Mario Alberto Ettore Monicelli (; 16 May 1915 – 29 November 2010) was an Italian film director and screenwriter, one of the masters of the '' commedia all'italiana'' ("Italian-style comedy"). He was nominated six times for an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

, and received the Golden Lion for his career.

Biography

The early times

Monicelli was born in Rome to an upper-class family from Ostiglia,. a town in the province of Mantua, in the Northern Italian region of

Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...

. He was the second of the five children of Tomaso Monicelli, a journalist, and Maria Carreri, a housewife. His older half-brother, Giorgio (whose mother was actress Elisa Severi), worked as a writer and translator. An older brother, Franco, was a journalist. Monicelli was raised in Rome, Viareggio (Tuscany) and

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

.. He lived a mostly carefree youth. Many of the cinematic jokes he later shot in '' My Friends'' (1975) were inspired by his own experiences during his years in Tuscany. During his time at the university in Milan, Monicelli met Riccardo Freda, Remo Cantoni, Alberto Lattuada, Alberto Mondadori and Vittorio Sereni, with whom he founded the newspaper ''Camminare'', also thanks to the support of the publisher Mondadori. In ''Camminare'', Monicelli wrote the columns on film criticism. He tended to write critically about Italian films while praising American and French films. Monicelli later recounted that his non-nationalistic taste might have been a veiled form of anti-fascism. Indeed, the experience with ''Camminare'' did not last long in fascist Italy. The Ministry of Popular Culture soon shut the publication down because of its left-wing ideas. Monicelli later returned to Tuscany to complete his studies with the department of Literature and Philosophy of the University of Pisa. He delayed his graduation until he was drafted into the army. Monicelli later said: "dressing as a soldier was enough to get your degree; you didn't even need to write a dissertation, nor anything else ..That's how my graduation went, I even doubt the worth of my degree." In 1934 he shot his first cinematographic experiment, together with the then architecture student Alberto Lattuada who provided the scenography and Alberto Mondadori. Their short film, Cuore Rivelatore, was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's short story of the same name (The Tell-tale Heart). The three sent it to the Littorali national cultural festival, but it wasn't shown because it was branded as an example of "paranoid cinema".

Breakthrough

Always with his friend Alberto Mondadori, he released the silent film ''I ragazzi della Via Paal'' (an adaptation of the novel '' The Paul Street Boys''), which was an award-winner in the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...

. The award earned Monicelli the opportunity to work in the production of a professional film. He was therefore able to skip the various stages of professional training and was sent, together with Mondadori, to work as a camera assistant in the production of Gustav Machatý's film ''Ballerine''. After that he found work, as a camera assistant again, in

Augusto Genina Augusto Genina (28 January 1892 – 18 September 1957) was an Italian film pioneer. He was a movie producer and director. Biography Born in Rome, Genina was a drama critic and wrote comedies for the ''Il Mondo'' Magazine, under advise of Aldo ...

's film '' Lo squadrone bianco'' (1936) and '' The Castiglioni Brothers'' (1937) by Corrado D'Errico. There he met

Giacomo Gentilomo Giacomo Gentilomo (5 April 1909 – 16 April 2001) was an Italian film director and Painting, painter. Early life He was born in Trieste. Gentilomo moved to Rome at a young age. Career At 21 years old he entered the cinema industry, working ...

, who hired him as an assistant director and co-writer for ''

Short Circuit A short circuit (sometimes abbreviated to short or s/c) is an electrical circuit that allows a current to travel along an unintended path with no or very low electrical impedance. This results in an excessive current flowing through the circuit ...

'' (1943), considered as a possible precursor to the '' giallo'' genre. In 1937, under the pseudonym of Michele Badiek, he wrote and directed the amateur film '' Summer Rain'' (1937). The film was attended by many friends and fellow citizens. Monicelli said that this experience was important for his training, as he learned to From 1939 to 1942, he produced up to 40 numerous screenplays, and worked as an assistant director. In 1940 Monicelli enlisted in the

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

, hoping that this choice could avoid him being sent to

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

or to

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

. When the army broke up in 1943, he fled to Rome, where he remained hidden until the summer of 1944. In 1946 his father Tomaso committed suicide. Being a journalist and a literary critic, Tomaso Monicelli had dared to criticise the fascist regime, especially after the murder of Giacomo Matteotti in 1924. He was blacklisted and boycotted for his writings and endured a series of failures. Later on, Monicelli said he could understand his father's decision.Vanity Fair Italy, 7 June 2007, page 146

Comedy Italian style

Monicelli made his official debut as a director in 1949 along with Steno, with the film ''Totò cerca casa'', starring the comedy genius

Totò Antonio Griffo Focas Flavio Angelo Ducas Comneno Porfirogenito Gagliardi De Curtis di Bisanzio (15 February 1898 – 15 April 1967), best known by his stage name Totò (), or simply as Antonio de Curtis, and nicknamed ''il principe della risat ...

. From the very beginning of his career, Monicelli's cinematic style had a remarkable flow to it. The duo produced eight successful movies in four years, including the cult film '' Cops and Robbers'' (1951) and ''Totò a colori'' (1952). From 1953 onwards Monicelli worked alone, without leaving his role as a writer of screenplays. Monicelli's career includes some of the masterpieces of Italian cinema. In '' Big Deal on Madonna Street'' (1958), featuring the ubiquitous comedian Totò in a side role, he discovered the comical talent of

Vittorio Gassman Vittorio Gassman (; born Gassmann; 1 September 1922 – 29 June 2000), popularly known as , was an Italian actor, director, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the greatest Italian actors, whose career includes both important producti ...

and Marcello Mastroianni and probably started the new genre of the modern ("Italian-style comedy"). While better known in the English-speaking world under the title ''Big Deal on Madonna Street'', the actual translation from the Italian is "the usual unknown perpetrators" (closely resembling the famous line from ''

Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...

'': "Round up the usual suspects"). The film was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 31st Academy Awards. '' The Great War'' (1959), released one year later, is generally regarded as one of his most successful works, which rewarded Monicelli with a Golden Lion in the

, and an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nomination for the Best Foreign Film. The film featured the famous drama actor

, the Italian superstar of comedy, Alberto Sordi, and a star of Italian neorealism Silvana Mangano. It excelled in the absence of rhetorical accents and for its sharp, tragicomical sense of history while portraying the Italian victory in World War I. Among the difficulties encountered in the production of the films, those related to censorship were particularly strong. The film '' Toto and Carolina'' (1955) underwent three revisions, because according to the censors, the mere fact that the policeman was played by Totò was tantamount to pillorying the police. Monicelli received two more Academy Award nominations with '' I compagni'' (1963), a heartfelt homage to "humanitarian socialism" and '' The Girl with the Pistol'' (1968), which tackled the themes of bride kidnapping and honor killing, still relevant in the Southern-Italian culture of the time. '' L'armata Brancaleone'' (1966) is another masterpiece of Italian cinema. The film tells the tragicomic tale of a

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

Italian knight, with uncertain nobility and few means but high ideals, self-confidence and pomposity (Vittorio Gassman). The bizarre macaronic Latin-Italian dialogues were devised by Age & Scarpelli, the most renowned writers of Italian comedies, and represent a whole linguistic invention which was followed by ''

Brancaleone at the Crusades ''Brancaleone at the Crusades'' () is an Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli and released in 1970, the sequel to ''L'armata Brancaleone''. Plot The film starts where ''L'armata Brancaleone'' has ended. Brancaleone da Norcia leads the ...

'' (1970), and less successfully in ''

Bertoldo, Bertoldino e Cacasenno ''Bertoldo, Bertoldino e Cacasenno'' (internationally released as ''Bertoldo, Bertoldino, and Cascacenno'') is a 1984 Italy, Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli. It was filmed in Rome, Cappadocia, Marano Lagunare and Exilles. Plot s ...

'' (1984). '' My Friends'' (1975), featuring

Ugo Tognazzi Ottavio "Ugo" Tognazzi (23 March 1922 – 27 October 1990) was an Italian actor, director, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the most important faces of Italian comedy together with Vittorio Gassman, Nino Manfredi, Marcello Mastr ...

, Adolfo Celi, Gastone Moschin, Duilio Del Prete and Philippe Noiret, was one of the most successful films in Italy and confirmed Monicelli's genius in mixing humour, irony and bitter understanding of the human condition. The film was popular to the point that some lines are today turned into well-established idiomatic expressions ("''la supercazzola''"), and even a programming language ("''monicelli''") has been created using a syntax based on film quotes. His 1976 film '' Caro Michele'' (1976) won him the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 26th Berlin International Film Festival. Dramatic accents were predominant in the '' An Average Little Man'' (1977), featuring Alberto Sordi for his first complete dramatic role. Here Monicelli's pessimism takes over: the transformation of Italian society was such that it was no longer possible to laugh, believe or hope. This is why it is considered by many critics to be the film that brings the season of Italian-style comedy to a close.

Final years

He turned again to more cheerful comedy and attention to historical events from a popular, intimate point of view with '' Il Marchese del Grillo'' (1981), also featuring Alberto Sordi at his best. The film was awarded Monicelli's third Silver Bear for Best Director award at the 32nd Berlin International Film Festival. '' The Rogues'' (1987) was also a historical parody set during

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

. Among the final works by Monicelli are '' Let's Hope It's a Girl'' (1986), '' Parenti serpenti'' (1992) and '' Dear Goddamned Friends'' (1994), featuring Paolo Hendel. The latter won an Honourable Mention at the 44th Berlin International Film Festival. His 1999 film '' Dirty Linen'' was entered into the 21st Moscow International Film Festival. His last

feature film A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...

was '' The Roses of the Desert'' (2006), which he directed when he was 91 years old. In 1991 he received the Golden Lion for Career of the

. A documentary made by Roberto Salinas and Marina Catucci, ''Una storia da ridere, breve biografia di Mario Monicelli'', appeared in 2008.

Death

At the age of 90, Monicelli decided to go and live on his own, in order to remain self-sufficient and survive to

ageing Ageing (or aging in American English) is the process of becoming older until death. The term refers mainly to humans, many other animals, and fungi; whereas for example, bacteria, perennial plants and some simple animals are potentially biol ...

for a longer time. He died on 29 November 2010 at the age of 95. He killed himself by jumping from a window of the San Giovanni Hospital in Rome, where he had been admitted a few days earlier for

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is the neoplasm, uncontrolled growth of cells in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system below the bladder. Abnormal growth of the prostate tissue is usually detected through Screening (medicine), screening tests, ...

in the terminal stage. He had two daughters, Martina (1967) and Ottavia (1974), from Antonella Salerni. He had a third daughter, Rosa (1988), from his last companion Chiara Rapaccini. He was an outspoken atheist.

Filmography

Director

* '' The Paul Street Boys'' (with Alberto Mondadori, 1935) * '' Summer Rain'' (1937) * '' Toto Looks for a House'' (with Steno, 1949) * '' A Night of Fame'' (1949, with Steno) * '' A Dog's Life'' (with Steno, 1950) * '' The Knight Has Arrived!'' (with Steno, 1950) * '' Cops and Robbers'' (with Steno, 1951) * '' Toto and the King of Rome'' (with Steno, 1952) * '' Toto and the Women'' (with Steno, 1952) * '' The Unfaithfuls'' (with Steno, 1953) * '' Proibito'' (1954) * '' A Hero of Our Times'' (1955) * '' Toto and Carolina'' (1955) * '' Donatella'' (1956) * '' Doctor and the Healer'' (1957) * '' Fathers and Sons'' (1957) * '' Big Deal on Madonna Street'' (1958) * '' The Great War'' (1959) * '' The Passionate Thief'' (1960) * ''

Boccaccio '70 ''Boccaccio '70'' is a 1962 comedy anthology film directed by Vittorio De Sica, Federico Fellini, Mario Monicelli and Luchino Visconti from an idea by Cesare Zavattini. It consists of four episodes, each by one of the directors, all about ...

'' (1962 – segment "Renzo and Luciana") * ''

The Organizer ''The Organizer'' ("''I compagni''" literally translates into "''The Comrades''.") is a 1963 Italian-French-Yugoslavian-produced drama film written by Mario Monicelli and Age & Scarpelli, and directed by Mario Monicelli. Set in Turin at the end ...

'' (1963) * '' High Infidelity'' (1964, with

Luciano Salce Luciano Salce (25 September 1922 – 17 December 1989) was an Italian film director, comedian, television host, producer, actor and lyricist. His 1962 film ''Le pillole di Ercole'' was shown as part of a retrospective on Italian comedy at the ...

, Elio Petri and Franco Rossi) * '' Casanova '70'' (1965) * '' Sex Quartet'' (1966 –, with Mauro Bolognini, Antonio Pietrangeli and Luciano Salce) * '' L'armata Brancaleone'' (1966) * '' The Girl with the Pistol'' (1968) * '' Caprice Italian Style'' (1968, with Mauro Bolognini, Steno, Pino Zac,

Pier Paolo Pasolini Pier Paolo Pasolini (; 5 March 1922 – 2 November 1975) was an Italian poet, film director, writer, actor and playwright. He is considered one of the defining public intellectuals in 20th-century Italian history, influential both as an artist ...

and Franco Rossi) * ''

Oh, Grandmother's Dead ''Oh, Grandmother's Dead'' () is a 1969 Italian black comedy film, directed by Mario Monicelli and starring Sergio Tofano. Plot Cast * Sirena Adgemova as Sparta * Carole André as Claretta * Wanda Capodaglio as Adelaide Ghia, the grandmot ...

'' (1969) * ''

'' (1970) * '' Le coppie'' (1971, with Alberto Sordi and Vittorio De Sica) * '' Lady Liberty'' (1971) * '' We Want the Colonels'' (1973) * '' Come Home and Meet My Wife'' (1974) * '' My Friends'' (1975) * '' Caro Michele'' (1976) * '' Goodnight, Ladies and Gentlemen'' (1976, with

Luigi Comencini Luigi Comencini (; 8 June 1916 – 6 April 2007) was an Italian film director. Together with Dino Risi, Ettore Scola, and Mario Monicelli, he was considered among the masters of the "commedia all'italiana" genre. His daughters Cristina Comencin ...

Nanni Loy Nanni Loy (born Giovanni Loi; 23 October 1925 – 21 August 1995) was an Italian film, theatre and TV director. Specifically, Nanni Loy was Sardinian people, Sardinian, and one of several notable Sardinian film makers, including Franco Solin ...

, Luigi Magni and

Ettore Scola Ettore Scola (; 10 May 1931 – 19 January 2016) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He received a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film in 1978 for his film ''A Special Day'' and over ...

) * '' An Average Little Man'' (1977) * '' Viva Italia!'' (1977, with

Dino Risi Dino Risi (23 December 1916 – 7 June 2008) was an Italian film director. With Mario Monicelli, Luigi Comencini, Nanni Loy, and Ettore Scola, he was one of the masters of ''commedia all'italiana''. Biography Risi was born in Milan. He had an ...

and

) * '' Lovers and Liars'' (1979) * '' Hurricane Rosy'' (1979) * '' Camera d'albergo'' (1981) * '' Il marchese del Grillo'' (1981) * '' All My Friends Part 2'' (1982) * ''

'' (1984) * '' The Two Lives of Mattia Pascal'' (1985) * '' Let's Hope It's a Girl'' (1986) * '' The Rogues'' (1987) * '' La moglie ingenua e il marito malato'' (1989) * '' 12 registi per 12 città'' (1989, documentary. Segment "Verona") * '' Dark Illness'' (1990) * '' Rossini! Rossini!'' (1991) * '' Parenti serpenti'' (1992) * '' Dear Goddamned Friends'' (1994) * '' Facciamo paradiso'' (1995) * '' Esercizi di stile'' (1996 – segment ''Idillio edile'') * '' Topi di appartamento'' (1997, short) * '' Dirty Linen'' (1999) * '' Un amico magico: il maestro Nino Rota'' (1999, documentary) * '' Come quando fuori piove'' (2000, TV mini series) * '' Un altro mondo è possibile'' (2001, documentary) * '' Lettere dalla Palestina'' (2002, documentary) * '' Firenze, il nostro domani'' (2003, documentary) * '' The Roses of the Desert'' (2006)

Screenplays

* '' The Paul Street Boys'' (1935) * '' Summer Rain'' (1937) * '' La granduchessa si diverte'' (1940) * '' Thrill'' (1941) * '' The Lady Is Fickle'' (1942) * ''

'' (1943) * '' Fear no Evil'' (1945) * '' Black Eagle'' (1946) * '' The Opium Den'' (1947) * '' Lost Youth'' (1947) * '' The Captain's Daughter'' (1947) * '' The Courier of the King'' (1947) * '' Mad About Opera'' (1948) * '' Les Misérables'' (1948) * '' L'ebreo errante'' (1948) * '' The Mysterious Rider'' (1948) * '' Accidenti alla guerra!'' (1948) * '' Double Cross'' (1949) * '' A Night of Fame'' (1949) * '' Toto Looks for a House'' (1949) * '' The Wolf of the Sila'' (1949) * '' The Iron Swordsman'' (1949) * '' Her Favourite Husband'' (1950) * '' A Dog's Life'' (1950) * '' Soho Conspiracy'' (1950) * '' The Elusive Twelve'' (1950) * '' The Knight Has Arrived!'' (1950) * '' Il brigante Musolino'' (1950) * '' I'm in the Revue'' (1950) * '' Cops and Robbers'' (1951) * '' Tizio, Caio, Sempronio'' (1951) * '' It's Love That's Ruining Me'' (1951) * '' The Ungrateful Heart'' (1951) * '' Accidents to the Taxes!!'' (1951) * '' Appointment for Murder'' (1951) * '' Toto and the King of Rome'' (1952) * '' Sardinian Vendetta'' (1952) * '' Toto and the Women'' (1952) * '' Toto in Color'' (1952) * '' Perdonami!'' (1952) * '' Five Paupers in an Automobile'' (1952) * '' Cats and Dogs'' (1952) * '' Neapolitan Turk'' (1953) * '' Funniest Show on Earth'' (1953) * '' The Unfaithfuls'' (1953) * '' Fatal Desire'' (1953) * ''

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for List of compositions by Giuseppe Verdi, his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma ...

'' (1953) * '' Guai ai vinti'' (1954) * '' Proibito'' (1954) * '' A Hero of Our Times'' (1955) * '' Toto and Carolina'' (1955) * '' Donatella'' (1956) * '' Doctor and the Healer'' (1957) * '' Fathers and Sons'' (1957) * '' Big Deal on Madonna Street'' (1958) * '' The Great War'' (1959) * '' The Passionate Thief'' (1960) * '' On the Tiger's Back'' (1961) * ''

'' (1962 – segment "Renzo e Luciana") * '' Shivers in Summer'' (1963) * ''

'' (1963) * '' Casanova 70'' (1965) * '' I nostri mariti'' (1966 – segment "Il marito di Olga") * '' L'armata Brancaleone'' (1966) * '' The Girl with the Pistol'' (1968) * ''

'' (1969) * ''

'' (1970) * '' We Want the Colonels'' (1973) * '' Black Journal'' (1977) * '' My Friends'' (1975) * '' An Average Little Man'' (1977) * '' Hurricane Rosy'' (1979) * '' Camera d'albergo'' (1981) * '' Il marchese del Grillo'' (1981) * '' All My Friends Part 2'' (1982) * ''

'' (1984) * '' The Two Lives of Mattia Pascal'' (1985) * '' Let's Hope It's a Girl'' (1986) * '' The Rogues'' (1987) * '' Dark Illness'' (1990) * '' Rossini! Rossini!'' (1991) * '' Parenti serpenti'' (1992) * '' Dear Goddamned Friends'' (1994) * '' Facciamo paradiso'' (1995) * '' Dirty Linen'' (1999) * '' Un amico magico: il maestro Nino Rota'' (1999, documentary) * '' Come quando fuori piove'' (2000, TV mini series) * '' The Roses of the Desert'' (2006)

Actor

* '' Rue du Pied de Grue'' (1979) * ''

I'm Photogenic ''I'm Photogenic'' () is a 1980 Italian comedy film directed by Dino Risi. It was screened out of competition at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival. Plot Italy, early 1980s. Antonio Barozzi (Renato Pozzetto), an aspiring actor, goes to the film stud ...

'', directed by

(1980) * '' The Cyclone'', directed by Leonardo Pieraccioni (1996, voice) * '' Under the Tuscan Sun'' (2003)

References

External links

* *
Presentation of the documentary ''Monicelli, Mario's Version''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monicelli, Mario 1915 births 2010 deaths 2010 suicides Writers from Rome Film people from Rome Italian film directors Italian comedy film directors Italian screenwriters Italian male screenwriters Italian atheists Directors of Golden Lion winners Silver Bear for Best Director recipients Italian communists Suicides by jumping in Italy David di Donatello winners David di Donatello Career Award winners Nastro d'Argento winners Ciak d'oro winners Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement recipients