''Condottieri'' is a 1937 Italian

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...

film directed by

Luis Trenker Luis Trenker (born Alois Franz Trenker, 4 October 1892 – 13 April 1990) was a South Tyrolean film producer, director, writer, actor, architect, Mountaineering, alpinist, and Bobsleigh, bobsledder. Biography Early life Alois Franz Trenker was b ...

and starring Trenker,

Loris Gizzi Loris Gizzi (16 August 1899 – 6 October 1986) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Life and career Born in Rome, after his university studies Gizzi attended a school of dance and singing. He abandoned the courses when he became an employee ...

and

Laura Nucci Laura Nucci (1913–1994) was an Italian film actress. Nucci was one of the stars of the Fascist era, emerging after she won a competition.Gundle, Stephen. ''Mussolini's Dream Factory: Film Stardom in Fascist Italy''. Berghahn Books, 2013. p.56 H ...

. It portrays the life of Giovanni de' Medici, a celebrated

condottiere ''Condottieri'' (; singular ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian captains in command of mercenary companies during the Middle Ages and of multinational armies during the early modern period. They notably served popes and other Europe ...

of the sixteenth century. A separate German-language version was also made. The film received 9.6 million lire of funding from the Italian government, as part as a major drive by the Fascist authorities to develop the Italian film industry (which also involved the construction of the large

Cinecittà Cinecittà Studios (; Italian for Cinema City Studios), is a large film studio in Rome, Italy. With an area of 400,000 square metres (99 acres), it is the largest film studio in Europe, and is considered the hub of Italian cinema. The studios we ...

complex in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

). Along with ''

Scipio Africanus Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus (, , ; 236/235–183 BC) was a Roman general and statesman, most notable as one of the main architects of Rome's victory against Carthage in the Second Punic War. Often regarded as one of the best military com ...

'', the film was an attempt to harness history to support the Fascist regime's current policies. ''Condottieri'' drew parallels between the dictator

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...

and the historical figure of de' Medici, portraying both as unifying Italy. The film's elaborate sets were designed by

Virgilio Marchi Virgilio Marchi (21 January 1895 – 30 April 1960) was an Italian architect and art director. He designed the sets for more than fifty films during his career. Marchi was stylistically identified with the Futurist movement.Sabatino, Michelangelo ...

and

Erich Grave Erich Grave (1891–1955) was a German art director.Giesen p.213 Selected filmography * ''Behind the Altar'' (1927) * ''Don't Lose Heart, Suzanne!'' (1935) * ''Maria the Maid'' (1936) * ''The Call of the Jungle'' (1936) * '' A Night in May'' (193 ...

, while

Herbert Ploberger Herbert Ploberger (1902–1977) was an Austrian costume designer and art director active in German and Austrian cinema.Fritsche p.232 Selected filmography * ''Savoy Hotel 217'' (1936) * ''Condottieri'' (1937) * ''Kora Terry'' (1940) * '' The Othe ...

produced the costumes.

Cast

as Giovanni de' Medici *

as Malatesta *

as Tullia delle Grazie * as

Maria Salviati Maria Salviati (17 July 1499 – 29 December 1543) was a Florentine noblewoman, the daughter of Lucrezia di Lorenzo de' Medici and Jacopo Salviati. She married Giovanni delle Bande Nere and was the mother of Cosimo I de Medici. Her husband d ...

* as

Caterina Sforza Caterina Sforza (1463 – 28 May 1509) was an Italian noblewoman, the Countess of Forlì and Lady of Imola, firstly with her husband Girolamo Riario, and after his death as a regent of her son Ottaviano. Caterina was a noblewoman who lived a li ...

Mario Ferrari Mario Ferrari (September 3, 1894 – June 28, 1974) was an Italian film actor. After making his debut in 1920, Ferrari became a mainstay of Italian cinema during the Fascist era appearing in a mixture of leading and supporting roles. He pla ...

Cesare Borgia Cesare Borgia (; ca-valencia, Cèsar Borja ; es, link=no, César Borja ; 13 September 1475 – 12 March 1507) was an Italian ex- cardinal and '' condottiero'' (mercenary leader) of Aragonese (Spanish) origin, whose fight for power was a major ...

Angelo Ferrari Angelo Ferrari (14 August 1897 – 15 June 1945) was an Italian actor known for his work in German cinema. Selected filmography * ''The Nude Woman'' (1922) * ''The Green Manuela'' (1923) * ''Samson'' (1923) * '' The Faces of Love'' (1924) * ''Pr ...

*Giulio Cirino as Rüschli *Sandro Dani as D'Argentière *

Tito Gobbi Tito Gobbi (24 October 19135 March 1984) was an Italian operatic baritone with an international reputation. He made his operatic debut in Gubbio in 1935 as Count Rodolfo in Bellini's ''La sonnambula'' and quickly appeared in Italy's major opera ...

as Nino *

Augusto Marcacci Augusto Marcacci (4 June 1892 – 7 December 1969) was an Italian actor and voice actor.Mancini p.229 Selected filmography * '' Dimmed Lights'' (1934) * '' Lady of Paradise'' (1934) * '' Golden Arrow'' (1935) * ''Condottieri'' (1937) * '' The Cuc ...

as Daniello *

Nino Marchetti Nino or Niño may refer to: *Nino (name) *Niño (name) *Antonin Scalia, American Supreme Court justice whose nickname was "Nino" *El Niño, a climate pattern in the tropical Pacific Ocean *NINO, an abbreviation for National Insurance number in the ...

as Corrado * as Pedro *Ernesto Nannicini *

Umberto Sacripante Umberto Sacripante (2 October 1904 – 14 January 1975) was an Italian film and stage actor. Life and career Born Umberto Sacripanti in Rome, Sacripante debuted on stage in 1921, and in 1926 he became first actor in the theatrical company Teat ...

as Sanzio *

Carlo Tamberlani Carlo Tamberlani (11 March 1899 – 5 August 1980) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 127 films between 1931 and 1976. He was born in Salice Salentino, Italy and died in Subiaco, Italy. His brother Nando Tamberlani was also an actor. ...

Duke of Urbino The Duchy of Urbino was an independent duchy in early modern central Italy, corresponding to the northern half of the modern region of Marche. It was directly annexed by the Papal States in 1625. It was bordered by the Adriatic Sea in the eas ...

Gino Viotti Gino Viotti (1875–1951) was an Italian film actor who appeared in more than forty films, mostly in supporting roles. He played the part of Chilone Chilonides in the 1924 epic ''Quo Vadis''.Wyke p.214 Selected filmography * '' Nemesis'' (1920) * ...

as Pope *

Giuseppe Addobbati Giuseppe Addobbati (31 December 1909 – 4 January 1986) was an Italian film actor known for his roles in Spaghetti Western and action films in the 1960s and 1970s. He was often billed as John MacDouglas for films released to an American audien ...

as Duke of Imola *Friedl Trenker as Giovanni *

Oreste Bilancia Oreste Bilancia (24 September 1881 – 31 October 1945) was an Italian film actor. Born in Catania, Sicily he was a star of Italian films in the silent era. He worked during the 1920s in Weimar Germany which had the largest European film indust ...

*Alberto Emmerich *

Carlo Fontana Carlo Fontana (1634 or 1638–1714) was an Italian architect originating from today's Canton Ticino, who was in part responsible for the classicizing direction taken by Late Baroque Roman architecture. Biography There seems to be no proof that ...

*Tullio Galvani *Luis Gerold as Barbo *Alberto Minoprio *

Carlo Simoneschi Carlo Simoneschi (25 August 1878 – 4 January 1943) was an Italian stage and film actor.Michell p.173 He also directed a number of films during the silent era. Selected filmography * '' The Sack of Rome'' (1920) * ''The Gift of the Morning'' (1 ...

*Virgilio Botti *Mara Danieli *

Claudio Ermelli Claudio Ermelli (24 July 1892 – 29 October 1964) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films from 1915 to 1962. Filmography References External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ermelli, Claudio 1892 births 1964 death ...

Carlo Duse Carlo Duse (5 January 1898 – 9 September 1956) Birth name: Carlo Artemio e Vittorio Duse. With mention in margin of his date and place of death. was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1916 and 1956. He was bor ...

References

External links

* 1930s action war films 1930s historical films Italian action films Italian war films Italian historical films Films of Nazi Germany German black-and-white films 1930s Italian-language films Films directed by Luis Trenker Films set in the 16th century Italian multilingual films Italian black-and-white films Cultural depictions of Cesare Borgia Cultural depictions of Caterina Sforza 1937 multilingual films Fascist propaganda 1930s Italian films {{1930s-Italy-film-stub

Cast

See also

References

External links