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- 1942
The popular 19th-century French theatrical piece The Two Orphans has been filmed several times, most memorably by D. W. Griffith's Orphans of the Storm (1921). Italian filmmaker Carmine Gallone's adaptation of Two Orphans dispenses with the French Revolution trappings added by Griffith, returning to the original continuity as written by A. Dermeri. Alida Valli stars as Henrietta, who moves Heaven and Earth to rescue her blind sister Louisa (Maria Denis) from kidnappers. While Louisa is forced to beg in the streets, Henrietta must fend off the unwanted advances of lecherous noblemen. Osvaldo Valenti co-stars as Pietro, a nice aristocrat who champions the cause of the two orphans. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alida Valli
- 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)
- 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)
- 1938
This Italian-German co-production was released in English-speaking countries as Mother Song. Italian opera favorites Beniamino Gigli and Maria Cebotari star in this tale about the romance between two temperamental singing stars. Highlights include a lengthy selection from Faust, with Gigli making a most impressive Mephistopheles. The plot takes a melodramatic turn towards the climax, with the lives of the characters mirrored in their on-stage behavior. Director Carmine Gallone was something of an expert in the field of filmed opera, as witness his Tosca, Rigoletto and Il Trovatore. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Beniamino Gigli, Maria Cebotari, (more)
- 1937
Scipio L'Africano (aka Scipio Africanus) represented the first foray into filmmaking by Vittorio Mussolini, the war-hero son of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. It was originally intended to be an Italian-American co-production, but Hollywood producer Hal Roach pulled out of the project on the advice of his associates. Rumors have it that Vittorio's father, "Il Duce" himself, wrote the screenplay and personally demanded that Italian filmmaker Carmine Gallone return to his homeland to direct the picture. One of the most expensive historical epics in movie history, the film concentrates on Roman consul Scipio's (Annibale Ninchi) Herculean efforts to topple the regime of Carthaginian conqueror Hannibal (Camillo Pilotto). It takes 15 years, but Scipio is finally able to raise a big enough army to defeat Hannibal, first in Africa and finally at the pivotal Battle of Zama. A subplot concerns the political intrigues concocted by the treacherous Numidian Queen Sofonisba (Francesca Braggioti). To bring Scipio L'Africano to fruition, director Gallone was afforded the luxury of a 232-day production schedule. According to official files, 32,848 extras, 1,000 horses and 50 elephants (for Hannibal's journey across the Alps) were used in the film. Even so, this heavily propagandistic paean to the glories of the Roman Empire is often shoddily put together, chock full of such anachronisms as telephone wires stretching over the battlefields. The film was not the enormous flop that many people claim, but its lukewarm box-office showing was enough to convince the Italian film industry to concentrate on musicals and "white telephone" comedies for the duration of the Mussolini regime. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Annibale Ninchi, Camillo Pilotto, (more)
- 1937
Solo per Te (Only For You) is an adequate showcase for the rich tenor voice of Beniamino Gigli. The star plays an opera singer who is married to what used to be known as "a woman with a history" (Maria Cebotari). When that history catches up with her in the form of her villainous ex-lover (Michael Bohnen), the result is murder. Accused of the crime, the heroine is cleared by one of those deathbed confessions so common to backstage melodramas of this nature. Seemingly oblivious to all these intrigues, Beniamino Gigli sings magnificently throughout the film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 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)
- 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
- 1934
Mein Herz Ruft Dir is a tailor-made vehicle for Polish singing sensation Jan Kiepura. The star is cast as the lead tenor in a travelling operatic troupe, who while taking a boat to Monte Carlo falls in love with pretty stowaway Martha Eggerth. When the troupe's Monte Carlo engagement is cancelled, Kiepura tries to use his splendid singing voice to find a wealthy patron for himself and his co-workers. Nothing seems to work until he stages an impromptu street performance of Tosca, drawing a huge crowd away from an indoor performance of the same opera. Oh yes -- he also ends up marrying Marta Eggerth, who like everyone else in the film plays second fiddle to Mr. Kiepura. Director Carmine Gallone filmed Mein Herz Ruft Dir three times: this German version, the French Mon Coeur D'Appelle and the English-language My Heart is Calling. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jan Kiepura, Marta Eggerth, (more)
- 1934
In this musical romance, a Viennese composer is assigned to create an operetta. While composing, he ends up falling in love with a young woman. Unbeknownst to him, she is the star of the opera company that commissioned him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 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
- 1932
Un Fils D'Amerique (A Son from America) was derived from the stage play by Pierre Veber and Marcel Gerbidon. A pair of crooked pawnbrokers persuade young Pierre (Albert Prejean) to impersonate the long-lost son of perfume manufacturer Beterin (Gaston Dubosc). Pierre plays his part so well that he is able to save his "father's" flagging business from bankruptcy. Problems arise when he falls in love with Dorette (Annabella), the girl who's supposed to be his sister. Forced to confess his masquerade, Pierre escapes to parts unknown, but Dorette tracks him down with the help of some friendly gendarmes, exultantly informing our hero that all is forgiven. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Annabella, Albert Prejean, (more)
- 1932
The French-language title of this Hungarian-made comedy is a bit misleading, unless one understands its irony. The "palaces" referred to are actually hotels, and the "prince of hotels" is hall porter Claude (Jules Berry). Despite his apparently lowly position, Claude genially reigns over the rest of the domestics, and occasionally offers romantic advice to the more confused hotel guests. As far as his own love life is concerned, Claude is "that way" about an American heiress (Betty Stockfield), though she prefers the company of the rakish King of Poldavia (Albert Dranem). Meanwhile, chambermaid Victoire (Simone Simon), harboring a seemingly hopeless love for Claude, takes up with the heiress's ex-beau, golf champion Teddy Smith (Alexander D'Arcy). It takes a heap of plot twists before Claude and Victoire end up in each other's arms at "The End" time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Betty Stockfeld, Simone Simon, (more)
- 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
Un Soir de Rafle (Dragnet Night) details the rise and fall of headstrong prizefighter Georget (Albert Prejean). Upon winning the championship title, Georget forgets himself and spends a bacchanalian evening with a sexy adventuress. He squanders all his money and time on this new conquest, utterly forgetting his childhood sweetheart. Inevitably, he washes out in the boxing ring, a by-product not only of his new hedonistic lifestyle but also of his decision to dump his faithful manager in favor of a crooked one. Only when he gets the stuffings knocked out of him does Georget come to his senses and return to the people in his life who truly matter. Carmine Gallone directed from a screenplay by Henri Decoin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Annabella, 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)
- 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)
