''The Twentieth Duke'' (Italian: ''Il ventesimo duca'') is a 1945 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 Lucio De Caro and starring

Paola Veneroni Paola Veneroni (15 January 1922 – 15 January 2021) was an Italian film and stage actress. She rose to prominence in the 1940s, starring in films such as the comedy ''The Twentieth Duke'' (1945) before switching to working in theatre. She was al ...

, Roberto Villa and

Paola Borboni Paola Borboni (1 January 1900 – 9 April 1995) was an Italian stage and film actress whose career spanned nine decades of cinema. Early life Borboni was born on 1 January 1900 in Parma, Italy. Career Borboni made her stage debut in 19 ...

.Chiti & Poppi p.403 The film is based on a 1925 play by

Ugo Falena Ugo Falena (25 April 1875 in Rome – 20 September 1931 in Rome) was an Italian silent film director and occasional opera librettist. His films include ''Otello'' (1909), ''Beatrice Cenci'' (1911), ''William Tell'' (1911), ''Romeo and Juliet'' ...

which had previous been made into films on two occasions ''

The Last Lord ''The Last Lord'' (Italian: ''L'ultimo lord'') is a 1926 Italian silent comedy film directed by Augusto Genina.Stewart p.52 It is based on the 1925 play of the same title by Ugo Falena. Genina remade the play as a sound film in 1932. A furthe ...

'' (1926) and ''

The Woman Dressed As a Man ''The Woman Dressed As a Man'' (French: ''La femme en homme'') is a 1932 French comedy film directed by Augusto Genina and starring Carmen Boni, Armand Bernard and André Dubosc.Andrew p.364 It was based on a 1925 play by Ugo Falena which had p ...

'' (1932). The story tells of the only surviving relative of an old Duke, his granddaughter, who pretends to be a man in order to convince him that the line of succession is secure. It was shot at the Cinecitta Studios 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 ...

. It was made in 1943, but its release was delayed for two years. It did not go on a full national release until early 1946.

Cast

as Freddie * Roberto Villa as Il principe Cristiano *

as La principessa di Danimarca *

Domenico Viglione Borghese Domenico Viglione Borghese (13 July 1877 – 26 October 1957) was an Italian operatic baritone and actor. Early life Born in Mondovì, he gave up his studies in medicine to dedicate himself to the study of singing, first in Milan and later with ...

as Il vecchio duca di Bressy *

Giuseppe Porelli Giuseppe Porelli (24 November 1897 – 5 March 1982) was an Italian stage, film and television actor. Life and career Born Giuseppe Porcelli in Naples, he graduated from the Istituto Tecnico and became an employee of Ferrovie dello Stato. W ...

as Francesco, il domestico * Lucciana Danieli as Alice * Daisy Ammon * Nelly Morgan * Flora Torrigiani

References

Bibliography

* Roberto Chiti & Roberto Poppi. ''I film: Tutti i film italiani dal 1930 al 1944''. Gremese Editore, 2005.

External links

* 1945 films Italian comedy films Italian black-and-white films 1945 comedy films Films directed by Lucio De Caro Remakes of Italian films Films shot at Cinecittà Studios 1940s Italian films {{1940s-Italy-film-stub