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Alida Valli
Alida Maria Laura, ''Freiin'' Altenburger von Marckenstein-Frauenberg (31 May 1921 – 22 April 2006), better known by her stage name Alida Valli (or simply Valli), was an Italian actress who appeared in more than 100 films in a 70-year career, spanning from the 1930s to the early 2000s. She was one of the biggest stars of Italian film during the Fascist era, once being coined "the most beautiful woman in the world" by Benito Mussolini, but managed to find continued international success post-World War II. According to Frédéric Mitterrand, Valli was the only actress in Europe to equal Marlene Dietrich or Greta Garbo. Valli worked with many significant directors both in Italy and abroad, including Alfred Hitchcock (''The Paradine Case''; 1947), Carol Reed (''The Third Man''; 1949), Luchino Visconti ('' Senso''; 1954), Michelangelo Antonioni (''Il Grido''; 1957), Georges Franju ('' Eyes Without a Face''; 1960), Pier Paolo Pasolini ( ''Oedipus Rex''; 1967), Mario Bava (''Lisa and ...
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Freiherr
(; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , literally "free lord" or "free lady") and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire and in its various successor states, including Austria, Prussia, Bavaria, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, etc. Traditionally, it denotes the titled royal and noble ranks, rank within the nobility above ' (knight) and ' (nobility without a specific title) and below ' (count, count, earl). The title superseded the earlier medieval form, '. It corresponds approximately to the English ''baron'' in rank. The Duden orthography of the German language references the French nobility title of ''Baron'', deriving from the latin-germanic combination ''liber baro'' (which also means "free lord"), as corresponding to the German "Freiherr"; and that ''Baron'' is a corresponding salutation for a ''Freiherr''.Duden; Definition of ''Baron, der'' (in German)/ref> ...
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Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni (, ; 29 September 1912 – 30 July 2007) was an Italian filmmaker. He is best known for directing his "trilogy on modernity and its discontents"—''L'Avventura'' (1960), ''La Notte'' (1961), and ''L'Eclisse'' (1962)—as well as the English-language film ''Blow-up'' (1966), all considered masterpieces of world cinema. His films have been described as "enigmatic and intricate mood pieces" that feature elusive plots, striking visual composition, and a preoccupation with modern landscapes. His work substantially influenced subsequent art cinema. Antonioni received numerous awards and nominations throughout his career, being the only director to have won the Palme d'Or, the Golden Lion, the Golden Bear and the Golden Leopard. Early life Antonioni was born into a prosperous family of landowners in Ferrara, Emilia Romagna, in northern Italy. He was the son of Elisabetta (née Roncagli) and Ismaele Antonioni. The director explained to Italian film cr ...
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Order Of Merit Of The Italian Republic
The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking honour of the Republic, it is awarded for "merit acquired by the nation" in the fields of literature, the arts, economy, public service, and social, philanthropic and humanitarian activities and for long and conspicuous service in civilian and military careers. The post-nominal letters for the order are OMRI. The order effectively replaced national orders such as the Civil Order of Savoy (1831), the Order of the Crown of Italy (1868), the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (1572) and the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation (1362). Grades Investiture takes place twice a year – on 2 June, the anniversary of the foundation of the Republic, and on 27 December, the anniversary of the promulgation of the Italian Constitution. H ...
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Suspiria
''Suspiria'' () is a 1977 Italian supernatural horror film directed by Dario Argento, who co-wrote the screenplay with Daria Nicolodi, partially based on Thomas De Quincey's 1845 essay ''Suspiria de Profundis''. The film stars Jessica Harper as an American ballet student who transfers to a prestigious dance academy but realizes, after a series of brutal murders, that the academy is a front for a supernatural conspiracy. It also features Stefania Casini, Flavio Bucci, Miguel Bosé, Alida Valli, Udo Kier, and Joan Bennett, in her final film role. The film is the first of the trilogy Argento refers to as ''The Three Mothers'', which also comprises ''Inferno'' (1980) and ''The Mother of Tears'' (2007). ''Suspiria'' has received a positive response from critics for its visual and stylistic flair, use of vibrant colors and its score by Argento and the progressive rock band Goblin. ''Suspiria'' was nominated for two Saturn Awards: Best Supporting Actress for Bennett in 1978, and B ...
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Dario Argento
Dario Argento (; born 7 September 1940) is an Italian film director, producer, screenwriter, actor and film critic, critic. His influential work in the horror film, horror genre during the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in the subgenre known as ''giallo'', has led him to being referred to as the "Master of the Thrill" and the "Master of Horror". His films as director include his "Animal Trilogy", consisting of ''The Bird with the Crystal Plumage'' (1970), ''The Cat o' Nine Tails'' (1971) and ''Four Flies on Grey Velvet'' (1971); his "The Three Mothers, Three Mothers" trilogy, consisting of ''Suspiria'' (1977), ''Inferno (1980 film), Inferno'' (1980) and ''The Mother of Tears'' (2007); and his stand-alone films ''Deep Red'' (1975), ''Tenebrae (film), Tenebrae'' (1982), ''Phenomena (film), Phenomena'' (1985) and ''Opera (1987 film), Opera'' (1987). He co-wrote the screenplay for Sergio Leone's ''Once Upon a Time in the West'' (1968) and served as George A. Romero's script consultan ...
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La Luna (1979 Film)
''La Luna'' (released in the United States as ''Luna'') is a 1979 drama film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci from a screenplay co-written with his brother Giuseppe and wife Clare Peploe. The film concerns the troubled life of a teenage boy and his relationship with his parents, including an incestuous relationship with his opera singer mother. It stars Jill Clayburgh, Matthew Barry, Tomas Milian, Fred Gwynne, Veronica Lazăr, and Alida Valli. An Italian-American co-production, ''La Luna'' was released by 20th Century Fox on August 29, 1979. It received mixed reviews from critics, though Jill Clayburgh's performance was widely-praised, earning her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. The film is dedicated to Bertolucci's oft-collaborator Franco Arcalli, who died of cancer during pre-production. Plot Joe is the son of famous opera singer Caterina Silveri. While he believes that Caterina's husband, Douglas Winter, is his biological father, the ...
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1900 (film)
''1900'' ( it, Novecento, "Twentieth Century") is a 1976 epic historical drama film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and featuring an international ensemble cast including Robert De Niro, Gérard Depardieu, Dominique Sanda, Francesca Bertini, Laura Betti, Stefania Casini, Ellen Schwiers, Sterling Hayden, Alida Valli, Romolo Valli, Stefania Sandrelli, Donald Sutherland, and Burt Lancaster. Set in Bertolucci's ancestral region of Emilia, the film chronicles the lives and friendship of two men – the landowning Alfredo Berlinghieri (De Niro) and the peasant Olmo Dalcò (Depardieu) – as they witness and participate in the political conflicts between fascism and communism that took place in Italy in the first half of the 20th century. The film premiered out of competition at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival. With a runtime of 317 minutes in its original version, ''1900'' is known for being one of the longest commercially released films ever made. Its great length led to its being p ...
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Bernardo Bertolucci
Bernardo Bertolucci (; 16 March 1941 – 26 November 2018) was an Italian film director and screenwriter with a career that spanned 50 years. Considered one of the greatest directors in Italian cinema, Bertolucci's work achieved international acclaim. He was the first Italian filmmaker to win the Academy Award for Best Director for ''The Last Emperor'' (1987), one of many accolades including two Golden Globes, two David di Donatellos, a British Academy Award, and a César Award. In recognition of his work, he was presented with the inaugural Honorary Palme d'Or Award at the opening ceremony of the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. He had previously received a Lifetime Achievement Golden Lion from the Venice Film Festival. A protégé of Pier Paolo Pasolini, Bertolucci made his directorial debut at 22. His second film, ''Before the Revolution'' (1964), earned strong international reviews and has since gained classic status, being called a "masterpiece of Italian cinema" by Film4. H ...
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Lisa And The Devil
''Lisa and the Devil'' is a 1974 horror film directed by Mario Bava. The film was first released in Spain as ''El diablo se lleva a los muertos'' (''The Devil Takes the Dead'') and stars Elke Sommer as a young tourist who loses her way in Toledo and spends the night at a villa belonging to a family of mysterious Spanish aristocrats. After the popularity of the film ''The Exorcist (film), The Exorcist'', scenes were added by producer Alfredo Leone and Lamberto Bava which gave the film an exorcism theme and re-released it as ''The House of Exorcism'' (Italian language, Italian: ''La casa dell'esorcismo'') in the United States; this recasts the film as a clone of ''The Exorcist'', with the main character possessed and recounting to the priest who is seeking to save her the story of how she became possessed. Plot Tourist Lisa Reiner wanders away from her tour group in Toledo, Spain, Toledo to go shopping inside a store, where she encounters a man named Leandro, who is purchasing a ...
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Mario Bava
Mario Bava (31 July 1914 – 27 April 1980) was an Italian filmmaker who worked variously as a director, cinematographer, special effects artist and screenwriter, frequently referred to as the "Master of Italian Horror" and the "Master of the Macabre". His low-budget genre films, known for their distinctive visual flair and stylish technical ingenuity, feature recurring themes and imagery concerning the conflict between illusion and reality, as well as the destructive capacity of human nature. He was a pioneer of Italian genre cinema, and is regarded as one of the most influential auteurs of the horror film genre. After providing special effects work and other assistance on productions like ''Hercules'' (1958) and ''Caltiki – The Immortal Monster'' (1959), Bava made his official feature directorial debut with the horror film '' Black Sunday'', released in 1960. He went on to direct such films as '' The Girl Who Knew Too Much'', ''Black Sabbath'', ''The Whip and the Body'' (all ...
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Oedipus Rex (1967 Film)
''Oedipus Rex'' (''Edipo re'') is a 1967 Italian film directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini. Pasolini adapted the screenplay from the Greek tragedy '' Oedipus Rex'' written by Sophocles in 428 BC. The film was mainly shot in Morocco. It was presented in competition at the 28th Venice International Film Festival. It was Pasolini's first feature-length color film, but followed his use of color in "The Earth Seen from the Moon" episode in the portmanteau film '' The Witches'' (1967). Plot A son is born to a young couple in pre-war Italy. The child opens his eyes for the first time to see his loving mother and suckles on her breast. The father is motivated by jealousy, and believes the child will take away the love of his wife and send him back into the void. The soldier takes the baby into the desert to be abandoned, at which point the film's setting changes to the ancient world of Greece. The child is rescued and taken to the King of Corinth Polybus and Queen Merope of Corinth and raised a ...
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Pier Paolo Pasolini
Pier Paolo Pasolini (; 5 March 1922 – 2 November 1975) was an Italian poet, filmmaker, writer and intellectual who also distinguished himself as a journalist, novelist, translator, playwright, visual artist and actor. He is considered one of the defining public intellectuals in 20th-century Italy, influential both as an artist and a political figure. A controversial personality due to his straightforward style, Pasolini's legacy remains contentious. Openly gay and an avowed Marxist, he voiced strong criticism of petty bourgeois values and the emerging consumerism in Italy, juxtaposing socio-political polemics with a critical examination of taboo sexual matters. A prominent protagonist of the Roman cultural scene of the post-war period, he was an established major figure in European literature and cinematic arts. Pasolini's unsolved murder at Ostia in November 1975 during an altercation with a young male prostitute prompted an outcry in Italy, and its circumstances continue ...
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