Vittorio De Sica Movies
The seminal figure of the neorealism movement, Vittorio De Sica was born in Sora, Italy, on July 7, 1901. Raised in Naples, he began working as an office clerk at a young age in order to help support his impoverished family. He became fascinated by acting while still a youth, and made his screen debut in 1918's The Clemenceau Affair at the age of just 16. In 1923, De Sica joined Tatiana Pavlova's famed stage company, and by the end of the decade his dashing good looks had made him one of the Italian theater's most prominent matinee idols. With 1932's La Vecchia Signora, he made his sound-era film debut and went on to become an even bigger star in the cinema, appearing primarily in light romantic comedies throughout the decade.In 1939, De Sica graduated to the director's chair with Rose Scarlatte. Over the next two years he helmed three more features (1940's Maddalena, Zero in Condotta along with 1941's Teresa Venerdì and Un Garibaldino al Convento, respectively), but his work lacked distinction until he, along with fellow Italian filmmakers Roberto Rossellini and Luchino Visconti, began exploring the possibilities of making more humanistic movies documenting the harsh realities facing their countrymen as a result of World War II. With 1942's I Bambini ci Guardano, De Sica revolutionized the Italian film industry, crafting a poignant, heartfelt portrait of a downtrodden culture free of the conventions of Hollywood production. Working with screenwriter Cesare Zavattini, who remained a central figure in the majority of his greatest work, De Sica employed non-professional actors and filmed not in studios but on the streets of Rome, all to flesh out the working-class drama of Zavattini's script.
The war prevented De Sica from directing another film for four years, but finally in 1946 he resurfaced with the brilliant Sciuscià. His greatest film, Ladri di Biciclette, followed in 1948; a virtual textbook of neorealism in action, it featured all of the aesthetic's key tenets -- gritty production, almost improvisational acting, and a lean emotional compression -- and it even added authentic documentary footage into the narrative to establish a greater sense of truth. (Like Sciuscià, Ladri di Biciclette won a special Academy Award; not until several years later was the Oscar category for Best Foreign Language Film officially established.) Three years later, De Sica returned with Miracolo a Milano. Its follow-up, 1952's Umberto D., clearly ranked among his finest work, but when it proved to be a box-office disaster, he returned to the lighter material of his formative years with It Happened in the Park.
The 1956 Il Tetto marked something of a return to neorealist form, but when it too failed commercially, De Sica's career as a filmmaker was critically damaged. Unable to secure financing for subsequent projects, he turned his full focus to acting, starring in a string of pictures including 1957's A Farewell to Arms (for which he earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor) and 1959's It Happened in Rome. Over the course of his long career, he appeared in over 150 features. Finally, in 1960, De Sica returned to directing with La Ciociara, leading his star Sophia Loren to an Academy Award. The 1963 Ieri, Oggi, Domani also won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, but in many regards De Sica's reign as one of the world's great directors was over. Features like 1966's Caccia alla Volpe, 1967's Sette Volte Donna, and 1970's Girasoli were lightweight at best, and although 1971's Il Giardino dei Finzi-Contini won yet another Academy Award, it bore little relation to his neorealist classics. De Sica died in Paris on November 13, 1974, following complications from surgery. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Prolific director Giorgio Bianchi comes off with another good comedy in Il Moralista, due in no small part to the talents of Alberto Sordi as Agostino, the de facto head of a censorship board whose double life as a nightclub owner might raise some questions as to his censorial judgment. The titular head of the organization (Vittorio De Sica) is not that interested in running it himself, being more interested in women. The censors must review everything from posters for a show to the costumes in a show, as well as a production's language and content. Given their predilections, Agostino and his boss are unlikely candidates for making others walk the straight and narrow path of socially acceptable fare. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alberto Sordi, Vittorio De Sica, (more)
- 1959
It Happened in Rome -- as well as in Venice, Florence, and points in between in this frothy excursion into beautiful Italy. The slight story concerns two young girls -- the German Hilde (Inge Schoener) and the French Josette (Isabelle Corey) -- who are hitching through the countryside. Vacationing Britisher Margaret (June Laverick) has pity on them and gives them a lift. Unfortunately, Margaret has not been paying attention to her gas gauge, and the three end up trying to push the vehicle to a gas station. In the process, they lose hold of the car at a crucial moment and it rolls into the sea. With her means of transportation ruined, Margaret joins Hilde and Josette as a hitchhiker. Along the way, each of them encounters their fair share of amorous Latin lovers before finding true love. Interestingly, the writers of this glossy romance include the anarcho-communist Dario Fo, as well as Furio Scarpelli and Age (who both collaborated on The Good, the Bad and the Ugly). ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
With a deft guiding hand, director Roberto Rossellini brings out the depths in this study of a man's transformation during the German occupation of Milan. Based on a novel by Indro Montanelli, the story is true. Colonel Mueller (Hannes Messemer) and his cohorts have decided to plant a spy in the Milan prison. They choose a petty thief from the streets who earns his living plying the black-market trade and assign him to the task. He is thrown in jail under the false identity of General della Rovere (Vittorio De Sica) in order to bring the Italian resistance fighters among the prisoners, out into the open. As the fake general slowly makes friends with these men, he becomes a leader of sorts, and this transformation gets him thinking in a different way about himself. This well-wrought drama was given the "Best Foreign Film" award in 1960 by the New York Film Critics, and it won the Golden Lion at the 1959 Venice Film Festival. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vittorio De Sica, Hannes Messemer, (more)
- 1958
If Hollywood could put the names of Abbott and Costello in the titles of the team's pictures, why couldn't Italy honor its favorite actors in a similar fashion. Toto, Vittorio e la Dotoressa stars that matchless Italian comic actor Toto, matinee idol/director Vittorio De Sica, and, as Dotoressa, sultry American songstress Abbe Lane. The plot concerns the misadventures of Dotoressa, a Neopolitan doctor who is pursued by a pair of her wackiest patients (DeSica and German Cobos). Frantically, Dotoressa turns to private detective Toto for help--and that's her first mistake. Adding to the general hilarity is up-and-coming slapstick comedian Darry Cowl in a supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Totò, Vittorio De Sica, (more)
- 1958
This engaging slice of neorealism stars Marcello Mastroianni as "Il Medico" (The Doctor) and Vittorio de Sica as "Lo Stregone" (The Healer). Setting up practice in a backward, provincial village, Mastroianni finds that he can make no headway with the superstitious townsfolk so long as faith-healer De Sica holds them in thrall. A battle of wills ensues, which at first is won by De Sica. But when a medical crisis arises, it is Mastroianni who comes out on top. The feminine angle is provided by Marisa Merlini. Thanks to the drawing power of its two male stars, Il Medico e lo Stregone was well distributed in the U.S. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vittorio De Sica, Marcello Mastroianni, (more)
A womanizing bachelor with a cynical outlook on marriage urges a young salesclerk to avoid tying the knot with his landlady's daughter in this comedy starring Vittorio De Sica and Walter Chiari. Luigi (De Sica) believes that marriage is a scam. He's doled out so much advice on the matter that he's earned the nickname "The Professor," and when smitten salesclerk Marcello (Walter Chiari) begins falling for his landlady's daughter, he comes to Luigi in search of advice. Though the Professor urges Marcello to get out of the relationship while he still can, it isn't long before wedding bells are ringing and Marcello is a walking down the aisle. When his new life turns into a waking nightmare, Marcello snaps and gets arrested for the murder of his wife and mother in law. But things aren't always what they seem in Marcello's world, and it doesn't take long for the truth to come out. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vittorio De Sica, Walter Chiari, (more)
- 1958
Domenica e Sempre Domenica (Sunday is Always Sunday) is one of several late-1950s films to be based on a successful TV series. In this instance, the program is Il Muschiere, which in 1958 was one of the most popular attractions on Italy's RAI-TV network. Il Muschiere was a game show, in which contestants returned on a weekly basis for ever-increasing cash prizes (sound familiar?) The film purports to depict the preparations made by the program's participants for their "big moment". Some of the funniest and most poignant vignettes are offered by Vittorio De Sica as a near-bankrupt paterfamilias and Alberto Sordi as a compulsive contestant. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alberto Sordi, Vittorio De Sica, (more)
- 1958
This charming fantasy concerns a young orphan named Marietto who believes that he must select his own mother. Escaping from the orphanage, he latches on to Camilla (Vera Cecova), a famous ballerina who cannot seem to dissuade the mischievous youth, no matter how hard she tries. Finally, God (Vittorio De Sica) intervenes, and Camilla marries the man she loves, adopting Marietto as their son. Gabriele Ferzetti co-stars in this engaging comic parable, and De Sica is wonderful as a kind, if curmudgeonly, deity. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wera Cecova, Vittorio De Sica, (more)
- 1958
Anna may be from Brooklyn, but this medium-budget domestic drama was filmed and financed in Italy. The title character, played by Gina Lollobrigida, returns from Flatbush to her small village in Italy in search of a husband. Among her suitors are Dale Robertson and Vittorio DeSica, indicating that the producers were hoping to "click" in box-offices on both sides of the Atlantic. Anna finally chooses the Right Man, with plenty of time for "sampling" along the way. The English-language scenes in Anna of Brooklyn were directed by Reginald Denham, while the Italian sequences were helmed by Carlo Lasticati. The film was distributed in the US by Columbia (who bought the picture from RKO) under the title Fast and Sexy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
This German-Italian production was also released as Kanonenseranade and The Muzzle. Vittorio De Sica stars as Ernesto DeRossi, captain of a vegetable-transport steamer in WWII Italy. After a desultory confrontation with a British midget submarine (which chooses not to fire upon DeRossi's vessel), the captain becomes convinced that he can mount a one-man defensive against the Allies. Mounting an ancient -- and rather silly-looking cannon -- on his steamer, DeRossi chugs off to do his bit in the war -- an uproariously foredoomed undertaking. The film sags a bit in its final reels, but otherwise represents an amusing change of pace for both DeSica and German director Wolfgang Staudte. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vittorio De Sica, Heinz Reincke, (more)
- 1958
Two well-known actors (Martine Carol and Vittorio De Sica) star in this standard melodrama by Alberto Cavalcanti about two people out for adventure and money in Venice. As they pursue the goals they think they want, they discover a blossoming of romantic love. Next, they have to choose between continuing their life on the edge, or a less-financially comfortable life safely together. Their decision, in the end, seems like a foregone conclusion. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martine Carol, Vittorio De Sica, (more)
- 1957
The superb cinematography of Aldo Tonti adds immeasureably to the enjoyment of Souvenir D'Italie. The story revolves around three lovely young ladies: Margaret (June Laverick) from England, Hilde (Ingeborg Schoener) from Germany and Josette (Isabelle Corey) from France. Hitchhiking through Northern Italy, our three heroines enjoy numerous picaresque adventures. Some of the best scenes involve Alberto Sordi as a self-styled gigolo whose charms fail to impress the trio of lovelies. Likewise amusing is Vittorio de Sica in an extended cameo role. An English-language version of Souvenir D'Italie was prepared simultaneously by British producer J. Arthur Rank. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- June Laverick, Inge Schoener, (more)
- 1957
This French-Italian musical starts out in the eponymous French gambling establishment. Vittorio de Sica plays Gordy, an ageing playwright who decides to transform a music-hall singer named Catherine (Caterina Valente) into a dramatic actress. Just as his protegee achieves stardom, Gordy dies. But when Catherine visits her late benefactor's villa, she is romanced by Gordy's ghost, who turns out to be a much younger man (Gilbert Becaud). Rather stagebound, Casino de Paris only comes to life during the all-stops-out musical production numbers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gilbert Becaud, Caterina Valente, (more)
- 1957
In this Italian romantic comedy set in the town of Sorrento, on the beautiful Bay of Naples, a woman rents a home from a dashing womanizer. Unfortunately, after 30 years away, the man returns to become the town police chief and wants to reclaim his home. The woman refuses to leave. The man then attempts to use his many charms. The ploy works and the woman agrees to dump her fiancé and marry him instead. When the womanizer realizes what she is about to do, he jilts her instead and decides to woo his own landlady instead. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Farewell to Arms is the second film version of Ernest Hemingway's World War One novel--and also the last film produced by David O. Selznick (Gone with the Wind). Rock Hudson plays an American serving in the Italian Army during the "War to End All Wars". Jennifer Jones is his lover, a Red cross nurse. They have a torrid affair, which results in Jones' pregnancy. As the months pass, Hudson and Jones lose contact with one another, and Jones believes that Hudson has forgotten her. But a battle-weary Hudson finally makes it to Switzerland, where Jones is hospitalized. The baby is stillborn, and Jones dies shortly afterward, murmuring that her death is "a dirty trick." Filmed on a simpler scale in 1932 (with Gary Cooper and Helen Hayes starring), A Farewell to Arms was blown all out of proportion to "epic" stature for the 1957 remake--so much so that its original director, John Huston, quit the film in disgust. Still, the basic love story is touchingly enacted by Rock Hudson and Jennifer Jones. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rock Hudson, Jennifer Jones, (more)
- 1957
Amore e Chiacchere (Love and Chatter) was cooked up by ubiquitious Italian scenarist Cesare Zavattini. Vittorio De Sica stars as the pompous windbag of a town mayor, whose efforts to keep his constinuents happy are designed primarily to keep him in office. De Sica finds himself in a pickle when his son (Geronimo Meynier) falls in love with Carla Gravina, daughter of the town streetcleaner. Though the mayor strongly disapproves of the marriage, he dare not make his objections public, lest he lose the votes of the "common people." At the same time, De Sica is obliged to curry favor with a wealthy industrialist who wants to build on the property currently occupied by an old-folk's home. A neat little satire of political chicanery, Amore e Chiacchere remains suprisingly timely even after four decades. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vittorio De Sica
- 1957
Marlene Dietrich and Vittorio De Sica grace this comical yet dramatic Italian tale of a tumultuous love affair between two compulsive gamblers who meet in Monte Carlo. Though both are down on their luck, they dress affluently and that is what attracts them to each other. Romantic sparks fly until they learn the truth about each other. This leads Dietrich to begin an affair with a rich American widower. His teenage daughter falls for De Sica but he feels himself too old for her and rejects her. Eventually Dietrich and the American decide to marry, but before the wedding takes place, De Sica has a major winning streak. But being an addict, he does not know when to stop and begins losing again. Fortunately, his valet intervenes by knocking him unconscious. Later, when he awakens, De Sica vows that he will never gamble again and prepares to go home to his native Naples. When Dietrich learns this she is distraught and realizing she cannot marry the Yankee, tells him the truth about her feelings for De Sica thereby freeing herself to follow him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marlene Dietrich, Vittorio De Sica, (more)
- 1957
Though the English translation of Padre I Figli is Fathers and Son, the film bears no resemblance to the Russian novel of the same name. Set in the weeks just prior to Christmas, the story focuses on the Yuletide preparations made by five different families. The humor derives from the communication gap between the elder family members and their bewildering offspring. The powerhouse cast is headed by Vittorio de Sica and Marcello Mastrioanni. Because of this, and the universality of the film's theme, Padre I Figli did quite well in the U.S. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vittorio De Sica, Marcello Mastroianni, (more)
- 1956
More a slice-of-life film than anything else, Vittorio De Sica simply examines the patrons of the Villa Borghese parks for a day. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- 1956
Directly after his successful The Gold of Naples (1954), Italian filmmaker Vittorio DeSica served up something of a throwback to his neorealist days. In The Roof (originally Il Tetto) a pair of young lovers wed in defiance of their families' wishes. With the confidence of youth, they decide to set up housekeeping for themselves. Alas, they soon learn that living on love is a virtually impossibility-especially in a postwar economy. The box-office failure of The Roof was a major setback for DeSica's directorial career: he would not be able to finance another film until 1960's Two Women. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gabriella Pallotta, Giorgio Listuzzi, (more)
