The Sword and the Cross

Last updated
The Sword and the Cross
The Sword and the Cross.jpg
La spada e la croce (Italy, 1958)
Mary Magdalene (U.S., 1960)
Directed by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia
Screenplay by Sandro Continenza
Story byOttavio Poggi
Produced byOttavio Poggi
Starring Yvonne De Carlo
Cinematography Raffaele Masciocchi
Edited by Renato Cinquini
Music by Roberto Nicolosi
Production
company
Liber Film
Distributed byAmex (U.S.)
Release date
  • 1958 (1958)(Italy)
Running time
105 minutes
CountryItaly
LanguagesEnglish
Italian

The Sword and the Cross (Italian : La spada e la croce) is a 1958 Italian religious drama film directed by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia and starring Yvonne De Carlo as Mary Magdalene. [1] Shot in English and later dubbed in Italian, [2] the film was released in the United States in 1960 as Mary Magdalene. [3]

Contents

Cast

Production

De Carlo was signed for the film in May 1958. [4] The film's director, Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia, later remembered that the "producer, Ottavio Poggi, had sent the provisional script to America, so Yvonne De Carlo could read it and decide on her participation in the film. She read it and got very excited, agreeing to play the role of Magdalene." [5]

Edgar G. Ulmer was reportedly preparing another project on Magdalene with Ottavio Poggi. [6]

De Carlo left for Rome in July 1958. Filming took place in Rome in August through to November 1958 at Cinicetta Studios. [7] A working title for the film was The Great Sinner. [8]

Release

Although the film was shot under the English title The Sword and the Cross another Italian film with that name (Le Schiave di Cartagine aka Slaves of Carthage) starring Gianna Maria Canale and Jorge Mistral, was released un the US in 1960. [9]

Critical reception

The Los Angeles Times called the film "sluggish". [10]

Gary Allen Smith, in his book Epic Films: Casts, Credits and Commentary on More Than 350 Historical Spectacle Movies, described the film as "above average." [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yvonne De Carlo</span> Canadian-born American actress, dancer and singer (1922–2007)

Margaret Yvonne Middleton, known professionally as Yvonne De Carlo, was a Canadian-American actress, dancer and singer. She became a Hollywood film star in the 1940s and 1950s, made several recordings, and later acted on television and stage.

<i>Telefoni Bianchi</i> Italian film genre

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aldo Fabrizi</span> Italian actor, director

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giovanna Ralli</span> Italian actress (born 1935)

Giovanna Ralli,, is an Italian stage, film, and television actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Furio Scarpelli</span> Italian screenwriter

Furio Scarpelli, also called Scarpelli, was an Italian screenwriter, famous for his collaboration on numerous commedia all'italiana films with Agenore Incrocci, forming the duo Age & Scarpelli.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anton Giulio Bragaglia</span> Italian photographer, filmmaker and writer (1890–1960)

Anton Giulio Bragaglia was a pioneer in Italian Futurist photography and Futurist cinema. A versatile and intellectual artist with wide interests, he wrote about film, theatre, and dance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia</span> Italian film director (1894–1998)

Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia was an Italian film director whose career spanned from the 1930s to the mid-1960s. He mainly directed adventure pictures and popular comedies, including some starring Totò. His 1942 film Non ti pago! was shown as part of a retrospective on Italian comedy at the 67th Venice International Film Festival.

<i>Orient Express</i> (1954 film) 1954 drama film

Orient Express is a 1954 drama film directed by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia and starring Silvana Pampanini, Henri Vidal, Folco Lulli, Eva Bartok, and Curd Jürgens. It was made as a co-production between Italy, France and West Germany.

<i>Im the Hero</i> 1952 film

I'm the Hero is a 1952 Italian comedy film directed by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia and starring Renato Rascel, Delia Scala and Marisa Merlini. It was shot at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome. The film's sets were designed by the art director Alberto Tavazzi.

<i>At Swords Edge</i> 1952 film

At Sword's Edge is a 1952 Italian swashbuckler film directed by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia and starring Frank Latimore, Milly Vitale and Pierre Cressoy. It was shot at Cinecittà Studios in Rome. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Mario Chiari and Gianni Polidori.

<i>Don Lorenzo</i> (film) 1952 film

Don Lorenzo is a 1952 Italian musical melodrama film directed by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia and starring Luciano Tajoli, Rossana Podestà and Andrea Checchi. It was shot at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome. The film's sets were designed by the art director Alberto Boccianti.

The Secret of Three Points is a 1952 Italian adventure film directed by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia.

<i>Hannibal</i> (1959 film) 1959 film

Hannibal is a 1959 Italian historical adventure film based on the life of Hannibal, starring Victor Mature in the title role. The film was directed by Edgar G. Ulmer and Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia. It marks the first film pairing of Terence Hill and Bud Spencer under their real names. However they only appear in supporting roles and have no scenes in common.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mario Castellani</span> Italian actor (1906–1978)

Mario Castellani was an Italian comic actor, best known as the sidekick of famous comic actor Antonio De Curtis (Totò). He appeared with the latter in all his major movies, as well as many of Totò's theatre productions.

<i>After Casanovas Fashion</i> 1942 film

After Casanova's Fashion is a 1942 Italian comedy film directed by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia and starring Eduardo De Filippo, Peppino De Filippo, and Clelia Matania.

<i>Slave of Rome</i> 1961 film

Slave of Rome is a 1961 Italian peplum film written and directed by Sergio Grieco and starring Rossana Podestà and Guy Madison.

<i>Tuppe tuppe, Marescià!</i> 1958 film

Tuppe tuppe, Marescià!, also known as È permesso Maresciallo?, is a 1958 Italian comedy film directed by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia and starring Peppino De Filippo and Giovanna Ralli.

<i>Hotel Luna, Room 34</i> 1946 Italian film

Hotel Luna, Room 34 is a 1946 Italian crime-thriller-melodrama film directed by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia and starring Chiaretta Gelli, Carlo Campanini and Andrea Checchi.

<i>The Four Musketeers</i> (1963 film) 1963 film

The Four Musketeers is a 1963 Italian-French adventure-comedy film co-written and directed by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia and starring Aldo Fabrizi, Erminio Macario and Nino Taranto. It is a loose parody of Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers.

Vittorio De Sica was an Italian film director and actor. He became a popular leading actor in interwar Italy where he primarily performed in comedic roles. After World War II, he became one of the major film directors of the neorealist movement.

References

  1. Roberto Chiti; Roberto Poppi; Enrico Lancia. Dizionario del cinema italiano: I film. Gremese, 1991. ISBN   8876055487.
  2. "Hard Work Pays Off For Yvonne". The Deseret News . July 18, 1958. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Smith, Gary Allen (2004). Epic Films: Casts, Credits and Commentary on More Than 350 Historical Spectacle Movies, 2d ed. McFarland. pp. 164–165. ISBN   1476604185 . Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  4. "De Carlo Signed for Italian 'Magdalene'". Variety . May 20, 1958.
  5. Antonelli, Lamberto; Laura, Ernesto G. (1992). Nato col cinema: Carlo Ludovico Braggalia: cent'anni tra arti e cinema. A.N.C.C.I. p. 101. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  6. Scheuer, P. K. (May 20, 1958). "'Small world' seen as large novelty". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest   167272849.
  7. R. F. (Nov 9, 1958). "ITALIAN SCREEN SCENE". New York Times. ProQuest   114353954.
  8. Filmer, Fay (26 July 1958). "GOSSIP". Picture Show. 71 (1843). London: 3–4. ProQuest   1879623969.
  9. Archer, E. (Jun 30, 1960). "Sword and the cross". New York Times. ProQuest   115220608.
  10. Stinson, C. (Aug 5, 1960). "'MAGDALENE' TAKES HER TIME TO REFORM". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest   167713754.