Knights of the Desert (film)

Last updated
Knights of the Desert
Directed by Gino Talamo
Osvaldo Valenti
Written by Emilio Salgari (novel)
Vittorio Mussolini
Federico Fellini
StarringOsvaldo Valenti
Luisa Ferida
Luigi Pavese
Guido Celano
Cinematography Angelo Jannarelli
Music by Renzo Rossellini
Production
company
Release date
  • 1942 (1942)
CountryItaly
Language Italian

Knights of the Desert (Italian:I cavalieri del deserto) is a 1942 Italian adventure film directed by Gino Talamo and Osvaldo Valenti. It starred Valenti, Luisa Ferida and Luigi Pavese. [1] The film was based on a novel by Emilio Salgari with a screenplay by Federico Fellini and Vittorio Mussolini, the son of Italy's dictator Benito Mussolini. It was produced by the Rome-based ACI which was run by Vittorio Mussolini. Valenti and Ferida were romantically linked, and co-starred in several films together.

Contents

The film was shot on location in Libya, before the North African Campaign turned decisively against Italy and its Allies. Fellini may have directed some of the Libyan scenes after Gino Talamo was injured in a car accident. [2] The film was ultimately never released due to the defeats suffered in Libya, which meant its plot was now a potential embarrassment to the regime.

Cast

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luisa Ferida</span> Italian actress (1914–1945)

Luisa Ferida, real surname Manfrini, was an Italian stage and film actress. She was one of divas in Italian cinema during decade 1935–1945 and she was the highest paid movie star of that period. The actress was famous as a films diva and she is remembered for her tragic death; in fact during the period of anti-fascist vendettas, immediately after Italian Civil War, she was assassinated, as was later proved by the Milan Court of Appeal, by shooting following a summary trial carried out by some partisans: she was shot with her lover, the actor and member of Decima Flottiglia MAS Osvaldo Valenti, as accused of alleged and hypothetical participation in war crimes and torture in connection with so-called Koch gang, facts of which she was then deemed innocent after the war. Therefore a war pension was allocated to the mother, who had no other source of income.

<i>The Iron Crown</i> 1941 film by Alessandro Blasetti

The Iron Crown is a 1941 Italian adventure film written and directed by Alessandro Blasetti, starring Massimo Girotti and Gino Cervi. The narrative revolves a sacred iron crown and a king who is prophesied to lose his kingdom to his nephew. It blends motifs from several European myths, legends and modern works of popular fiction. The film won a Coppa Mussolini award, which is the ancestor to the Golden Lion.

<i>Wild Blood</i> (2008 film) 2008 Italian film

Wild Blood is an Italian biographical drama film directed in 2008 by Marco Tullio Giordana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Osvaldo Valenti</span> Italian actor

Osvaldo Valenti was an Italian film actor. Valenti starred in several successful Italian movies of the late 1930s and early 1940s, such as the famous The Iron Crown and The Jester's Supper. He appeared in more than 50 films between 1928 and 1945. He and his lover, Luisa Ferida, were executed by partisans in Milan, Italy, due to their links with Fascism. Their story was portrayed in the 2008 film Wild Blood.

<i>An Adventure of Salvator Rosa</i> 1939 film by Alessandro Blasetti

An Adventure of Salvator Rosa is a 1939 Italian historical adventure film directed by Alessandro Blasetti and starring Gino Cervi, Luisa Ferida and Rina Morelli. It is set in seventeenth century Naples, then occupied by Spain, where a famous artist celebrated for his paintings of the rich leads a double life as a secret defender of the poor and oppressed.

<i>The Jesters Supper</i> (film) 1942 film

The Jester's Supper is a 1942 Italian historical film directed by Alessandro Blasetti and starring Amedeo Nazzari, Osvaldo Valenti and Clara Calamai. It was based on a play of the same title by Sem Benelli, which had later been turned into an opera by Umberto Giordano. Like the play, the film is set in the 15th century Florence of Lorenzo the Magnificent and portrays a rivalry that leads to a series of increasingly violent practical jokes.

<i>Blood Wedding</i> (1941 film) 1941 Italian film

Blood Wedding is a 1941 Italian drama film directed by Goffredo Alessandrini and starring Beatrice Mancini, Fosco Giachetti and Luisa Ferida. It is set in 19th century South America, and features an arranged marriage. The film is based on the novel Immacolata by Lina Pietravalle.

<i>Sleeping Beauty</i> (1942 film) 1942 film

Sleeping Beauty is a 1942 Italian drama film directed by Luigi Chiarini and starring Luisa Ferida, Amedeo Nazzari and Osvaldo Valenti. The film was screened at the 1942 Venice Film Festival. It is based on a 1919 play by Pier Maria Rosso di San Secondo. It belongs to the movies of the calligrafismo style.

<i>The Innkeeper</i> 1944 Italian historical comedy film

The Innkeeper is a 1944 Italian historical comedy film directed by Luigi Chiarini and starring Luisa Ferida, Armando Falconi and Osvaldo Valenti. The film is an adaptation of Carlo Goldoni's 1753 play The Mistress of the Inn, one of a number of times the work has been turned into films. It belongs to the movies of the calligrafismo style.

Luisa Sanfelice is a 1942 Italian historical drama film directed by Leo Menardi and starring Laura Solari, Massimo Serato and Osvaldo Valenti. The film is an adaptation of a novel by Alexandre Dumas based on the story of Luisa Sanfelice (1764-1800) an Italian aristocrat executed in Naples by Ferdinand I for supporting a Republican attempt to overthrow him during the French Revolutionary Wars. Horatio Nelson and Lady Hamilton both feature prominently.

<i>The Secret Lover</i> 1941 Italian film

The Secret Lover is a 1941 Italian drama film directed by Carmine Gallone and starring Alida Valli, Fosco Giachetti and Vivi Gioi. It was made at Cinecittà in Rome.

The Two Orphans is a 1942 Italian historical drama film directed by Carmine Gallone and starring Alida Valli, María Denis and Osvaldo Valenti. It was based on the play The Two Orphans by Adolphe d'Ennery and Eugène Cormon, one of many film adaptations. It was made at Cinecittà in Rome.

The Joker King is a 1935 Italian historical comedy film directed by Enrico Guazzoni and starring Luisa Ferida, Armando Falconi and Luigi Cimara.

<i>Hurricane in the Tropics</i> 1939 Italian film

Hurricane in the Tropics is a 1939 Italian adventure film directed by Pier Luigi Faraldo and Gino Talamo and starring Fosco Giachetti, Rubi D'Alma, and Osvaldo Valenti. The film is based on a novel by Anton Giulio Majano. The film was shot at the Fert Studios in Turin, with sets designed by Ottavio Scotti.

Antonio Meucci is a 1940 Italian historical film directed by Enrico Guazzoni and starring Luigi Pavese, Leda Gloria, and Nerio Bernardi. It portrays the life of Antonio Meucci, the nineteenth century inventor and supporter of Giuseppe Garibaldi. The film was shot at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome.

<i>Beatrice Cenci</i> (1941 film) 1941 film

Beatrice Cenci is a 1941 Italian historical drama film directed by Guido Brignone and starring Carola Höhn, Giulio Donadio and Tina Lattanzi. It is one of several films portraying the story of the sixteenth century Italian noblewoman Beatrice Cenci.

<i>Star of the Sea</i> (1938 film) 1938 film

Star of the Sea is a 1938 Italian "white-telephones" comedy film directed by Corrado D'Errico and starring Galliano Masini, Luisa Ferida and Germana Paolieri.

<i>Golden Arrow</i> (1935 film) 1935 film

Golden Arrow is a 1935 Italian crime film directed by Piero Ballerini and Corrado D'Errico and starring Luisa Ferida, Guido Barbarisi and Ennio Cerlesi. It was screened at the 1935 Venice Film Festival.

<i>Fedora</i> (1942 film) 1942 film

Fedora is a 1942 Italian historical drama film directed by Camillo Mastrocinque and starring Luisa Ferida, Amedeo Nazzari and Osvaldo Valenti. It is based on the 1882 play of the same title by Victorien Sardou.

Harlem is a 1943 Italian sports crime film directed by Carmine Gallone and starring Massimo Girotti, Amedeo Nazzari and Vivi Gioi. It was shot at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome. The film's sets were designed by the art director Guido Fiorini. The former world heavyweight champion Primo Carnera appears in a small role. It is also known by the alternative title of Knock Out.

References

  1. Goble, Alan. The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. Walter de Gruyter, 1999. p.708
  2. Kezich, Tullio. Federico Fellini: His Life and Work. I.B.Tauris, 2007. p.70