''Caravaggio, il pittore maledetto'' is a 1941 Italian historical

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Goffredo Alessandrini Goffredo Alessandrini (20 November 1904, in Cairo – 16 May 1978, in Rome) was an Italian scriptwriter and film director. He also acted, edited, and produced some films. He practiced athletics in his youth, and won a title of Italian champion ...

and starring

Amedeo Nazzari Amedeo Nazzari (10 December 1907 in Cagliari – 5 November 1979 in Rome) was an Italian actor. Nazzari was one of the leading figures of Italian classic cinema, often considered a local variant of the Australian–American star Errol Flynn. Al ...

Clara Calamai Clara Calamai (7 September 1909 – 21 September 1998) was an Italian actress. She was one of the most famous and popular Italian actresses in the 1930s and 1940s, sharing the limelight with actresses such as Alida Valli, Valentina Cortese, an ...

and Lamberto Picasso. Nazzari portrays the painter

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi (Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi) da Caravaggio, known as simply Caravaggio (, , ; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the final four years of hi ...

as a wayward genius. It was one of his favourite screen roles.

Main cast

as Michelangelo Merisi, il "Caravaggio" *

as Madonna Giaconella * Lamberto Picasso as Il cavalier d'Arpino *

Nino Crisman Nino Crisman (1911–1983) was an Italian actor and film producer. Crisman was born in the port city of Trieste when it was still a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Crisman made his film debut in 1939 during the Fascist era. He appeared as ...

as Alef di Wignacourt *

Lauro Gazzolo Lauro Gazzolo (born Ilario Gazzolo; 15 October 1900 – 2 October 1970) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Born in Nervi in Genoa, Gazzolo began his career on screen in 1938 starring in the comedy film ''The Document'' and bec ...

as Zio Nello * Beatrice Mancini as Lena *

Olinto Cristina Olinto Cristina (5 February 1888 – 17 June 1962) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Born in Florence to actors Raffaello Cristina and Cesira Sabatini, Cristina began acting on stage as a child. His sisters Ines Cristina Zaccon ...

as Il cardinale Dal Monte *

Maria Dominiani Maria "Mariuccia" Dominiani (10 May 1913 – 10 December 1993) was an Italian actress. Biography Dominiani made her debut on screen in the 1936 film '' Joe the Red'', dedicating herself also to variety shows and photo comics in the following de ...

as Alessandra * Achille Majeroni as Il cardinale Scipione Borghese *

Renato Malavasi Renato Malavasi (8 August 1904 – 7 October 1998) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 135 films between 1921 and 1985. Selected filmography * '' The Golden Vein'' (1928) * '' The Song of Love'' (1930) * '' Lowered Sails'' (1931) * ' ...

as Mauro

Production

Screenwriter

Riccardo Freda Riccardo Freda (24 February 1909 – 20 December 1999) was an Italian film director. He worked in a variety of genres, including sword-and-sandal, horror, ''giallo'' and spy films. Freda began directing '' I Vampiri'' in 1956. The film became ...

met Francesco Curato and parter of his Carbone, who were trying to produce a film on the Italian painter

. The budget of the film became higher and higher. It was shot in 1940 and was released the following year, making it the first film from Elica Film. Freda is credited in the film as having "collaborated to the making of the film." Besides working on the screenplay, Freda acted as the executive producer and worked on the art direction and created a ''maquette'' of the port of Ostia. The film starred

was among Italy's most popular actors at the time and was conflicted with the role when his character Caravaggio did not embrace or kiss any woman in the film, which he thought would put his career at risk.

Release

''Caravaggio, il pittore maledetto'' was distributed theatrically in Italy by Minerva Film on 6 February 1941.

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* 1941 films Italian historical drama films Italian black-and-white films 1940s historical drama films 1940s Italian-language films Films directed by Goffredo Alessandrini Films set in the 16th century Films set in the 1600s Films set in the 1610s Caravaggio Films set in Italy Biographical films about painters Italian biographical drama films 1940s biographical drama films Minerva Film films Cultural depictions of 17th-century painters Cultural depictions of Italian men 1940s Italian films {{1940s-Italy-film-stub