Alessandro Blasetti was an Italian film director and screenwriter who influenced Italian neorealism with the film Quattro passi fra le nuvole. Blasetti was one of the leading figures in Italian cinema during the Fascist era. He is sometimes known as the "father of Italian cinema" because of his role in reviving the struggling industry in the late 1920s.
Aldo Fabrizi was an Italian actor, director, screenwriter and comedian, best known for the role of the heroic priest in Roberto Rossellini's Rome, Open City and as partner of Totò in a number of successful comedies.
Clara Calamai was an Italian actress.
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.
The Song of Love is a 1930 Italian romance film directed by Gennaro Righelli and starring Dria Paola, Isa Pola and Elio Steiner. It was the first Italian talking film. Alessandro Blasetti's film Resurrection was actually shot first, but delays meant that it was not released until 1931.
Marionette is a 1939 Italian comedy film directed by Carmine Gallone and starring Beniamino Gigli, Carla Rust and Lucie Englisch. It featured the onscreen debut of Marcello Mastroianni as an uncredited extra.
Leda Gloria was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 66 films between 1929 and 1965. During the expansion of Italian cinema of the Fascist era of the 1930s and early 1940s she appeared in starring roles, later transitioning into character parts after the Second World War. She appeared in the Don Camillo series of films, playing the wife of Gino Cervi's Giuseppe Bottazzi.
In Olden Days is a 1952 Italian comedy drama anthology film directed by Alessandro Blasetti and featuring an ensemble cast that included Gina Lollobrigida, Amedeo Nazzari, Vittorio De Sica, Elisa Cegani, Barbara Florian, Aldo Fabrizi, Andrea Checchi and Alba Arnova. It was shot at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Dario Cecchi and Veniero Colasanti. It is also known as Times Gone By and Infidelity.
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.
The Table of the Poor is a 1932 Italian drama film directed by Alessandro Blasetti and starring Raffaele Viviani, Leda Gloria and Salvatore Costa. It was based on a play by Viviani set in Naples. It was shot at the Cines Studios in Rome. The film's sets were designed by Gastone Medin. It portrays the adventures of an impoverished Marquis who continues to lead a grand lifestyle.
Alfredo Varelli was an Italian film actor whose career spanned more than six decades. Varelli was born Alfredo Ciavarella and debuted in Alessandro Blasetti's 1934 film Vecchia guardia. He emerged during the Fascist era, but most of his work was post-Second World War. He played a leading role in the 1942 historical drama The Jester's Supper. Varelli is also known for playing "Lucan" in Quo Vadis (1951). His last role was in the film Roseanna's Grave, released posthumously in 1997.
The Widow is a 1939 Italian drama film directed by Goffredo Alessandrini and starring Isa Pola, Leonardo Cortese and Osvaldo Valenti. A mother's possessive love for her dead son leads to a hostile attitude towards his widow.
The Telephone Operator is a 1932 Italian comedy film directed by Nunzio Malasomma and starring Isa Pola, Mimì Aylmer and Luigi Cimara. It was a remake of the German film Wrong Number, Miss, released the same year.
Sandro Salvini (1890–1955) was an Italian actor. He appeared in around thirty films during the silent and sound eras. He played the lead role of the Duke in Alessandro Blasetti's Mother Earth (1931). His grandfather was the 19th century Italian stage tragedian Tommaso Salvini.
Margaret of Cortona is a 1950 Italian historical drama film directed by Mario Bonnard and starring Maria Frau, Isa Pola and Galeazzo Benti. It portrays the life of the thirteenth century saint Margaret of Cortona. The film's sets were designed by the art director Virgilio Marchi.
Dagli Appennini alle Ande is a 1943 Italian drama film directed by Flavio Calzavara, starring Cesare Barbetti, Leda Gloria, Nino Pavese, Margherita Del Plata and Cesco Baseggio. It tells the story of the young boy Marco who secretly embarks from Genoa to reach his mother in Argentina. The film is based on the story with the same title from Edmondo De Amicis's book Heart. The story has been adapted for film multiple times both before and after.
Backstage is a 1939 Italian comedy film directed by Alessandro Blasetti and starring Filippo Romito, Elisa Cegani and Camillo Pilotto. It is part of the tradition of White Telephone films, popular in Italy during the era.
Kean is a 1940 Italian historical drama film directed by Guido Brignone and starring Rossano Brazzi, Germana Paolieri. and Sandro Salvini. It is based on the 1836 play Kean by Alexandre Dumas portraying the life of the English actor Edmund Kean.
The Storyteller of Venice is a 1929 Italian silent comedy film directed by Retti Marsani and starring Hertha von Walther and Luigi Serventi.
Ragazzo is a 1934 Italian lost film directed by Ivo Perilli. The film was censored by the Italian government, and its only known copy was subsequently looted by German soldiers in 1944 and has not resurfaced.
