''Little Lady'' () is a 1949 Italian

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Mario Mattoli Mario Mattoli (; 30 November 1898 – 26 February 1980) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 86 films between 1934 and 1966. His 1939 film ''Defendant, Stand Up!'' was shown as part of a retrospective on Italian comed ...

and starring Gino Bechi,

Antonella Lualdi Antonella Lualdi (born Antonietta de Pascale, 6 July 1931 – 10 August 2023) was an Italian actress and singer. She appeared in many Italian and French films in the 1950s and 1960s, notably in Claude Autant-Lara's film ''The Red and the Black'' ...

and

Aroldo Tieri Aroldo Tieri (28 August 1917 – 28 December 2006) was an Italian actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1939 and 1969. Life and career Born in Corigliano Calabro, province of Cosenza, son of the journalist and playwright Vincen ...

. It was shot at the Farnesina Studios in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

and on location around Introdacqua in

L'Aquila L'Aquila ( ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy. It is the capital city of the Province of L'Aquila and the Abruzzo region in Italy. , it has a population of 69,902. Laid out within medieval walls on a hill in the wide valley of the A ...

. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

Mario Rappini. It earned around 66 million

lira Lira is the name of several currency units. It is the current Turkish lira, currency of Turkey and also the local name of the Lebanese pound, currencies of Lebanon and of Syrian pound, Syria. It is also the name of several former currencies, ...

at the box office.Chiti & Poppi p.338

Plot

Two young steal a car and drive up into the hills of

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, ; ; , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; ), historically also known as Abruzzi, is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy with an area of 10,763 square km (4,156 sq mi) and a population of 1.3 million. It is divided into four ...

. There they are mistaken by the inhabitants of a town as the wealthy cousins of a young woman who lives there Maria.

Cast

* Gino Bechi as Don Cesare Balestri *

as Maria Censi *

as Un ladro *

Ave Ninchi Ave Maria Ninchi (; 14 December 1914 – 10 November 1997) was an Italian supporting actress who played character roles on stage, television, and in over 98 feature films that included '' Tomorrow Is Too Late'' (1949) and Louis Malle's '' M ...

as Iris *

Aldo Silvani Aldo Silvani (21 January 1891 – 12 November 1964) was an Italian stage, film and voice actor. He appeared in more than 110 films between 1934 and 1964. Selected filmography * ''Cardinal Lambertini (1934 film), Cardinal Lambertini'' (1934) * ...

as Ernesto De Blasi * Dina Sassoli as Carmela *

Vinicio Sofia Vinicio Sofia (13 November 1907 – 30 December 1982) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Born in Corleone in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, Sofia began his career on screen in 1933 when he made his film debut in ''Black Shir ...

as Modesto Rinaldi * Ughetto Bertucci as Un ladro *

Aldo Bufi Landi Aldo Bufi Landi (7 April 1923 – 2 February 2016) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1947 and 2013. Selected filmography * ''Malaspina (film), Malaspina'' (1947) * ''Madunnella'' (1948) * ''Assunta Spina ...

as Bruno de Blasi *

Ada Dondini Ada Dondini (18 March 1883 – 3 January 1958) was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 48 films between 1916 and 1954. Selected filmography * '' The Charmer'' (1931) * '' Just Married'' (1934) * '' Mr. Desire'' (1934) * '' I Love You ...

as Cesira, la governante *

Enzo Garinei Enzo Garinei (4 May 1926 – 25 August 2022) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in nearly 80 films since 1949. He was also a professional voice artist, best remembered as the Italian voice of Sherman Hemsley in the American sitcom ''The Je ...

as Assistante del notaio * Inga Gort as Monica *

Enrico Viarisio Enrico Viarisio (3 December 1897 – 1 November 1967) was an Italian theatre and cinema actor. Biography Equipped of a fine and elegant humour, Viarisio was discovered by actress Paola Pezzaglia, who cast him at 19 as "brillante" in her own the ...

as Comm. Gegé Lapicella

References

Bibliography

* Aprà, Adriano. ''The Fabulous Thirties: Italian cinema 1929-1944''. Electa International, 1979. * Chiti, Roberto & Poppi, Roberto. ''Dizionario del cinema italiano: Dal 1945 al 1959''. Gremese Editore, 1991.

External links

* 1949 films 1949 comedy films Italian comedy films 1940s Italian-language films Italian black-and-white films Films directed by Mario Mattoli 1940s Italian films {{1940s-Italy-comedy-film-stub