Telefoni Bianchi films, also called deco films, were made by the Italian film industry in the 1930s and the 1940s in imitation of American comedies of the time in a sharp contrast to the other important style of the era, calligrafismo, which was highly artistic. The cinema of Telefoni Bianchi was born from the success of the Italian film comedy of the early 1930s; it was a lighter version, cleansed of any intellectualism or veiled social criticism.
Rafael Félix Rivelles Guillén was a Spanish actor born in El Cabañal, a small town in the province of Valencia, Spain. Son of play actor José Rivelles and play actress Amparo Guillén, he was the father of famous Spanish star Amparo Rivelles. In the 1930s, with the advent of talking films, he went to Hollywood to make Spanish-language versions of American films, but eventually came back to Spain.
Carlo Ninchi was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1931 and 1963.
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.
The Lion of Amalfi is a 1950 Italian historical adventure film directed by Pietro Francisci and starring Vittorio Gassman, Milly Vitale and Carlo Ninchi. After making his 1949 biopic Anthony of Padua, Francisci switched to making historical adventures. Gassman had attracted notice for his performance in the melodrama Bitter Rice leading to his casting in this film.
The Ferocious Saladin is a 1937 Italian "white-telephones" comedy film directed by Mario Bonnard and starring Angelo Musco, Alida Valli and Lino Carenzio. The film was made at Cinecittà in Rome. On 28 April 1937, Benito Mussolini visited the newly completed studio. Along with the historical epic Scipio Africanus, this was one of the films he saw being made. The film, a vehicle for the Sicilian comedian Angelo Musco, is about an unsuccessful old comedian forced to find another work. While he is selling cakes in a theatre, the audience discover the highly sought-after collectible cards of "The Ferocious Saladin". Inspired by the event, the comedian sets up a successful comic piece on stage.
The Gay Swordsman is a 1950 Italian historical adventure film directed by Riccardo Freda and starring Carlo Ninchi, Gianna Maria Canale and Franca Marzi.
The King's Jester is a 1941 Italian historical drama film directed by Mario Bonnard and starring Michel Simon, María Mercader and Rossano Brazzi. The film is an adaptation of the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo and uses music from Verdi's later opera Rigoletto. It is set at the court of Francis I of France in the Sixteenth century.
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.
Tragic Night is a 1942 Italian drama film directed by Mario Soldati and starring Doris Duranti, Carlo Ninchi and Andrea Checchi. It is based on a 1928 novel La trappola by Delfino Cinelli. After being released from prison, a poacher seeks revenge on the gamekeeper who put him there. It was made at the Scalera Studios in Rome. It belongs to the movies of the calligrafismo style.
Giarabub is a 1942 Italian war film directed by Goffredo Alessandrini and starring Carlo Ninchi, Mario Ferrari and Doris Duranti. The film was a propaganda work which portrayed the Siege of Giarabub (1940–41) during the Second World War, in which Italian troops defended Jaghbub, Libya, for nine months against British forces.
The Cavalier from Kruja is a 1940 Italian war film directed by Carlo Campogalliani and starring Doris Duranti, Antonio Centa and Leda Gloria. The film portrays the 1939 Italian invasion of Albania. It was made as a propaganda work in support of the Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini.
The Iron Swordsman is a 1949 Italian historical drama film directed by Riccardo Freda and starring Carlo Ninchi and Gianna Maria Canale. It is loosely based on real life events of Ugolino della Gherardesca.
Diamonds is a 1939 Italian "white-telephones" comedy film directed by Corrado D'Errico and starring Doris Duranti, Lamberto Picasso and Laura Nucci.
Captain Tempesta is a historical adventure novel written by Italian author Emilio Salgari, published in 1905. Set against the backdrop of the Siege of Famagusta during the Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) it features the first female swordswoman in Italian popular fiction, the Duchess Eleanora d'Eboli, better known as Captain Tempesta.
Captain Tempest is a 1942 Italian-Spanish historical adventure film directed by Corrado D'Errico and starring Doris Duranti, Dina Sassoli and Carlo Ninchi. It is an adaptation of the 1905 novel of the same title by Emilio Salgari set during the Ottoman–Venetian War. It was shot at the Scalera Studios in Rome. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Gustav Abel and Amleto Bonetti. It was followed by a sequel The Lion of Damascus the same year.
Carla Candiani (1916–2005) was an Italian film actress. She was a graduate of the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia She played the title role in the 1942 film Captain Tempest and its sequel The Lion of Damascus.
The Hotel of the Absent is a 1939 Italian mystery thriller film directed by Raffaello Matarazzo and starring Paola Barbara, Carla Candiani and Camillo Pilotto. It was shot at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome. The film's sets were designed by the art director Piero Filippone. It is also known as the The Property of the Absent.
Love Trap is a 1940 Italian comedy film directed by Raffaello Matarazzo and starring Giuseppe Porelli, Carla Candiani and Claudio Gora. It was shot at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome. The film's sets were designed by the art director Paolo Volta.
Black Gold is a 1942 Italian drama film directed by Enrico Guazzoni and Camillo Mastrocinque and starring Juan de Landa, Carla Candiani and Piero Pastore. It was shot at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome and the Pisorno Studios in Tirrenia. The film's sets were designed by the art director Ivo Battelli.
