Carmine Gallone Movies
Italian poet/playwright Carmine Gallone began his professional career at Rome's Teatro Argentina in 1911. Two years later he established himself as a scenarist/screenwriter at the Cines studio. He built up a following with a series of "white telephone" dramas, so named because of their high-society ambience. Many of these starred his wife, Polish-born actress Soava. Having helmed several European costume dramas in the early 1930s, Gallone seemed the ideal choice to direct the Mussolini-dictated patriotic epic Scipio L'Africano (1936), the most expensive Italian film produced up to that time. Perhaps as a reaction to the overbearing pro-fascist propaganda of Scipio L'Africano, Gallone directed the violently anti-fascist film Before Him All Rome Trembled in 1946. This effort has been described as "operatic," a tag which no doubt would have been flattering to Gallone who committed several famous operas (Rigoletto, Tosca etc.) to the screen during his career. Carmine Gallone spent his declining years turning out such surefire moneymakers as the "Don Camillo" films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1947
The Italian-American Her Wonderful Lie is based on the novel Latin Quarter by Murger. This literary work is better known as the source for the Puccini opera La Boheme, and indeed, Her Wonderful Life is a modernized adaptation of the Puccini classic, with a few songs from other operas thrown in for good measure. Marta Eggerth and Jan Kiepura sing and act the leading roles of the tragic seamstress and her headstrong starving-artist lover. Featured in the cast are such familiar American faces as Janis Paige, Douglass Dumbrille, Sterling Holloway and Isobel Elsom, not to mention dancer-choreographer Marc Platt. On the strength of its multinational cast, Her Wonderful Lie was distributed stateside by Columbia Pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marta Eggerth, Jan Kiepura, (more)
- 1930
This German drama was advertised as "2% Talkie," meaning that all but 2 1/2 minutes of its running time are silent. The story is set in Australia, where 413 "lottery brides" are shipped to keep the population from depleting. Bride Number 68 is Evelyn Bernheim (Elga Brink), who though she's fallen in love with Australian telegraph operator Dick Ashton (Conrad Veidt) is legally obligated to wed Steve Parker (Clifford McLaglen). Rather than seek out another soulmate, Dick vows to remain an unsullied bachelor for the rest of his life -- which, as it turns out, isn't very long. Likewise coming to a sorry end is an American physician (Matthias), who rescues Steve from an angry mob then falls hopelessly in love with Evelyn himself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Conrad Veidt, Elga Brink, (more)
- 1960
This costume drama with spectacular special effects but a less-than-adequate storyline was one of the last films by director Carmine Gallone. The tale is set in 200 BC when Rome and Carthage were going at it, sending warships into battle over control of Carthage. Against this backdrop of warfare is a romantic tangle between two women in love with the same warrior and two men in love with the same woman. As the romantic and military battles progress, it becomes clear that Carthage will burn and at least a few of the erstwhile lovers are going to get burnt as well, in more ways than one. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Heywood, José Suárez, (more)
- 1955
Told in pageantlike fashion, Casa Ricordi is the story of the Ricordi family, the most prestigious music publishers in all Italy. It was the Ricordis who, for better or worse, came up with the "royalty" concept, paying artists (and their families) for their work in perpetuity. As the family's fortune grows, the Ricordis rub shoulders with the musical glitterati of the 19th and 20th centuries, including Verdi, Donizetti, Puccini, Bellini and Rossini. Naturally, this allows the film to showcase some of these composers' most famous works--and in true Hollywood-by-the-Mediterranean fashion, the principal influence for these compositions are the various members of the Ricordi family. The soundtrack of Casa Ricordi reverberates with the voices of such musical immortals as Tito Gobbi, Renata Tibaldi, Mario Del Monaco and Gianni Poggi, among many others. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Miriam Bru, Elisa Cegani, (more)
- 1935
Martha Eggerth heads the cast of Casta Diva, but the central character is famed Italian composer Vincenzo Bellini, here played by American actor Phillips Holmes. Paying but scant attention the facts, the film concentrates on Bellini's colorful love life. Evidently the film went through several rewriting processes, as witness the curious performances of Donald Calthrop and Arthur Margetson, whose characters do complete about-faces halfway through the story. Amidst so many British accents, Martha Eggerth's Polish intonations seem out of place, but she photographs beautifully and sings quite well. Casta Diva was attractively filmed on location in Naples. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marta Eggerth, Phillips Holmes, (more)
- 1952
Cavalleria Rusticana is adapted from the popular one-act play of the same name. Set in rural Sicily, the anecdotal story concerns a deserting soldier named Turiddu (Leonardo Cortese) who returns home to discover that his flirtatious sweetheart Lola (Doris Duranti) has married another. As consolation, Turiddu inaugurates a romance with Santuzza (Isa Pola), but before long he is carrying on an illicit relationship with Lola. The spurned Santuzza informs Lola's husband (Carlo Ninchi) of what's going on behind his back, and the result is a bloody duel. Written by Giovanni Verga, Cavalleria Rusticana had previously been transformed into an opera by Mascagni, whose music is absent from this adaptation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1927
This German production originally went into theaters under the title Marter der Liebe. The heroine, a British noblewoman, spends much of the film debasing her reputation in the company of unworthy male companions -- not that the woman is any better than the men she loves and leaves; in fact, she's practically the villain of the piece. The leading character (somewhat symbolically dressed in mannish clothes throughout) was played by Soava Gallone, wife of the director Carmine Gallone. The film's country of origin was unidentified when Crossroad of Love was released in New York. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leon Mathot
- 1932
Chant du Marin (Sailor's Song) stars Albert Prejean as a happy-go-luck seafarer who'd rather sing than work -- or be faithful to his wife. Prejean and his sailor pal Jim Gerald decide to cheat on their spouses by frequenting the dives and joints in every town where their ship drops anchor. The boys are certain, however, that their wives would never behave in a similar fashion. Upon returning home, of course, Prejean and Gerald discover that their better halves are just as sexually irresponsible as their hubbies. The American Variety reviewer noted marked similarities between Chant du Marin and the "Marseilles" films of Marcel Pagnol. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ginette Gaubert, Albert Prejean, (more)
- 1931
Several European countries collaborated to create this drama. The story begins as a young British woman meets and falls in love with her tour guide during a vacation to Naples. Along the way, she hears him singing. Recognizing a good tenor voice when she hears one, she takes him back to England for special vocal training. The tour guide is one handsome heartbreaker and one of his lovers is angered by his desertion. In England he sings at a fancy party. They are so impressed, that he is immediately booked into an opera house the following night. During the party, he finds himself becoming increasingly jealous of his newest girlfriend's flirtatious ways. When he discovers that his operatic debut is being financed by other party goers, the tenor flies into a rage and begins attacking the backers. Naturally they cancel his performance. The tour guide returns to Naples and to his other lover. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jan Kiepura, Walter Janssen, (more)
- 1955
Don Camillo e l'on Peppone was the third in a series of film comedies based on characters created by Giovanni Gareschi. Fernandel and Gino Cervi return as, repectively, resourceful Italian village priest Don Camillo and his friendly enemy, Communist mayor Peppone. This time, the two adversaries are pitted against each other in a local election, even though neither one wants to win. Don Camillo comes out on top by promising to help Peppone pass an important qualifying exam, in exchange for a new church construction project. Most slapsticky than previous "Don Camillo" entries, the highlight of Don Camillo e l'on Peppone is a zany runaway-tank sequence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fernandel, Gino Cervi, (more)
- 1948
Long before Amadeus, the life story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was committed to celluloid in the Italian Eternal Melodies. Gino Cervi stars as Mozart, the former child prodigy who reaches the heights of operatic fame in the 18th century, only to be buried in a pauper's grave after his premature death at age 37. There's no "Salieri" to plague Mozart in this film: instead, the story concentrates on a romantic triangle involving the composer and the two lovely Weber sisters, Aloisia (Conchita Montenegro) and Costanza (Luisella Beghi). Betrayed by Aloisia, Mozart finds solace in the arms of Costanza. Though historical accuracy is hardly a consideration in Eternal Melodies, the film is redeemed by its all-Mozart musical score. The film was originally released in Italy in 1940 as Melodie Eterne. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gino Cervi, Conchita Montenegro, (more)
- 1938
Giuseppe Verdi was also released as The Life of Verdi for the benefit of filmgoers who had trouble grasping the obvious. Fosco Giachetti stars as the title character, aging nearly 30 years in the course of the film. The story begins when the teenaged Verdi leaves his hometown behind to study music in Milan, only to face rejection from the school's hide-bound board of directors. He is forced to endure several subsequent setbacks until he is helped along the road to success by sympathetic opera diva Giuseppina (Gaby Morlay), whom he eventually marries. An amusing later moment finds Verdi and a pompous tenor (Beniamino Gigli) rehearsing the La Donna e Mobile aria from Rigoletto, all the while attempting to keep this composition secret from potential music thieves. The film ends with the triumphant premiere of Aida in Egypt, in commemoration of the opening of the Suez Canal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fosco Giachetti, Germana Paolieri, (more)
- 1939
Italian filmmaker Carmine Gallone was still in his "operetta" mode when he helmed 1938's Il Sogno di Butterfly (Dream of the Butterfly) Maria Cebotari plays opera diva Rosa Belloni, currently starring in a production of Puccini's Madama Butterfly. The plot thickens when Rosa's backstage life begins to mirror the travails of the character she is portraying. The climax comes when Harry Peters (Fosco Giachetti), the American father of Rosa's illegitimate child, returns after four years with his new wife in tow, leading inexorably to a doleful ending both on- and offstage. Critics complained about the substandard photography in Il Sogno di Butterfly, but this might have been due to poor laboratory work. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maria Cebotari, Fosco Giachetti, (more)
- 1949
At the time of its release, this filmization of Verdi's opera Il Trovatore was praised for its "cinematic" qualities: that is, it didn't look like just another photographed stage play. Director Carmine Gallone even expanded upon the battle sequences that are usually sketchily presented on stage. At 109 minutes, the film takes a lot less time getting to the tragically ironic finale than the original opera, which runs four full acts. The leading roles of gypsy woman Azucena and Conte di Luna are sung and acted by opera favorites Gianna Pederzini and Enzo Mascherini; on the other hand, hero and heroine Manrico (Gino Sinimberghi) and Leonora (Vittorina Colonello) appear to be dubbed. The choral numbers are performed by members of the Rome Opera House. One word of warning: anyone who's seen the Marx Brothers' Night at the Opera may have trouble getting through The Anvil Chorus with a straight face. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1949
At the time of its release, this filmization of Verdi's opera Il Trovatore was praised for its "cinematic" qualities: that is, it didn't look like just another photographed stage play. Director Carmine Gallone even expanded upon the battle sequences that are usually sketchily presented on stage. At 102 minutes, the film takes a lot less time getting to the tragically ironic finale than the original opera, which runs four full acts. The leading roles of gypsy woman Azucena and Conte di Luna are sung and acted by opera favorites Gianna Pederzini and Enzo Mascherini; on the other hand, hero and heroine Manrico (Gino Sinimberghi) and Leonora (Vittorina Colonello) appear to be dubbed. The choral numbers are performed by members of the Rome Opera House. One word of warning: anyone who's seen the Marx Brothers' Night at the Opera may have trouble getting through The Anvil Chorus with a straight face. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gino Sinimberghi
- 1933
In this comedy, a popular head porter at the Paris Ritz finds trouble when he falls in love with a wealthy widow who stays there. After saving her family jewels, the porter is given the title of Duke. He also receives an ancestral home in which to live. He and the widow begin planning their future. This does not set well with the little hotel maid who secretly loves the porter. He eventually returns to her when he discovers that the "mansion" is a ramshackle, worthless wreck. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1935
In this lightweight drama, two good pals become bitter foes when they fall in love with the same starlet. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1954
In this espionage film, Mata Hari's daughter takes the mantle from her notorious mother and entangles her self in an Asian web of intrigue and war. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1949
Italian director Carmine Gallone, who previously brought the Giueseppe Verdi opera Il Trovatore to the screen, herein offers a cinemazation of Verdi's La Forza del Destino. With a less dynamic plot than Trovatore, this Verdi composition can be appreciated on the merits of its music alone. Famed opera star Tito Gobbi does his own singing (of course), while his co-stars Nelly Corradi and Gino Sinimberghi are dubbed by Caterina Mancini and Galliano Masino. The stars are backed up by the orchestra and chorus of the Rome Opera. Not quite as well filmed as Il Trovatore, La Forza del Destino is still a must for opera buffs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nelly Corradi, Gino Sinimberghi, (more)
