Mario Monicelli
Encyclopedia
Mario Monicelli was an Italian director and screenwriter and one of the masters of the Commedia all'Italiana
(Comedy Italian style), three times nominated for Oscar.
and was the youngest son of the Mantua
n journalist Tommaso Monicelli. His older brother Giorgio worked as writer and translator. Another older brother, Franco, was a journalist.
He attended studies in the local lyceum, and entered into the film world through his friendship with Giacomo Forzano, son of the playwright Giovacchino Forzano
, who had been encharged by Benito Mussolini
with the founding of cinema studios in Tirrenia. Monicelli lived a carefree youth, and many of the cinematic jokes he later shot in Amici Miei were taken from his experience.
Monicelli made his first short in 1934, a collaboration with his friend Alberto Mondadori. He followed this work up with the silent film I ragazzi della Via Paal (an adaptation of the novel The Paul Street Boys
), which was an award-winner in the Venice Film Festival
. His first feature length work was made in 1937 (Pioggia d'estate
, "Summer Rain"). In the years 1939–1942 Monicelli also produced numerous screenplays (up to 40), and worked as an assistant director.
Monicelli made his official debut as a director in 1949, with Totò cerca casa, along with Steno
. From the very beginning of his career Monicelli's cinematic style had a remarkable flow to it. The duo produced eight successful movies in four years, including Guardie e ladri (1951
) and Totò a colori (1952
). From 1953 onwards Monicelli worked alone, without leaving his role as a writer of screenplays.
Monicelli's career include some of the masterpieces of Italian cinema. In I soliti ignoti (Big Deal on Madonna Street)
(1958), again featuring the ubiquitous comedian Totò
, he discovered the comical talent of Vittorio Gassman
and Marcello Mastroianni
and probably produced the first true commedia all'italiana. While it is more well known in the English-speaking world as Big Deal on Madonna Street, the actual translation from the Italian is "the usual unknown perpetrators" (which is similar to the famous line from Casablanca
of "Round up the usual suspects"). The film was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film
at the 31st Academy Awards
.
La Grande Guerra (The Great War
), released one year later, is generally regarded as his finest work. For this work Monicelli was awarded a Leone d'Oro in the Venice Film Festival
, and an a Academy Award nomination for the Best Foreign Film. The film, featuring Gassman and the other superstar of Italian comedy, Alberto Sordi
, excelled in the absence of rhetorical accents (the tragedy of World War I was still well in Italian's minds in these years) and for its sharp, tragicomical sense of history. Monicelli received two more Academy Award nominations with I compagni (The Organizer, 1963
) and The Girl with the Pistol
(1968).
L'armata Brancaleone
(For Love and Gold, 1966) is another masterpiece of Italian cinema. The film tells the story of a Middle Age Italy's poor but pompous knight (played by Gassman) from a humorous point of view. Highlighted by Gasmann the bizarre Macaronic Latin-Italian dialogues were devised by Age & Scarpelli
, the most renowned writers of Italian comedies, it was followed by Brancaleone alle Crociate
(Brancaleone at the Crusades) in 1970
.
Amici miei
(My Friends, 1975), featuring Ugo Tognazzi
and Philippe Noiret
, was one of the most successful films in Italy and confirmed Monicelli's skill in mixing humour, irony and bitter feelings. His 1976 film Caro Michele
won him the Silver Bear for Best Director
at the 26th Berlin International Film Festival
. The dramatic accents were predominant in the Un borghese piccolo piccolo
(A Very Little Man, 1978
), but left pace again to comicity and popularesque history with Il Marchese del Grillo
(1981
). Both films featured Alberto Sordi at his best. At the 32nd Berlin International Film Festival
Il Marchese del Grillo won him his third Silver Bear for Best Director award.
Among the final works by Monicelli are Speriamo che sia femmina (1985
), Parenti serpenti (1992
) and Cari fottutissimi amici
(1994
), featuring Paolo Hendel. The latter won an Honourable Mention at the 44th Berlin International Film Festival
. His last feature film
was The Roses of the Desert
(Le rose del deserto, 2006), which he directed when he was 91 years old.
In 1991 he received the Golden Lion
for Career of the Venice Film Festival
. A documentary made by Roberto Salinas and Marina Catucci, Una storia da ridere, breve biografia di Mario Monicelli, appeared in 2008.
Monicelli worked also for television and theatre, occasionally as an actor, and was a noteworthy playwright in his own right. Apart those already mentioned, actors who were launched by Monicelli or played in his movies include Monica Vitti
, Anna Magnani
, Giancarlo Giannini
, Stefania Sandrelli
, Vittorio De Sica
, Sophia Loren
, Enrico Montesano
, Gian Maria Volonté
, Paolo Villaggio
, Nino Manfredi
and Leonardo Pieraccioni
.
Monicelli died on 29 November 2010 at the age of 95, after committing suicide by jumping from a window of the San Giovanni hospital in Rome, where he was admitted a few days earlier for prostate cancer
.
Reportedly, Monicelli jumped from his 5th floor hospital window and landed near the entrance to the ER where many patients and relatives congregated. He had been in and out of the hospital over the years for the treatment of prostate cancer. An unnamed person close to Mario Monicelli said he died from the window leap to commit suicide as he was not aging well and tired of getting old.
He was an atheist.
Commedia all'italiana
Commedia all'italiana or Italian-style comedy is an Italian film genre. It is widely considered to have started with Mario Monicelli's I soliti ignoti in 1958 and derives its name from the title of Pietro Germi's Divorzio all'italiana .-Stars:Vittorio Gassman, Ugo...
(Comedy Italian style), three times nominated for Oscar.
Biography
Monicelli was born in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and was the youngest son of the Mantua
Mantua
Mantua is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy and capital of the province of the same name. Mantua's historic power and influence under the Gonzaga family, made it one of the main artistic, cultural and notably musical hubs of Northern Italy and the country as a whole...
n journalist Tommaso Monicelli. His older brother Giorgio worked as writer and translator. Another older brother, Franco, was a journalist.
He attended studies in the local lyceum, and entered into the film world through his friendship with Giacomo Forzano, son of the playwright Giovacchino Forzano
Giovacchino Forzano
Giovacchino Forzano was an Italian playwright, librettist, stage director, and film director. A resourceful writer, he produced opera librettos for most of the major Italian composers of the early twentieth century, including the librettos for Giacomo Puccini's Suor Angelica and Gianni...
, who had been encharged by Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
with the founding of cinema studios in Tirrenia. Monicelli lived a carefree youth, and many of the cinematic jokes he later shot in Amici Miei were taken from his experience.
Monicelli made his first short in 1934, a collaboration with his friend Alberto Mondadori. He followed this work up with the silent film I ragazzi della Via Paal (an adaptation of the novel The Paul Street Boys
The Paul Street Boys
The Paul Street Boys is a youth novel by the Hungarian writer Ferenc Molnár , first published in 1906.-Plot outline:...
), which was an award-winner in the Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
. His first feature length work was made in 1937 (Pioggia d'estate
Summer Rain (1937 film)
Summer Rain is a 1937 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli. It was his first full-length feature film....
, "Summer Rain"). In the years 1939–1942 Monicelli also produced numerous screenplays (up to 40), and worked as an assistant director.
Monicelli made his official debut as a director in 1949, with Totò cerca casa, along with Steno
Stefano Vanzina
Steno, the artistic name of Stefano Vanzina was an Italian film director, screenwriter and cinematographer...
. From the very beginning of his career Monicelli's cinematic style had a remarkable flow to it. The duo produced eight successful movies in four years, including Guardie e ladri (1951
1951 in film
The year 1951 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Sweden - May Britt is scouted by Italian film-makers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:...
) and Totò a colori (1952
1952 in film
The year 1952 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 10 - Cecil B. DeMille's circus epic, The Greatest Show on Earth, premieres at Radio City Music Hall in New York City....
). From 1953 onwards Monicelli worked alone, without leaving his role as a writer of screenplays.
Monicelli's career include some of the masterpieces of Italian cinema. In I soliti ignoti (Big Deal on Madonna Street)
Big Deal on Madonna Street
Big Deal on Madonna Street is a 1958 Italian criminal-comedy film, directed by Mario Monicelli, and considered to be among the masterpieces of Italian cinema. Its original title translates as "the usual unknown persons", a journalistic and bureaucratic euphemism for "unidentified criminals" or...
(1958), again featuring the ubiquitous comedian Totò
Totò
Prince Antonio Focas Flavio Angelo Ducas Comneno De Curtis di Bisanzio Gagliardi, best known by his stage name Totò and nicknamed il principe della risata was an Italian comedian, film and theatre actor, writer, singer and songwriter...
, he discovered the comical talent of Vittorio Gassman
Vittorio Gassman
Vittorio Gassman Knight Grand Cross OMRI , popularly known as Il Mattatore, was an Italian theatre and film actor and director...
and Marcello Mastroianni
Marcello Mastroianni
Marcello Vincenzo Domenico Mastroianni, Knight Grand Cross was an Italian film actor. His honours included British Film Academy Awards, Best Actor awards at the Cannes Film Festival and two Golden Globe Awards.- Personal life :...
and probably produced the first true commedia all'italiana. While it is more well known in the English-speaking world as Big Deal on Madonna Street, the actual translation from the Italian is "the usual unknown perpetrators" (which is similar to the famous line from Casablanca
Casablanca (film)
Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid, and featuring Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Dooley Wilson. Set during World War II, it focuses on a man torn between, in...
of "Round up the usual suspects"). The film was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
at the 31st Academy Awards
31st Academy Awards
The telecast of the 31st Academy Awards is among the most infamous. The show’s producer Jerry Wald started cutting numbers from the show to make sure it ran on time. Unfortunately, he cut too much material and the ceremony ended 20 minutes early, leaving Jerry Lewis to attempt to fill in the time...
.
La Grande Guerra (The Great War
The Great War (1959 film)
The Great War is a 1959 Italian film directed by Mario Monicelli. It tells the story of an odd couple of army buddies in World War I; the movie, while played on a comedic register, does not hide from the viewer the horrors and grimness of trench warfare...
), released one year later, is generally regarded as his finest work. For this work Monicelli was awarded a Leone d'Oro in the Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
, and an a Academy Award nomination for the Best Foreign Film. The film, featuring Gassman and the other superstar of Italian comedy, Alberto Sordi
Alberto Sordi
Alberto Sordi, also known as Albertone, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian actor. He was also a film director and the dubbing voice of Oliver Hardy in the Italian version of the Laurel & Hardy films....
, excelled in the absence of rhetorical accents (the tragedy of World War I was still well in Italian's minds in these years) and for its sharp, tragicomical sense of history. Monicelli received two more Academy Award nominations with I compagni (The Organizer, 1963
1963 in film
The year 1963 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* June 12 - Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison and Richard Burton premieres at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City....
) and The Girl with the Pistol
The Girl with the Pistol
The Girl with the Pistol is a 1968 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Monica Vitti won the David di Donatello as Best Actress.-Cast:*Monica Vitti as Assunta Patane...
(1968).
L'armata Brancaleone
L'armata Brancaleone
L'armata Brancaleone is an Italian comedy movie released in 1966, written by the famous duo Age & Scarpelli and directed by Mario Monicelli. It features Vittorio Gassman in the main role...
(For Love and Gold, 1966) is another masterpiece of Italian cinema. The film tells the story of a Middle Age Italy's poor but pompous knight (played by Gassman) from a humorous point of view. Highlighted by Gasmann the bizarre Macaronic Latin-Italian dialogues were devised by Age & Scarpelli
Age & Scarpelli
Age & Scarpelli is the stage name used by the pair of Italian screenwriters Agenore Incrocci and Furio Scarpelli . Together, they wrote the script for about a hundred movies, mainly satirical comedies....
, the most renowned writers of Italian comedies, it was followed by Brancaleone alle Crociate
Brancaleone alle Crociate
Brancaleone at the Crusades is an Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli in 1970, the sequel of the famous L'armata Brancaleone.-Plot:...
(Brancaleone at the Crusades) in 1970
1970 in film
The year 1970 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 9 - Larry Fine, the second member of The Three Stooges, suffers a massive stroke, therefore ending his career....
.
Amici miei
Amici miei
My Friends is a 1975 Italian comedy-drama film directed by Mario Monicelli.The film, which made it to number one on the Italian box-office in front of Steven Spielberg's Jaws, was followed by two sequels, Amici miei Atto II , Amici miei Atto III , directed by Nanni Loy.-Plot:Like in many other...
(My Friends, 1975), featuring Ugo Tognazzi
Ugo Tognazzi
Ugo Tognazzi was an Italian film, TV, and theatre actor, director, and screenwriter.-Early life:Tognazzi was born in Cremona, in northern Italy but spent his youth in various localities as his father was a traveller clerk for an insurance company.After his return in the native city in 1936, he...
and Philippe Noiret
Philippe Noiret
Philippe Noiret was a French film actor.-Biography:Noiret's father was in the clothes trade. Philippe was an indifferent scholar and attended several prestigious Paris schools, including the Lycée Janson de Sailly. He failed several times to pass his baccalauréat exams, so he decided to study...
, was one of the most successful films in Italy and confirmed Monicelli's skill in mixing humour, irony and bitter feelings. His 1976 film Caro Michele
Caro Michele
Caro Michele is a 1976 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli. It was entered into the 26th Berlin International Film Festival, where Monicelli won the Silver Bear for Best Director.-Cast:* Mariangela Melato as Mara Castorelli...
won him the Silver Bear for Best Director
Silver Bear for Best Director
The Silver Bear for Best Director is the Berlin International Film Festival's award for best achievement in direction.-Awards:-Repeated winners:*Mario Monicelli *Satyajit Ray *Carlos Saura -External links:*...
at the 26th Berlin International Film Festival
26th Berlin International Film Festival
The 26th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from June 25 to July 6, 1976.-Jury:* Jerzy Kawalerowicz * Hannes Schmidt* Marjorie Bilbow* Michel Ciment* Guido Cinotti* Georgi Daneliya* Wolf Hart* Bernard R...
. The dramatic accents were predominant in the Un borghese piccolo piccolo
Un borghese piccolo piccolo
An Average Little Man is a 1977 Italian drama film directed by Mario Monicelli. It is based on on the novel of the same name written by Vincenzo Cerami. The first hour is a fine example of commedia all'italiana but the second part is a psychological drama and a tragedy...
(A Very Little Man, 1978
1978 in film
The year 1978 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 1 - Bob Dylan's film Renaldo and Clara, a documentary of the "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour premieres in Los Angeles, California....
), but left pace again to comicity and popularesque history with Il Marchese del Grillo
Il Marchese del Grillo
Il Marchese del Grillo is a 1981 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli, starring Alberto Sordi as the titular character. The movie depicts some episodes of the life of a noble in the Rome of the early 19th century...
(1981
1981 in film
-Events:*January 19 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. UA was humiliated by the astronomical losses on the $40,000,000 movie Heaven's Gate, a major factor in the decision of owner Transamerica to sell it....
). Both films featured Alberto Sordi at his best. At the 32nd Berlin International Film Festival
32nd Berlin International Film Festival
The 32nd annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 12 to February 23, 1982.-Jury:* Joan Fontaine * Vladimir Baskakov* Brigitte Fossey* Joe Hembus* László Lugossy* Gian Luigi Rondi* Helma Sanders-Brahms...
Il Marchese del Grillo won him his third Silver Bear for Best Director award.
Among the final works by Monicelli are Speriamo che sia femmina (1985
1985 in film
-Events:* 3 December - Roger Moore steps down from the role of James Bond after twelve years and seven films. He is replaced by Timothy Dalton.* The Academy Award for Best Picture was won by Out Of Africa, while the highest grossing film was Back to the Future.* Bliss wins AFI Award for best Movie...
), Parenti serpenti (1992
1992 in film
The year 1992 in film involved many significant films. -Top grossing films:-Awards:Academy AwardsGolden Globe AwardsNational Film Awards...
) and Cari fottutissimi amici
Dear Goddamned Friends
Dear Goddamned Friends is a 1994 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli. It was entered into the 44th Berlin International Film Festival where it won an Honourable Mention.-Cast:* Paolo Villaggio as Dieci* Massimo Ceccherini as Marlini...
(1994
1994 in film
1994 was a significant year in film.The top grosser worldwide was The Lion King, which to date stands as the highest-grossing traditionally-animated film of all time...
), featuring Paolo Hendel. The latter won an Honourable Mention at the 44th Berlin International Film Festival
44th Berlin International Film Festival
The 44th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 10 to 21, 1994.-Jury:* Jeremy Thomas * Chinghiz Aitmatov* María Luisa Bemberg* Hsu Feng* Morgan Freeman* Francis Girod* Corinna Harfouch* Carlo Lizzani...
. His last feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
was The Roses of the Desert
The Roses of the Desert
The Roses of the Desert is an Italian film released in 2006. It was directed by Mario Monicelli and was loosely inspired by the romance Il deserto della Libia of Mario Tobino....
(Le rose del deserto, 2006), which he directed when he was 91 years old.
In 1991 he received the Golden Lion
Golden Lion
Il Leone d’Oro is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most distinguished prizes...
for Career of the Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
. A documentary made by Roberto Salinas and Marina Catucci, Una storia da ridere, breve biografia di Mario Monicelli, appeared in 2008.
Monicelli worked also for television and theatre, occasionally as an actor, and was a noteworthy playwright in his own right. Apart those already mentioned, actors who were launched by Monicelli or played in his movies include Monica Vitti
Monica Vitti
Monica Vitti is an Italian actress best known for her starring roles in films directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, her lover at that time, during the early 1960s...
, Anna Magnani
Anna Magnani
Anna Magnani was an Italian stage and film actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress, along with four other international awards, for her portrayal of a Sicilian widow in The Rose Tattoo....
, Giancarlo Giannini
Giancarlo Giannini
Giancarlo Giannini is an Italian actor and dubber.Giannini was born La Spezia, Liguria, Italy. He studied at the Accademia Nazionale d'Arte Drammatica in Rome, and made his film debut in a small part in Fango sulla metropoli in 1965...
, Stefania Sandrelli
Stefania Sandrelli
Stefania Sandrelli is an Italian actress, famous for her many roles in the commedia all'Italiana, starting from 1960s. She was 15 years old when she starred in Divorce, Italian Style, as Marcello Mastroianni's cousin, Angela.She was born in Viareggio, Tuscany. She had a long relationship with...
, Vittorio De Sica
Vittorio de Sica
Vittorio De Sica was an Italian director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement....
, Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren, OMRI is an Italian actress.In 1962, Loren won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Two Women, along with 21 awards, becoming the first actress to win an Academy Award for a non-English-speaking performance...
, Enrico Montesano
Enrico Montesano
Enrico Montesano, born in Rome, Italy on 7 June 1945, is a popular actor for theater and cinema in Italy, as well as a showman. He starred in the 1977 film Pane, burro e marmellata and the 1978 film Le braghe del padrone, both times alongside Adolfo Celi.-Career:Montesano comes from a family...
, Gian Maria Volonté
Gian Maria Volontè
Gian Maria Volonté was an Italian actor. He is perhaps most famous outside of Italy for his roles as the main villain in Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More.-Early life:Volonté was born in Milan, and graduated in Rome in 1957...
, Paolo Villaggio
Paolo Villaggio
Paolo Villaggio is an Italian actor, writer, director and comedian.-Life:Villaggio was born in Genoa in 1932. His jobs included being a clerk for the Italsider steel major which inspired his character "Il ragioniere Fantozzi Ugo", "the accountant Ugo Fantozzi"...
, Nino Manfredi
Nino Manfredi
Nino Manfredi was an Italian actor, one of the most prominent in the commedia all'italiana genre....
and Leonardo Pieraccioni
Leonardo Pieraccioni
Leonardo Pieraccioni is an Italian film director, actor, and screenwriter.Born in Florence, he made his directorial debut on Italian TV in 1995, directing I laureati...
.
Monicelli died on 29 November 2010 at the age of 95, after committing suicide by jumping from a window of the San Giovanni hospital in Rome, where he was admitted a few days earlier for prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
.
Reportedly, Monicelli jumped from his 5th floor hospital window and landed near the entrance to the ER where many patients and relatives congregated. He had been in and out of the hospital over the years for the treatment of prostate cancer. An unnamed person close to Mario Monicelli said he died from the window leap to commit suicide as he was not aging well and tired of getting old.
He was an atheist.
Director
- I ragazzi della Via PaalThe Paul Street Boys (film)The Paul Street Boys is a 1935 Italian drama film directed by Mario Monicelli and Alberto Mondadori. It is based on the novel by Ferenc Molnár and was entered into the Venice Film Festival....
, with Alberto Mondadori (1935) - Pioggia d'estateSummer Rain (1937 film)Summer Rain is a 1937 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli. It was his first full-length feature film....
(1937) - Totò cerca casaTotò cerca casaTotò cerca casa is a 1949 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli and Steno.-Cast:* Totò as Beniamino Lomacchio* Alda Mangini as Amalia, la moglie de Lomacchio* Lia Molfesi as Aida, la figlia* Mario Gattari as Figlio...
(with Steno, 1949) - Al diavolo la celebritàA Night of FameA Night of Fame is a 1949 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli and Steno.-Cast:* Marcel Cerdan as Maurice Cardan* Ferruccio Tagliavini as Gino Marini* Mischa Auer as Bernard Stork* Marilyn Buferd as Ellen Rawlins...
(1949, with Steno) - Vita da cani (with Steno, 1950)
- È arrivato il cavaliere!È arrivato il cavaliere!È arrivato il cavaliere! is a 1950 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli. It was shown as part of a retrospective on Italian comedy at the 67th Venice International Film Festival.-Cast:*Tino Scotti ... Il Cavaliere...
(with Steno, 1950) - Guardie e ladriGuardie e ladriCops and Robbers is a 1951 Italian cult comedy film directed by Steno and Mario Monicelli. It stars a famous comedian Totó, and it was cinematographied by future film director Mario Bava. Its style is close to Italian neorealism. It had troubles with censorship because its view of clumsy police...
(with Steno, 1951) - Totò e i re di Roma (with Steno, 1952)
- Totò e le donneTotò e le donneToto and the Women is a 1952 Italian film directed by Mario Monicelli and Steno.-Cast:* Totò as Antonio Scaparro* Lea Padovani as Ginetta* Franca Faldini as La signora dell'appuntamento* Ave Ninchi as Giovanna Scaparro...
(Toto and the Women, 1952, with Steno) - Le infedeliLe infedeliLe infedeli is a 1953 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli and Steno and starring Gina Lollobrigida.-Cast:* Gina Lollobrigida as Lulla Possenti* May Britt as Liliana Rogers* Pierre Cressoy as Osvaldo Dal Prà* Tina Lattanzi as Carla Bellaris...
, with Steno (1953) - ProibitoProibitoProibito is a 1954 Italian drama film directed by Mario Monicelli and starring Mel Ferrer.-Cast:* Mel Ferrer as Don Paolo Salinas* Amedeo Nazzari as Costantino Corraine* Lea Massari as Agnese Barras* Henri Vilbert as Niccodemo Barras...
(1954) - Un eroe dei nostri tempi (1955)
- Totò e CarolinaToto and CarolinaTotò and Carolina is a 1955 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli and starring Totò. The film was banned when it was first released, as it made fun of a policeman.-Cast:* Totò as Antonio Caccavallo* Anna-Maria Ferrero as Carolina De Vico...
(1955) - DonatellaDonatellaDonatella is a 1956 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli. At the 6th Berlin International Film Festival Elsa Martinelli won the Silver Bear for Best Actress.-Cast:* Elsa Martinelli - Donatella* Gabriele Ferzetti - Maurizio...
(1956) - Il medico e lo stregone (1957)
- Padri e figli (1957)
- I soliti ignotiBig Deal on Madonna StreetBig Deal on Madonna Street is a 1958 Italian criminal-comedy film, directed by Mario Monicelli, and considered to be among the masterpieces of Italian cinema. Its original title translates as "the usual unknown persons", a journalistic and bureaucratic euphemism for "unidentified criminals" or...
(Big Deal on Madonna StreetBig Deal on Madonna StreetBig Deal on Madonna Street is a 1958 Italian criminal-comedy film, directed by Mario Monicelli, and considered to be among the masterpieces of Italian cinema. Its original title translates as "the usual unknown persons", a journalistic and bureaucratic euphemism for "unidentified criminals" or...
, 1958) - The Great WarThe Great War (1959 film)The Great War is a 1959 Italian film directed by Mario Monicelli. It tells the story of an odd couple of army buddies in World War I; the movie, while played on a comedic register, does not hide from the viewer the horrors and grimness of trench warfare...
(1959) - Risate di gioiaRisate di gioiaRisate di gioia is a 1960 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli, starring Anna Magnani and Totò.-Cast:* Anna Magnani as Gioia Fabbricotti* Totò as Umberto 'Infortunio' Pennazzuto* Ben Gazzara as Lello* Fred Clark as The American...
(19601960 in filmThe year 1960 in film involved some significant events, with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho the top-grossing release in the U.S.-Events:* April 20 - for the first time since coming home from military service in Germany, Elvis Presley returns to Hollywood, California to film G.I...
) - Boccaccio '70Boccaccio '70Boccaccio '70 is a 1962 Italian portmanteau film directed by Mario Monicelli, Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti and Vittorio de Sica, from an idea by Cesare Zavattini...
(1962 – segment "Renzo and Luciana") - I compagni (The Organizer, 1963)
- Alta infedeltàHigh InfidelityHigh Infidelity is a 1964 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli, Elio Petri, Franco Rossi and Luciano Salce.-Cast:* Nino Manfredi as Francesco * Fulvia Franco as Raffaella...
(High Infidelity, 1964, with Luciano SalceLuciano SalceLuciano Salce was an Italian film director and actor. His 1962 film Le pillole di Ercole was shown as part of a retrospective on Italian comedy at the 67th Venice International Film Festival....
, Elio Petri and Franco RossiFranco RossiFranco Rossi was an Italian film screenwriter and director, mainly known for having directed the six hour long Italian-German-British-Swiss TV mini-series Quo Vadis? in 1985....
) - Casanova '70 (1965)
- Le fateSex QuartetSex Quartet is a 1966 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli, Mauro Bolognini, Antonio Pietrangeli and Luciano Salce. It starred Claudia Cardinale.-Cast:* Monica Vitti as Sabina...
(1966 –, with Mauro BologniniMauro BologniniMauro Bolognini was an Italian film director of literate sensibility, known for masterful handling of period subject matter.-Biography:Mauro Bolognini was born in Pistoia, Tuscany....
, Antonio PietrangeliAntonio PietrangeliAntonio Pietrangeli was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Pietrangeli was a major practitioner of the Commedia all'italiana genre.-Biography:...
and Luciano Salce ) - L'armata BrancaleoneL'armata BrancaleoneL'armata Brancaleone is an Italian comedy movie released in 1966, written by the famous duo Age & Scarpelli and directed by Mario Monicelli. It features Vittorio Gassman in the main role...
(For Love and Gold, 1966) - The Girl with the PistolThe Girl with the PistolThe Girl with the Pistol is a 1968 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Monica Vitti won the David di Donatello as Best Actress.-Cast:*Monica Vitti as Assunta Patane...
(1968) - Capriccio all'italianaCaprice Italian StyleCaprice Italian Style is a 1968 Italian comedy film directed by six different directors, including Mario Monicelli and Pier Paolo Pasolini.-Cast:* Totò as Anziano signore* Ugo D'Alessio as Il commissario di PS* Regina Seiffert as La Ragazza...
(Caprice Italian Style, 1968, with Mauro BologniniMauro BologniniMauro Bolognini was an Italian film director of literate sensibility, known for masterful handling of period subject matter.-Biography:Mauro Bolognini was born in Pistoia, Tuscany....
, Steno, Pino Zac, Pier Paolo PasoliniPier Paolo PasoliniPier Paolo Pasolini was an Italian film director, poet, writer, and intellectual. Pasolini distinguished himself as a poet, journalist, philosopher, linguist, novelist, playwright, filmmaker, newspaper and magazine columnist, actor, painter and political figure...
and Franco RossiFranco RossiFranco Rossi was an Italian film screenwriter and director, mainly known for having directed the six hour long Italian-German-British-Swiss TV mini-series Quo Vadis? in 1985....
) - Toh, è morta la nonna!Oh, Grandmother's DeadOh, Grandmother's Dead is a 1969 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli and starring Sergio Tofano.-Cast:* Sirena Adgemova as Sparta* Carole André as Claretta* Wanda Capodaglio as Adelaide Ghia, the grandmother* Peter Chatel as Guido...
(1969) - Brancaleone alle CrociateBrancaleone alle CrociateBrancaleone at the Crusades is an Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli in 1970, the sequel of the famous L'armata Brancaleone.-Plot:...
(Brancaleone at the Crusades, 1970) - Le coppie (1971, with Alberto SordiAlberto SordiAlberto Sordi, also known as Albertone, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian actor. He was also a film director and the dubbing voice of Oliver Hardy in the Italian version of the Laurel & Hardy films....
and Vittorio De SicaVittorio de SicaVittorio De Sica was an Italian director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement....
) - La mortadella (1971)
- Vogliamo i colonnelli (1973)
- Romanzo popolare (1974)
- Amici mieiAmici mieiMy Friends is a 1975 Italian comedy-drama film directed by Mario Monicelli.The film, which made it to number one on the Italian box-office in front of Steven Spielberg's Jaws, was followed by two sequels, Amici miei Atto II , Amici miei Atto III , directed by Nanni Loy.-Plot:Like in many other...
(1975) - Caro MicheleCaro MicheleCaro Michele is a 1976 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli. It was entered into the 26th Berlin International Film Festival, where Monicelli won the Silver Bear for Best Director.-Cast:* Mariangela Melato as Mara Castorelli...
(1976) - Signore e signori, buonanotte (1976, with Luigi ComenciniLuigi ComenciniLuigi Comencini was an Italian film director. Together with Dino Risi, Ettore Scola and Mario Monicelli, he was considered among the masters of the commedia all'italiana genre....
, Nanni LoyNanni LoyNanni Loy was an Italian film, theatre and TV director.Loy was born in Cagliari, Sardinia...
, Luigi MagniLuigi MagniLuigi Magni is an Italian screenwriter and film director active since 1959 as a screenwriter and 1968 as a film director.-Screenwriter:*La cambiale *Il corazziere *Gli attendenti...
and Ettore Scola ) - Un borghese piccolo piccoloUn borghese piccolo piccoloAn Average Little Man is a 1977 Italian drama film directed by Mario Monicelli. It is based on on the novel of the same name written by Vincenzo Cerami. The first hour is a fine example of commedia all'italiana but the second part is a psychological drama and a tragedy...
(1977) - Viva Italia! (1977, with Dino Risi and Ettore Scola)
- Viaggio con Anita (1979)
- Temporale Rosy (1979)
- Camera d'albergo (1981)
- Il marchese del GrilloIl Marchese del GrilloIl Marchese del Grillo is a 1981 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli, starring Alberto Sordi as the titular character. The movie depicts some episodes of the life of a noble in the Rome of the early 19th century...
(1981) - Amici miei atto IIAmici miei Atto IIAll My Friends Part 2 is a 1982 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli. It is the sequel to Amici miei of 1975. The movie features Paolo Stoppa in one of his last roles.-Plot summary:...
(1982) - Bertoldo, Bertoldino e Cacasenno (1984)
- Le due vite di Mattia Pascal (1985)
- Speriamo che sia femmina (1986)
- I picari (1987)
- La moglie ingenua e il marito malato (1989)
- 12 registi per 12 città (1989, documentary. Segment "Verona")
- Il male oscuro (1990)
- Rossini! Rossini! (1991)
- Parenti serpenti (1992)
- Cari fottutissimi amiciDear Goddamned FriendsDear Goddamned Friends is a 1994 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli. It was entered into the 44th Berlin International Film Festival where it won an Honourable Mention.-Cast:* Paolo Villaggio as Dieci* Massimo Ceccherini as Marlini...
(1994) - Facciamo paradiso (1995)
- Esercizi di stile (1996 – segment Idillio edile)
- Topi di appartamento (1997, short)
- Panni sporchi (1999)
- Un amico magico: il maestro Nino Rota (1999, documentary)
- Come quando fuori piove (2000, TV mini series)
- Un altro mondo è possibile (2001, documentary)
- Lettere dalla Palestina (2002, documentary)
- Firenze, il nostro domani (2003, documentary)
- Le rose del deserto (The Roses of the DesertThe Roses of the DesertThe Roses of the Desert is an Italian film released in 2006. It was directed by Mario Monicelli and was loosely inspired by the romance Il deserto della Libia of Mario Tobino....
, 2006)
Screenplays
- I ragazzi della via Paal (1935)
- Pioggia d'estate (1937)
- La granduchessa si diverte (1940)
- Brivido (1941)
- La donna è mobileThe Lady Is FickleThe Lady Is Fickle is a 1942 comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Ferruccio Tagliavini.-Cast:* Ferruccio Tagliavini - Ferruccio Landini* Fioretta Dolfi - Rosetta* Carlo Campanini - Cristoforo* Carlo Micheluzzi - Il commendator Carlo...
(1942) - Cortocircuito (1943)
- Il sole di Montecassino (1945)
- Aquila nera (1946)
- Gioventù perduta (1947)
- La figlia del capitanoLa figlia del capitanoLa figlia del capitano is a 1947 Italian adventure film directed by Mario Camerini. It was entered into the 1947 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Irasema Dilián - Maria Ivanovna "Mascia" Mironova...
(1947) - Il corriere del re (1947)
- Follie per l'opera (1948)
- I Miserabili (1948)
- L'ebreo errante (1948)
- Il cavaliere misterioso (1948)
- Accidenti alla guerra! (1948)
- Il tradimento (1949)
- Al diavolo la celebrità (1949)
- Totò cerca casaTotò cerca casaTotò cerca casa is a 1949 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli and Steno.-Cast:* Totò as Beniamino Lomacchio* Alda Mangini as Amalia, la moglie de Lomacchio* Lia Molfesi as Aida, la figlia* Mario Gattari as Figlio...
(1949) - Il lupo della Sila (1949)
- Il conte Ugolino (1949)
- Vita da cani (1950)
- Soho ConspiracySoho ConspiracySoho Conspiracy is a 1950 British musical drama film directed by Cecil H. Williamson and starring Jacques Labrecque, Zena Marshall, Peter Gawthorne, Max Harrison and Syd Harrison....
(1950) - L'inafferrabile 12L'inafferrabile 12L'inafferrabile 12 is a 1950 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Walter Chiari.-Cast:* Walter Chiari - Carletto Esposito\Brandoletti* Silvana Pampanini - Clara* Isa Barzizza - Teresa* Carlo Campanini - Beppe...
(1950) - È arrivato il cavaliere!È arrivato il cavaliere!È arrivato il cavaliere! is a 1950 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli. It was shown as part of a retrospective on Italian comedy at the 67th Venice International Film Festival.-Cast:*Tino Scotti ... Il Cavaliere...
(1950) - Il brigante MusolinoGiuseppe MusolinoGiuseppe Musolino, better known as the "Brigante Musolino" or the "King of Aspromonte" , was an Italian brigand and folk hero.-Biography:...
(1950) - Botta e risposta (1950)
- Vendetta... sardaVendetta... sardaVendetta... sarda is a 1951 comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Walter Chiari.-Cast:* Walter Chiari - Gualtiero Porcheddu* Carlo Croccolo - Pinuccio* Riccardo Billi* Mario Riva* Carlo Campanini* Franca Marzi* Giovanna Pala...
(1951) - Guardie e ladriGuardie e ladriCops and Robbers is a 1951 Italian cult comedy film directed by Steno and Mario Monicelli. It stars a famous comedian Totó, and it was cinematographied by future film director Mario Bava. Its style is close to Italian neorealism. It had troubles with censorship because its view of clumsy police...
(1951) - Tizio, Caio, Sempronio (1951)
- È l'amor che mi rovinaÈ l'amor che mi rovinaÈ l'amor che mi rovina is a 1951 Italian film....
(1951) - Core 'ngrato (1951)
- Accidenti alle tasse!! (1951)
- Amo un assassino (1951)
- Totò e i re di RomaTotò e i re di RomaToto and the King of Rome is a 1951 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli and Steno.-Cast:* Totò as Ercole Pappalardo* Aroldo Tieri as Ferruccio* Alberto Sordi as Il maestro elementare* Celeste Almieri* Ernesto Almirante as Nedo...
(1952) - Totò e le donneTotò e le donneToto and the Women is a 1952 Italian film directed by Mario Monicelli and Steno.-Cast:* Totò as Antonio Scaparro* Lea Padovani as Ginetta* Franca Faldini as La signora dell'appuntamento* Ave Ninchi as Giovanna Scaparro...
(1952) - Totò a coloriTotò a coloriTotò a colori is a 1952 Italian film, and was the first Italian color film shot with the Ferraniacolor system. The film was directed by Steno and starred the comic actor Totò . Totò a colori is widely regarded as Totò's masterpiece...
(1952) - Perdonami (1952)
- Cinque poveri in automobile (1952)
- Cani e gattiCani e gattiCani e gatti is a 1952 Italian film....
(1952) - Un turco napoletano (1953)
- Il più comico spettacolo del mondo (1953)
- Le infedeliLe infedeliLe infedeli is a 1953 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli and Steno and starring Gina Lollobrigida.-Cast:* Gina Lollobrigida as Lulla Possenti* May Britt as Liliana Rogers* Pierre Cressoy as Osvaldo Dal Prà* Tina Lattanzi as Carla Bellaris...
(1953) - Cavalleria rusticanaCavalleria rusticanaCavalleria rusticana is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from a play written by Giovanni Verga based on his short story. Considered one of the classic verismo operas, it premiered on May 17, 1890 at the Teatro...
(1953) - Giuseppe Verdi (1953)
- Guai ai vinti (1954)
- Proibito (1954)
- Un eroe dei nostri tempi (1955)
- Totò e Carolina (1955)
- La donna più bella del mondo (1955)
- Donatella (1956)
- Il medico e lo stregone (1957)
- Padri e figli (1957)
- I soliti ignotiBig Deal on Madonna StreetBig Deal on Madonna Street is a 1958 Italian criminal-comedy film, directed by Mario Monicelli, and considered to be among the masterpieces of Italian cinema. Its original title translates as "the usual unknown persons", a journalistic and bureaucratic euphemism for "unidentified criminals" or...
(1958) - The Great WarThe Great War (1959 film)The Great War is a 1959 Italian film directed by Mario Monicelli. It tells the story of an odd couple of army buddies in World War I; the movie, while played on a comedic register, does not hide from the viewer the horrors and grimness of trench warfare...
(1959) - Risate di gioiaRisate di gioiaRisate di gioia is a 1960 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli, starring Anna Magnani and Totò.-Cast:* Anna Magnani as Gioia Fabbricotti* Totò as Umberto 'Infortunio' Pennazzuto* Ben Gazzara as Lello* Fred Clark as The American...
(1960) - A cavallo della tigreA cavallo della tigre (1961 film)A cavallo della tigre is an Italian film written and directed by Luigi Comencini in 1961. It was released as Jailbreak in the UK and On the Tiger's Back in the U.S.-Cast:*Nino Manfredi as Giacinto Rossi*Mario Adorf as Tagliabue...
(1961) - Boccaccio '70Boccaccio '70Boccaccio '70 is a 1962 Italian portmanteau film directed by Mario Monicelli, Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti and Vittorio de Sica, from an idea by Cesare Zavattini...
(1962 – segment "Renzo e Luciana") - Frenesia dell'estate (1963)
- I compagni (1963)
- Casanova 70Casanova 70Casanova 70 is a 1965 Italian comedy film produced by Carlo Ponti, directed by Mario Monicelli and starring Marcello Mastroianni, Virna Lisi, and Michele Mercier.-Plot:...
(1965) - I nostri maritiI nostri maritiI nostri mariti is a 1966 comedy film directed by Luigi Filippo D'Amico, Dino Risi and Luigi Zampa.-Cast:* Alberto Sordi - Giovanni Lo Verso...
(1966 – segment "Il marito di Olga") - L'armata BrancaleoneL'armata BrancaleoneL'armata Brancaleone is an Italian comedy movie released in 1966, written by the famous duo Age & Scarpelli and directed by Mario Monicelli. It features Vittorio Gassman in the main role...
(1966) - The Girl with the PistolThe Girl with the PistolThe Girl with the Pistol is a 1968 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Monica Vitti won the David di Donatello as Best Actress.-Cast:*Monica Vitti as Assunta Patane...
(1968) - Toh, è morta la nonna! (1969)
- Brancaleone alle crociateBrancaleone alle CrociateBrancaleone at the Crusades is an Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli in 1970, the sequel of the famous L'armata Brancaleone.-Plot:...
(1970) - Vogliamo i colonnelli (1973)
- Gran bollito (1977)
- Amici mieiAmici mieiMy Friends is a 1975 Italian comedy-drama film directed by Mario Monicelli.The film, which made it to number one on the Italian box-office in front of Steven Spielberg's Jaws, was followed by two sequels, Amici miei Atto II , Amici miei Atto III , directed by Nanni Loy.-Plot:Like in many other...
(My Friends, 1975) - Un borghese piccolo piccoloUn borghese piccolo piccoloAn Average Little Man is a 1977 Italian drama film directed by Mario Monicelli. It is based on on the novel of the same name written by Vincenzo Cerami. The first hour is a fine example of commedia all'italiana but the second part is a psychological drama and a tragedy...
(1977) - Temporale Rosy (1979)
- Camera d'albergo (1981)
- Il marchese del GrilloIl Marchese del GrilloIl Marchese del Grillo is a 1981 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli, starring Alberto Sordi as the titular character. The movie depicts some episodes of the life of a noble in the Rome of the early 19th century...
(1981) - Amici miei atto IIAmici miei Atto IIAll My Friends Part 2 is a 1982 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli. It is the sequel to Amici miei of 1975. The movie features Paolo Stoppa in one of his last roles.-Plot summary:...
(1982) - Bertoldo, Bertoldino e Cacasenno (1984)
- Le due vite di Mattia Pascal (1985)
- Speriamo che sia femmina (1986)
- I picari (1987)
- Il male oscuro (1990)
- Rossini! Rossini! (1991)
- Parenti serpenti (1992)
- Cari fottutissimi amici (1994)
- Facciamo paradiso (1995)
- Panni sporchi (1999)
- Un amico magico: il maestro Nino Rota (1999, documentary)
- Come quando fuori piove (2000, TV mini series)
- Le rose del deserto (The Roses of the DesertThe Roses of the DesertThe Roses of the Desert is an Italian film released in 2006. It was directed by Mario Monicelli and was loosely inspired by the romance Il deserto della Libia of Mario Tobino....
, 2006)
Actor
- Rue du Pied de Grue (1979)
- Sono fotogenico, directed by Dino Risi (1980)
- Il ciclone, directed by Leonardo PieraccioniLeonardo PieraccioniLeonardo Pieraccioni is an Italian film director, actor, and screenwriter.Born in Florence, he made his directorial debut on Italian TV in 1995, directing I laureati...
(1996, voice) - Sotto il sole della Toscana (Under the Tuscan Sun, 2003)