| Sentinels of Bronze | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Romolo Marcellini |
| Written by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Renato Del Frate |
Production company | Fono Roma |
| Distributed by | Generalcine |
Release date | 21 August 1937 |
Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | Italy |
| Language | Italian |
Sentinels of Bronze (Italian: Sentinelle di bronzo) is a 1937 Italian war film directed by Romolo Marcellini and starring Fosco Giachetti, Giovanni Grasso and Doris Duranti.
In the 1930s and 1940s, early Somali actors and film technicians co-operated with Italian crews to domestically produce Fascist films. Among the latter productions were Dub'aad and Sentinels of Bronze. The movie "Sentinels of Bronze" (Sentinelle di bronzo [1] ) was awarded in the Festival di Venezia of 1937 as the "Best Italian colonial Film", winning an Italian Cup. [2]
The film is a propaganda work set in the days leading up to the outbreak of the Second Italo-Ethiopian War.
In an incident modeled on the Wal Wal incident, an Italian outpost is besieged by large numbers of Abyssinian troops, but the garrison refuse to surrender. It was part of a series of films set in Italy's African Empire during the Fascist era. [3]
Italian Somalia, was a protectorate and later colony of the Kingdom of Italy in present-day Somalia. Ruled in the 19th century by the Somali Sultanates of Hobyo and Majeerteen in the north, and the Hiraab Imamate and Geledi Sultanate and the Biimaal Sultanate leading a resistance against the colonials in southern Somalia for decades. The territory was acquired in the 1880s by Italy through various treaties.
The cinema of Somalia refers to the film industry in Somalia. The earliest forms of public film display in the country were Italian newsreels of key events during the colonial period. In 1937 the film Sentinels of Bronze was produced in Ogaden Somalia, with nearly all Somali actors. Growing out of the Somali people's rich storytelling tradition, the first few feature-length Somali films and cinematic festivals emerged in the early 1960s, immediately after independence. Following the creation of the Somali Film Agency (SFA) regulatory body in 1975, the local film scene began to expand rapidly. In the 1970s and early 1980s, popular musicals known as riwaayado were the main driving force behind the Somali movie industry. Epic and period films as well as international co-productions followed suit, facilitated by the proliferation of video technology and national television networks. In the 1990s and 2000s, a new wave of more entertainment-oriented movies emerged. Referred to as Somaliwood, this upstart, youth-based cinematic movement has energized the Somali film industry and in the process introduced innovative storylines, marketing strategies and production techniques.
Amedeo Nazzari was an Italian actor. Nazzari was one of the leading figures of Italian classic cinema, often considered a local variant of the Australian-American star Errol Flynn. Although he emerged as a star during the Fascist era, Nazzari's popularity continued well into the post-war years.
Fosco Giachetti was an Italian actor.
The Djiboutians are the people inhabiting or originating from Djibouti. The country is mainly composed of two ethnic groups, the Somali and the Afar. It has many languages - though Somali and Afar are the most widely spoken ones, Arabic and French serve as the official languages. There is a small Djiboutian diaspora in North America, Europe, and Australia.
L'abito nero da sposa is a 1945 Italian historical drama film directed by Luigi Zampa and starring Fosco Giachetti. It is based on the play The Cardinal by Louis N. Parker.
Giovanni Grasso was an Italian stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1910 and 1955. He was born and died in Catania, Sicily, Italy. Born into a family of marionettists, he was cousin and namesake of Giovanni Grasso, a respected stage actor specialized in the Sicilian language repertoire, so he assumed at the beginning of his career the stage name "Giovanni Grasso Junior" to stand out. He was mainly active on stage, often acting together with his wife, Virginia Balestrieri.
Italian Somalis are Somali descendants from Italian colonists, as well as long-term Italian residents in Somalia.
Doris Duranti was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 43 films between 1935 and 1975. She had a years-long affair with Alessandro Pavolini, a Fascist politician who in 1945 was executed by Italian partisans; his body was then hung with that of Benito Mussolini.
Fugitive in Trieste is a 1951 Italian war-drama film directed by Guido Salvini and starring Doris Duranti, Jacques Sernas and Massimo Girotti.
Scipione l'africano (1937) — in English Scipio Africanus: The Defeat of Hannibal — is an Italian historical film that focuses on Publius Cornelius Scipio from the time of his election as proconsul until his defeat of Hannibal at the Battle of Zama in 202 BC. It was directed by Carmine Gallone and stars Annibale Ninchi and Camillo Pilotto. The film was funded by Benito Mussolini and was released in 1937, serving as propaganda for the fascist ambitions in North Africa.
Bengasi is a 1942 Italian war film directed by Augusto Genina and starring Fosco Giachetti, Maria von Tasnady and Amedeo Nazzari. The film was shot at Cinecittà in Rome. The film was a propaganda work, designed to support the Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini. It portrays Allied atrocities in "Bengasi Italiana", such as the murder of a peasant by a group of drunken Australian soldiers.
The "10th" annual (void) Venice International Film Festival was held from 30 August to 5 September 1942. The events were hosted at places far away from the Lido and very few countries participated due to World War II and directors that were members of the Rome-Berlin axis. Additionally, a strong fascist political meddling from the Italian fascist government under Benito Mussolini had led to Italy experiencing a period of cultural depression oppressed by fascist propaganda. It is the last edition before the suspension for the Second World War.
We the Living is a two-part 1942 Italian romantic war drama film, based on Ayn Rand's 1936 novel of the same name. It was originally released as two films, Noi vivi and Addio Kira. It was directed by Goffredo Alessandrini and produced by Scalera Film, and stars Alida Valli as Kira Argounova, Rossano Brazzi as Leo Kovalensky, and Fosco Giachetti as Andrei Taganov.
Aldebaran is a 1935 Italian drama film directed by Alessandro Blasetti and starring Gino Cervi, Evi Maltagliati and Gianfranco Giachetti. The film was a naval melodrama, an attempt by Blasetti to make a more commercial film following the difficulties encountered with the propagandist The Old Guard (1934).
The Great Appeal is a 1936 Italian war film directed by Mario Camerini and starring Camillo Pilotto, Roberto Villa and Lina d'Acosta. It is sometimes known by the alternative title The Last Roll-Call.
Under the Southern Cross is a 1938 Italian drama film directed by Guido Brignone and starring Antonio Centa, Doris Duranti and Enrico Glori. The film is set in Italian-occupied Abyssinia following the recent Italian victory there. It was one of a sequence of eight films set in Italy's African Empire during the Fascist era that were released between 1936 and 1939. The film is a propaganda piece designed to support Fascist policy on empire and concerns about inter-racial romances.
The Daughter of the Green Pirate is a 1940 Italian adventure film directed by Enrico Guazzoni and starring Doris Duranti, Fosco Giachetti and Camillo Pilotto. It was shot partly at the Pisorno Studios in Tirrenia with sets designed by the art director Piero Filippone. The film was based on a novel by Emilio Salgari.
Reer Faqay, also known as Banu Qahtan, is a Somali clan and a Benadiri sub clan. It is primarily found in the southern coastal cities of Mogadishu, Marka, Baraawe and Kismayo. They established communities in the hinterlands in towns such as Afgooye, Baidoa, Diinsoor and Bardheere.
