Emma Gramatica Movies
Italian actress Emma Gramatica began appearing in early, early Italian films when she was still a child. She founded her own production company in 1916 and afterward only infrequently appeared in films. She is best remembered for playing the elderly woman who finds a babe inside a cabbage in Miracle in Milan (1951). Gramatica directed one film in 1932, The Old Lady. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1935
Sentenced to a 13-year prison term, Mastrovanni (Camillo Piloto) returns to his family upon his release. Having brought disgrace to his loved ones, poor Mastrovanni is shunned by one and all, and it does no good for him to protest that he was innocent of the crime for which he was blamed. Eventually, he is vindicated, providing a happy ending -- but the bitter taste of his exile remains. Despite heady competition from her elders, child actress Tonino Capitani steals every scene he's in. El Delito di Mastrovanni (The Crime of Mastrovanni) did well in Italy, but proved a bit too verbose for American consumption. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emma Gramatica, Camillo Pilotto, (more)
- 1937
The old Sardou play Marcella was warmed up and modernized by director Guido Brignone. The title character, played by Caterina Boretto, will do anything to save her brother from being sent to prison. This includes co-habiting with the nobleman responsible for her brother's incarceration. Hoping to put her shame behind her, Marcella lands a job as a servant in an aristocratic household. Her idyllic romance with the son of her employer is shattered when her old nemesis, the amorous nobleman, makes a return appearance. Surprisingly, he offers to clear Marcella's name, permitting her a happy ending at long last. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emma Gramatica, Caterina Boratto, (more)
- 1938
Its title translating as Naples of Former Days, this Italian musical romance takes an bittersweet backward glance at the 19th century. Vittorio de Sica plays Maestro Perla, who hopes to arise from poverty to become a renowned composer and symphony conductor. He is helped along by a mysterious benefactor (Emma Gramatica) who turns out to be his aunt. On the verge of fame and fortune, Perla is disappointed romantically when the family of his wealthy fiancee (Elisa Regard) opposes the impending marriage. Realizing that he'll be happier in his own back yard, Perla returns to his hardscrabble Neapolitan neighborhood and to his childhood sweetheart (Maria Dennis). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vittorio De Sica, Emma Gramatica, (more)
- 1938
Il Destino was released outside of Italy as Damsel of Bard. Emma Grammatica stars as Naria, the wife of Franco, the Count of Bard (Luigi Simari). Though she does not love her husband, Naria is loyal to family tradition, refusing any and all erstwhile lovers to keep up appearances. Things change dramatically halfway through the story, by which time the Damsel of Bard has suffered nobly in a stunning variety of gorgeous gowns. Though beautifully photographed, Il Destino proved a bit too stately and stodgy for American tastes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Luigi Cimara
- 1939
Unlike many of director Mario Bonnard's films, which for various reasons took forever to obtain American distributors Jeanne Dore was released in the U.S. only a few months after its Italian premiere. The magnificent Emma Gramatica plays the title character, the mother of handsome young Jacques Dore (Leonardo Cortese). When the gorgeous but selfish Mme. Perodot (Evi Maltagliati) falls into the clutches of an oily moneylender, Jacques nobly comes to her rescue by killing the bounder. As Jacques is sent away for a 20-year prison term, his mother suffers and suffers with silent nobility. The film is designed to contrast the lifestyles of the selfless Jeanne Dore and the avaricious Mme. Perodot, and in this it succeeds; in terms of originality, however, the film doesn't have much to offer outside of Bonnard's always clever direction. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emma Gramatica, Leonardo Cortese, (more)
- 1946
Broken Love was the English-language title of the Italian musical Cuore Infrantro. The film is a showcase for the splendid singing of Beniamino Gigli, who in 1946 was endeavoring to prove to the world that he hadn't been a WW2 fascist collaborator. Accordingly, the film's storyline is completely apolitical, dealing with a world-famous tenor (Gigli) whose daughter (Camilla Horn) is suffering from a rare heart ailment. The tenor exacerbates his daughter's medical condition when he tries to meddle in her romance with a young bank clerk (Herbert Wilk). Everybody suffers operatically against a lavish backdrop of Venetian canals and Riviera gambling houses. The lachrymose musical climax, lifted from Puccini's La Boheme, is calculated to make sure that there won't be a dry eye in the audience. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Beniamino Gigli, Emma Gramatica, (more)
- 1951
Vittorio DeSica's follow-up to The Bicycle Thief documents the lives of the poverty-stricken in post-war Italy. Francesco Golisano is Good Toto, an orphan boy who begins living with a cluster of beggars. His organizational efforts bring some structure to the colony and engenders a sense of faint happiness among its morose dwellers. When Toto is given a magic dove by a fairy, he uses its wish-granting powers to whoever asks, but the dove is eventually stolen. As a result, the land on which the beggars live is taken over, and they are jailed. In his prison, however, the dove returns to Toto, and his wish for the freedom of his friends is granted. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emma Gramatica, Francesco Golisano, (more)
