped make him one of the United States' most familiar and popular personalities of the 1920s through the 1970s. He often referred to his nose as ''the schnozzola'' (Italianization of the American Yiddish slang word ''schnoz'', meaning "big nose"), and the word became his nickname. Early life Childhood Durante was born on the Lower East Side of New York City. He was the youngest of four children born to Rosa (née Lentino) and Bartolomeo Durante, both immigrants from Salerno, Campania, Italy. Bartolomeo was a barber. Durante served as an Altar server#Altar servers in the Catholic Church, altar boy at St. Malachy Roman Catholic Church, known as the Actor's Chapel. Early career Durante dropped out of school in seven ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eleonora Brown
Eleonora Brown (born August 22, 1948, in Naples) is an Italian film actress. Her first, and perhaps biggest, role was at age twelve as the daughter of Sophia Loren's character in '' Two Women'' (1960). Career Brown's primary acting role was in '' Two Women''. In an interview about the movie, Brown stated that Sophia Loren, who played her mother, protected her from some of the underlying implications of the rape scene in the film. She also said that director Vittorio De Sica brought her to tears for the climactic final scene (upon hearing that the character played by Jean-Paul Belmondo had died) by saying that a telegram had arrived saying that Brown's parents had died in an accident. Brown appeared in a few other films in the 1960s, including ''The Sailor from Gibraltar'', '' The Tiger and the Pussycat'' and '' Cuore matto... matto da legare'', before choosing to retire from acting at age 19, after her appearance in '' The Young, the Evil, and the Savage'' (1968). Brown later ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
