Mauro Bolognini (28 June 1922 – 14 May 2001) was an Italian film and stage director.

Early years

Bolognini was born in

Pistoia Pistoia (; ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of a province of the same name, located about north-west of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno. It is a typic ...

, in the

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

region of Italy. After earning a master's degree in architecture at the

University of Florence The University of Florence ( Italian: ''Università degli Studi di Firenze'') (in acronym UNIFI) is an Italian public research university located in Florence, Italy. It comprises 12 schools and has around 50,000 students enrolled. History The f ...

, Bolognini enrolled at the (Italian National Film Academy) 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, ...

, where he studied stage design. After graduation, he became interested in film direction and set out to work as an assistant to directors

Luigi Zampa Luigi Zampa (2 January 1905 – 16 August 1991) was an Italian film director. Biography Son of a worker, Zampa studied filmmaking from 1932 to 1937 at the Italian film school in Rome. He directed several Italian neorealism films in the 1940 ...

in Italy, and

Yves Allégret Yves Allégret (13 October 1905 – 31 January 1987) was a French film director, often working in the film noir genre. He was born in Asnières-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine and died in Paris. He was an assistant to film directors such as his brothe ...

and

Jean Delannoy Jean Delannoy (; 12 January 1908 – 18 June 2008) was a French actor, film editor, screenwriter and film director. Biography Although Delannoy was born in a Paris suburb, his family was from Haute-Normandie in the north of France. He was a Pro ...

in France.

Film and television

Bolognini began directing his own feature films in the 1953 with the film '. He received his first international success with '' Wild Love'' (''Gli innamorati''). His other notable films of the 1950s and early 1960s include '' Young Husbands'' (''Giovani mariti''), '' The Big Night'' (''La notte brava''), '' From a Roman Balcony'' (''La giornata balorda''), and the

Marcello Mastroianni Marcello Vincenzo Domenico Mastroianni (26 September 1924Come da lui stesso dichiarato a 1'10" dquesta intervista/ref> – 19 December 1996) was an Italian actor. He is generally regarded as one of Italy's most iconic male performers of the 20t ...

Claudia Cardinale Claude Joséphine Rose Cardinale (; born 15 April 1938), known as Claudia Cardinale (), is an Italian actress. Born and raised in La Goulette, a neighbourhood of Tunis, Cardinale won the "Most Beautiful Italian Girl in Tunisia" competition ...

starrer '' Il bell'Antonio'' (arguably his masterpiece), all written by

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 ...

. Parting professionally with Pasolini in 1961, Bolognini directed two love stories starring Claudia Cardinale, '' The Lovemakers'' (''La viaccia'') and '' Careless'' (''Senilità''), and the coming-of-age films '' Agostino'' and ''

Corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...

'' (''La corruzione'') before turning his talents to a series of international anthology films, including '' The Dolls'' (''Le bambole''), '' Three Faces of a Woman'' (''I tre volti''), '' The Queens'' (''Le fate'') and '' The Witches'' (''Le streghe''). Bolognini returned to features in 1966 with '' Madamigella di Maupin'' (''Mademoiselle de Maupin'') featuring Catherine Spaak and

Robert Hossein Robert Hossein (30 December 1927 – 31 December 2020) was a French film actor, director, and writer. He directed Les Misérables (1982 film), the 1982 adaptation of ''Les Misérables'' and appeared in ''Vice and Virtue'', ''Le Casse'', ''Les U ...

. His films of the 1970s include the period dramas '' Metello'' and '' Bubù'', both starring

Massimo Ranieri Giovanni Calone (born 3 May 1951), known professionally as Massimo Ranieri, is an Italian singer, actor, television presenter and theatre director. Biography Early life Ranieri was born in Borgo Santa Lucia, Naples, the fifth of eight children ...

, '' The Murri Affair'' (''Fatti di gente perbene'') starring

Giancarlo Giannini Giancarlo Giannini (; born 1 August 1942) is an Italian actor and voice actor. He won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for his performance in '' Love and Anarchy'' (1973) and received an Academy Award nomination for '' Seven Beaut ...

and

Catherine Deneuve Catherine Fabienne Dorléac (born 22 October 1943), known professionally as Catherine Deneuve (, , ), is a French actress. She is considered one of the greatest European actresses on film. In 2020, ''The New York Times'' ranked her as one of th ...

and '' The Inheritance'' (''L'eredità Ferramonti'') with

Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known as Anthony Quinn, was an American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental virility" in over 100 ...

and

Dominique Sanda Dominique Marie-Françoise Renée Varaigne (born 11 March 1951) professionally known as Dominique Sanda, is a French actress. Life and career Sanda was born on 11 March 1951 in Paris, to Lucienne (née Pichon) and Gérard Varaigne. She appeare ...

. In 1981, Bolognini filmed ''

The Lady of the Camellias ''The Lady of the Camellias'' (), sometimes called ''Camille'' in English, is a novel by Alexandre Dumas fils, Alexandre Dumas ''fils''. First published in 1848 and subsequently Theatrical adaptation, adapted by Dumas for the Drama, stage, the pl ...

'' (''La storia vera della signora delle camelie''), inspired by the Alexandre Dumas, fils novel and play. Throughout the decade, he continued directing feature films, as well as the television miniseries ''

The Charterhouse of Parma ''The Charterhouse of Parma'' () is a novel by French writer Stendhal, published in 1839. Telling the story of an Italian nobleman in the Napoleonic era and later, it was admired by Balzac, Tolstoy, André Gide, Lampedusa, Henry James, and Er ...

'' and ''A Time of Indifference''. His final feature was the soft-core erotic drama '' Husband and Lovers'' (''La villa del venerdì'') starring

Julian Sands Julian Richard Morley Sands (4 January 1958 – ) was an English actor. He had his breakout role as George Emerson in '' A Room with a View'' (1985) and went on to appear in '' The Killing Fields'' (1984), '' Gothic'' (1986), '' Siesta'' (1987), ...

and Joanna Pacula, released in 1991.

Stage and opera

In the mid-1960s, Bolognini started to show an interest, as stage director, in the production of operas and plays. His debut was in 1964 with

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

's ''

Ernani ''Ernani'' is an operatic ''dramma lirico'' in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the 1830 play ''Hernani (drama), Hernani'' by Victor Hugo. Verdi was commissioned by the Teatro La Fenice in Ve ...

'' at the

Teatro Massimo The Teatro Massimo Vittorio Emanuele is an opera house and opera company located on the Piazza Verdi in Palermo, Sicily. It was dedicated to King Victor Emanuel II. It is the biggest in Italy, and one of the largest of Europe (at the time of its ...

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

, featuring tenor Mario Del Monaco. It was followed, in the same year, by

Puccini Giacomo Puccini (22 December 1858 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long line of composers, s ...

's ''

Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1 ...

'' at the

Teatro dell'Opera di Roma The Teatro dell'Opera di Roma (Rome Opera House) is an opera house in Rome, Italy. Originally opened in November 1880 as the 2,212 seat ''Costanzi Theatre'', it has undergone several changes of name as well modifications and improvements. The pres ...

in Rome, and by many others, including:

Vincenzo Bellini Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini (; ; 3 November 1801 – 23 September 1835) was an Italian opera composer famed for his long, graceful melodies and evocative musical settings. A central figure of the era, he was admired not only ...

's ''

Norma Norma may refer to: * Norma (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) ** Norma Lizbeth Ramos, a Mexican bullying victim Astronomy *Norma (constellation) * 555 Norma, a minor asteroid * Cygnus Arm or Norma Arm, a spiral ...

'' at

La Scala La Scala (, , ; officially , ) is a historic opera house in Milan, Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as (, which previously was Santa Maria della Scala, Milan, a church). The premiere performa ...

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 ...

(1972), and at the Bolshoi opera house in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

(1975);

's ''

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is a tragic opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 De ...

'' at

La Fenice Teatro La Fenice (; "The Phoenix Theatre") is a historic opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of "the most famous and renowned landmarks in the history of Italian theatre" and in the history of opera as a whole. Especially in the 19th cen ...

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

(1978); and Henze's ''Pollicino'' at the

Poliziano Agnolo (or Angelo) Ambrogini (; 14 July 1454 – 24 September 1494), commonly known as Angelo Poliziano () or simply Poliziano, anglicized as Politian, was an Italian classical scholar and poet of the Florentine Renaissance. His scholars ...

opera house in

Montepulciano Montepulciano () is a medieval and Renaissance hill town and ''comune'' in the Italian province of Siena in southern Tuscany. It sits high on a limestone ridge, east of Pienza, southeast of Siena, southeast of Florence, and north of Rome ...

(1995).

Death

Bolognini died in

, Italy, in 2001, aged 78.

Filmography

*' / ''We're in the Gallery'' (1953) *'' Knights of the Queen'' (1954) *'' La vena d'oro'' / ''Golden Vein'' (1955) *'' Gli innamorati'' / ''Wild Love'' (1955) *''I tre moschettieri'' / ''The Three Musketeers'' (1956 - TV Series) *'' Guardia, guardia scelta, brigadiere e maresciallo'' / ''Guard, Elite Guard, Brigadier and Marshall'' (1956) *' / ''Marisa'' (1957) *'' Giovani mariti'' / ''Young Husbands'' (1958) *'' Arrangiatevi!'' / ''You're On Your Own '' (1959) *'' La notte brava'' / ''The Big Night'' / ''Bad Girls Don't Cry'' (1959) *'' La giornata balorda'' / ''From a Roman Balcony'' (1960) *'' Il bell'Antonio'' / ''Bell'Antonio'' (1960) *'' La viaccia'' / ''The Lovemakers'' (1961) *'' Agostino'' (1962) *'' Senilità'' / ''Careless'' (1962) *'' La corruzione'' / ''Corruption'' (1963) *'' La mia signora'' / ''My Wife'', segments "I miei cari" and "Luciana" (1964) *' / ''Woman Is a Wonderful Thing'', segments "Una donna dolce, dolce" and "La balena bianca" (1964) *'' Le bambole'' / ''Four Kinds of Love'' / ''The Dolls'', segment "Monsignor Cupido" (1965) *'' I tre volti'' / ''The Three Faces of a Woman'', segment "Gli amanti celebri" (1965) *'' Madamigella di Maupin'' / ''Mademoiselle de Maupin'' (1966) *'' Le fate'' / ''The Queens'' / ''Sex Quartet'', segment "Fata Elena" (1966) *'' Le streghe'' / ''The Witches'', segment ''Senso civico'' (1967) *'' Le plus vieux métier du monde'' / ''The Oldest Profession'', segment "Nuits romaines" (1967) *''

Arabella ''Arabella'', Op. 79, is a lyric comedy, or opera, in three acts by Richard Strauss to a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, their sixth and last operatic collaboration. Performance history It was first performed on 1 July 1933 at the D ...

'' (1967) *'' Capriccio all'italiana'' / ''Caprice Italian Style'', segments "Perché?" and "La gelosia" (1968) *'' L'assoluto naturale'' / ''She and He'' (1969) * '' Un bellissimo novembre'' / ''That Splendid November'' (1969) *'' Metello'' (1970) *'' Bubù'' (1971) *'' Imputazione di omicidio per uno studente'' / ''Chronicle of a Homicide'' (1972) *'' Libera, amore mio...'' / ''Libera, My Love...'' (1973) *'' Fatti di gente perbene'' / ''The Murri Affair'' (1974) *'' Per le antiche scale'' / ''Down the Ancient Staircase'' (1975) *'' L'eredità Ferramonti'' / ''The Inheritance'' (1976) *'' Gran bollito'' / ''Black Journal'' (1977) *'' Dove vai in vacanza?'' / ''Where Are You Going on Holiday?'', segment "Sarò tutta per te" (1978) *'' La storia vera della signora dalle camelie'' / ''La Dame aux camélias'' / ''The Lady of the Camellias'' (1980) *' / ''The Charterhouse of Parma'' (1981 - TV miniseries) *'' La Venexiana'' / ''The Venetian Woman'' (1986) *'' Mosca addio'' / ''Farewell Moscow'' (1987) *'' Imago urbis'' / ''Image of the City'' (1987) *' / ''A Time Of Indifference'' (1988 - TV miniseries) *' / ''12 Directors for 12 Cities'', segment "Palermo" (1989) *'' La villa del venerdì'' / ''Husband and Lovers'' (1992) *' / ''The Family Ricordi'' (1993 - TV miniseries)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bolognini, Mauro 1922 births 2001 deaths People from Pistoia Italian film directors David di Donatello Career Award winners