''Dora Nelson'' is a 1939 Italian

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Mario Soldati Mario Soldati (17 November 1906 – 19 June 1999) was an Italian writer and film director. In 1954 he won the Strega Prize for ''Lettere da Capri.'' He directed several works adapted from novels, and worked with leading Italian actresses, su ...

and starring

Assia Noris Assia Noris (16 February 1912 – 27 January 1998) was a Russian-Italian film actress. Born Anastasia Noris fon Gerzfeld (Anastassia Noris von Herzfeld), she appeared in over 35 films between 1932 and 1965. She starred in films such as the Ma ...

Carlo Ninchi Carlo Ninchi (31 May 1896 – 27 April 1974) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1931 and 1963. He was born in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, and died on 27 April 1974 in Milan, Lombardy, Italy. Selected filmogra ...

and Luigi Cimara. It is a remake of the 1935 French film of the same title, which was based on a play by

Louis Verneuil Louis Jacques Marie Collin du Bocage (14 May 1893 – 3 November 1952), better known by the pen name Louis Verneuil, was a French playwright, screenwriter, and actor. Biography Born in Paris, Verneuil wrote approximately sixty plays and was be ...

. The film was shot at

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 ...

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 ...

, with several real employees of the studio appearing as themselves.Gundle p.63 It belongs to the movies of the

calligrafismo Calligrafismo (, "caligraphism") is an Italian style of filmmaking relating to some films made in Italy in the first half of the 1940s and endowed with an expressive complexity that isolates them from the general context. Calligrafismo is in a sh ...

style.

Synopsis

A headstrong

diva Diva (; ) is the Latin word for a goddess. It has often been used to refer to a celebrated woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, theatre, cinema, fashion and popular music. If referring to an actress, the meaning of ''diva'' is cl ...

abandons the set of her latest film, and heads of to

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. T ...

. A

working class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colo ...

girl who strongly resembles the star takes her place so that the film can be finished.

Partial cast

as Dora Nelson / Pierina Costa *

as Giovanni Ferrari * Luigi Cimara as Alberto, il primo marito *

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 Il falso principe * Carlo Campanini as Emilio, l'ottico * Miretta Mauri as Renata * Federico Collino as Blasco, il segretario *

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 signor Gabardo *

Evelina Paoli Evelina Paoli (1878–1972) was an Italian stage and film actress.Goble p.363 Selected filmography * ''Venus'' (1932) * '' One Night with You'' (1932) * ''The Joker King'' (1935) * '' They've Kidnapped a Man'' (1938) * '' Dora Nelson'' (1939) * ...

as La signora Gabardo *

Adele Mosso Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a rec ...

as La zia anziana di Gabardo *

Massimo Girotti Massimo Girotti (18 May 1918 – 5 January 2003) was an Italian film actor whose career spanned seven decades. Born in Mogliano, in the province of Macerata, Girotti developed his athletic physique by swimming and playing polo. While studying eng ...

as Enrico

References

Bibliography

* Gundle, Stephen. ''Mussolini's Dream Factory: Film Stardom in Fascist Italy''. Berghahn Books, 2013.

External links

* 1939 films Italian comedy films Italian black-and-white films 1939 comedy films 1930s Italian-language films Films directed by Mario Soldati Films set in Rome Films set in France Italian films based on plays Films based on works by Louis Verneuil Italian remakes of French films Films shot at Cinecittà Studios 1930s Italian films {{1930s-Italy-comedy-film-stub