Luisa Ferida, real surname Manfrini, was an Italian stage and film actress. She was considered a diva in Italian cinema during 1935 to 1945 and 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.
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.
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.
Leonardo Cortese was an Italian film actor and director. He appeared in more than 30 films between 1938 and 1962. He also directed eight films between 1952 and 1967. He was born and died in Rome, Italy.
Ettore Fieramosca is a 1938 Italian historical film directed by Alessandro Blasetti and starring Gino Cervi, Mario Ferrari and Elisa Cegani. It is adapted from the 1833 novel of the same title by Massimo D'Azeglio, based on the life of the 16th century condottiero Ettore Fieramosca.
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.
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.
Mother Earth is a 1931 Italian drama film directed by Alessandro Blasetti and starring Leda Gloria, Sandro Salvini and Isa Pola. It was made at the Cines Studios in Rome. Along with Blasetti's other early films, it shows a strong influence of Soviet-style realism. A country landowner decides to sell up and move to the city, but later has a change of heart. It was part of Fascist Italy's promotion of rural over urban values.
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.
Lucrezia Borgia is a 1940 Italian historical film directed by Hans Hinrich and starring Isa Pola, Friedrich Benfer and Carlo Ninchi. The film portrays the life of Lucrezia Borgia (1480-1519), one of a number of Italian films of the era set during the Renaissance. It was made at the Scalera Studios in Rome.
First Love is a 1941 Italian drama film directed by Carmine Gallone and starring Leonardo Cortese, Vivi Gioi and Luigi Almirante. It was made at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome.
Tortured Soul is a 1919 Italian silent film directed by Mario Caserini and starring Maria Jacobini, Andrea Habay and Alberto Collo. Alessandro Blasetti, a leading Italian director of the Fascist era, had his first contact with filmmaking by appearing as an extra.
Yes, Madam is a 1942 Italian romance film directed by Ferdinando Maria Poggioli and starring María Denis, Leonardo Cortese and Emma Gramatica. It was shot at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome. The films sets were designed by the art director Fulvio Jacchia.
Creatures of the Night is a 1934 Italian drama film directed by Amleto Palermi and starring Tatyana Pavlova, Isa Pola and María Denis.
The Rival of the Empress is a 1951 Italian historical adventure film directed by Jacopo Comin and Sidney Salkow and starring Richard Greene, Valentina Cortese and Isa Pola. A separate English-language version Shadow of the Eagle was released the previous year.
The King of England Will Not Pay is a 1941 Italian historical drama film directed by Giovacchino Forzano and starring Andrea Checchi, Silvana Jachino and Osvaldo Valenti. It was shot at the Tirrenia Studios. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Antonio Valente and Savino Fino.
Beyond Love is a 1940 Italian historical drama film directed by Carmine Gallone and starring Alida Valli, Amedeo Nazzari and Osvaldo Valenti. It is based on the 1829 novella Vanina Vanini by Stendhal.
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.
