''Cronaca nera'' (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

for ''Black news'') is a 1947 Italian

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combi ...

directed by Giorgio Bianchi and starring

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 ...

Gino Cervi Luigi Cervi (3 May 1901 – 3 January 1974), better known as Gino Cervi (), was an Italian actor. He was best known for portraying Peppone in a series of comedies based on the character ''Don Camillo'' (1952-1965), and police detective Jule ...

and

Andrea Checchi Andrea Checchi (21 October 1916 – 29 March 1974) was a prolific Italian film actor. Biography Born in Florence, Checchi appeared in over 150 films in his lengthy career, which spanned from 1934 to his death in 1974. The son of a painter, ...

. The title refers to the section given over to crime stories in Italian newspapers.

Plot synopsis

mob boss A crime boss, also known as a crime lord, Don, gang lord, gang boss, mob boss, kingpin, godfather, crime mentor or criminal mastermind, is a person in charge of a criminal organization. Description A crime boss typically has absolute or nearl ...

(Gino Cervi) wanted by the police takes refuge at the home of his unsuspecting associate's (Andrea Checchi) honest family, aiming to regroup his gang again when the time is right. In the process, he falls in love with his associate’s sister (María Denis) and decides to go straight.

Critical reception

On the occasion of ''Cronaca neras 2015 showing on Harvard's film program, the film was described as " neorealist cinema itself" and as "exemplifying the

fatalism Fatalism is a family of related philosophical doctrines that stress the subjugation of all events or actions to fate or destiny, and is commonly associated with the consequent attitude of resignation in the face of future events which are thou ...

associated with noir" in "films such as ''

Ossessione ''Ossessione'' (, English: ''Obsession'') is a 1943 Italian film based on the 1934 novel '' The Postman Always Rings Twice'' by James M. Cain. Luchino Visconti’s first feature film, it is considered by many to be the first Italian neorealist ...

'' (1943)." The program also noted that "among the film’s

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. ...

s are

Sergio Amidei Sergio Amidei (30 October 1904 – 14 April 1981) was an Italian screenwriter and an important figure in Italy's neorealist movement. Amidei was born in Trieste. He worked with famed Italian directors such as Roberto Rossellini and Vittorio ...

and

Cesare Zavattini Cesare Zavattini (20 September 1902 – 13 October 1989) was an Italian screenwriter and one of the first theorists and proponents of the Neorealist movement in Italian cinema. Biography Born in Luzzara near Reggio Emilia in northern Italy, ...

, who between them worked on most of the postwar masterpieces by

Rossellini Rossellini is a common Italian surname. Other spellings include: Rosselini. Rossellini may refer to: * Roberto Rossellini, Italian film director ** Renzo Rossellini, producer, son of Roberto ** Isabella Rossellini, actress, daughter of Roberto ** ...

and de Sica."

Cast

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 ...

Luigi Almirante Luigi Almirante (30 September 1884 – 6 May 1963) was an Italian stage and film actor. He appeared in 62 films between 1921 and 1955. Life and career The son of a stage actor, Almirante was born in Tunis, where the theatrical company of ...

* Manoel Roero *

Renato Chiantoni Renato Chiantoni (19 April 1906 – 24 December 1979) was an Italian actor. He appeared in 100 films between 1937 and 1978. Born in Brescia, the son of the stage actor Amedeo, Chiantoni debuted on stage entering several drama and revue comp ...

* Marisa Vernati * Giannina Chiantoni * Jucci Kellerman *

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 19 ...

* Armando Guarnieri

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0038437 1947 crime films Italian crime films 1947 films 1940s Italian-language films Films directed by Giorgio Bianchi Italian black-and-white films Films scored by Alessandro Cicognini 1940s Italian films