''Invisible Chains'' (Italian: ''Catene invisibili'') is a 1942 Italian

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 ...

directed by Mario Mattoli and starring

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, ...

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

Giuditta Rissone Giuditta Rissone (10 March 1895 – 22 June 1977) was an Italian film actress who appeared in 25 films between 1933 and 1966. She was born in Genoa and died in Rome. Giuditta Rissone married the director and actor Vittorio De Sica in 1937 in ...

.Gundle p.236 It was shot at the

Cinecittà Studios 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 ...

. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Ottavio Scotti and Mario Rappini.

Plot

Following the death of her industrialist father, a young socialite inherits his business empire. Discovering that she has an illegitimate half-brother, she tries to assist him by finding him employment in the

factory A factory, manufacturing plant or a production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. ...

, but his criminal behaviour lets her down. Finally, she finds love and companionship in the engineer who runs the factory on her behalf.

Cast

as Elena Silvagni *

as Carlo Danieli *

as La signora Matilde Silvagni *

Andrea Checchi Andrea Checchi (21 October 1916 – 29 March 1974) was a prolific Italian film actor. Biography Born in Florence, Checchi appeared in over 150 films in his lengthy career, which spanned from 1934 to his death in 1974. The son of a painter, ...

as Enrico Leni, il fratellastro *

Jone Morino Jone Morino (28 April 1896 – ?) Birth name Jone Nicola Morino. was an Italian film actress. Born in Rome, Italy, appeared in at least 37 films between 1938 and 1956. Filmography *''The House of Shame'' (1938) *''Validita Giorni 10'' (19 ...

as La madre di Enrico * Carlo Campanini as Cesare Tani *

Luigi Almirante Luigi Almirante (30 September 1884 – 6 May 1963) was an Italian stage and film actor. He appeared in 62 films between 1921 and 1955. Life and career The son of a stage actor, Almirante was born in Tunis, where the theatrical company of ...

as Un amico dei Silvagni *

Ada Dondini Ada Dondini (18 March 1883 – 3 January 1958) was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 48 films between 1916 and 1954. She was born in Cosenza, Italy and died in Chieti, Italy. Selected filmography * '' The Charmer'' (1931) * '' Just ...

as La fioraia * Armando Migliari as Il commissario *

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 Il direttore dell'albergo *

Arturo Bragaglia Arturo Bragaglia (7 January 1893 – 21 January 1962) was an Italian actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films from 1938 to 1961. Selected filmography References External links * 1893 births 1962 deaths Italian male f ...

as Il cameriere di casa Tani *

Cesare Fantoni Cesare Fantoni (1 January 1905 – 15 January 1963) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Born in Bologna, Fantoni began his acting career in Luchino Visconti’s stage proses until making his first on-screen appearance in 1937. ...

as Il maggiordomo di casa Silvagni *

Ciro Berardi Ciro Berardi (1909–1961) was an Italian actor.Bìspuri p.51 Selected filmography * ''Light in the Darkness'' (1941) * ''Lucky Night'' (1941) * '' Street of the Five Moons'' (1942) * ''After Casanova's Fashion'' (1942) * ''Love Story'' (1942) * ...

as Giulio Berri * Paolo Bonecchi as L'avvocato della querela *

Armida Bonocore Armida is the fictional character of a Saracen sorceress, created by the Italian late Renaissance poet Torquato Tasso. Description In Tasso's epic ''Jerusalem Delivered'' ( it, Gerusalemme liberata, link=no), Rinaldo is a fierce and determ ...

as La segretaria di Danieli *

Giovanni Cimara Giovanni Cimara (1889–1970) was an Italian film actor, mainly of the silent era.Goble p.110 Biography Born into a noble Roman family and brother of the much more famous Luigi Cimara, he had an unfortunate career as an actor at a young age but ...

as Un industriale di Milano * Giorgio Costantini as Il mediatore * Giovanni Dolfini as Il direttore della prigione *

Oreste Fares Oreste Fares (1885–1950) was an Italian stage and film actor.Landy p.155 Selected filmography * '' Before the Jury'' (1931) * ''Venus'' (1932) * '' Villafranca'' (1934) * '' Red Passport'' (1935) * '' Cavalry'' (1936) * '' To Live'' (1937) * '' ...

as Il notaio * Adolfo Geri as Marini * Virgilio Gottardi as Un amico tennista di Elena * Delia Lancelotti as Un'amica di Elena *

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 L'impiegato dell'albergo *

Nino Marchesini Nino Marchesini (1895 – 13 January 1961) was an Italian actor. He appeared in more than seventy films from 1931 to 1961. Filmography References External links * 1895 births 1961 deaths Italian male film actors {{Italy-film- ...

as Un membro del consiglio d'amministrazione *

Carlo Mariotti Carlo is a given name. It is an Italian form of Charles. It can refer to: *Carlo (name) *Monte Carlo *Carlingford, New South Wales, a suburb in north-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia *A satirical song written by Dafydd Iwan about Prince Char ...

as Il segretario del commissario * Patrizia Muller as Un' amica di Elena * Giovanni Petrucci as Gino, il barista *

Aldo Pini Aldo may refer to: * Aldo (given name), male given name ** Aldo (footballer, born 1977) ** Aldo (footballer, born 1988) * Aldo Group, a worldwide chain of shoe stores * Aldosterone in shorthand * Aldo Bonzi, a town in Argentina {{disa ...

as L'equivoco compagno di Enrico * Mirella Scriatto as Daniela, la commessa fioraia * Elide Spada as Claretta *

Umberto Spadaro Umberto Spadaro (8 November 1904 – 12 October 1981) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in around 95 films between 1940 and 1979. His brother Peppino Spadaro was also an actor. Selected filmography * ''Cavalleria rusticana'' (1939) – ...

as Un amico di Enrico al biliardo *

Gioconda Stari ''La Gioconda'' is an opera in four acts by Amilcare Ponchielli set to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito (as Tobia Gorrio), based on ''Angelo, Tyrant of Padua'', a 1835 play in prose by Victor Hugo (the same source Gaetano Rossi had used for h ...

as Una cameriera di casa Silvagni * Guido Verdiani as Il dottore Moretti * Leonello Zanchi as Un impiegato di Danieli

References

Bibliography

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

External links

* 1942 films 1940s Italian-language films Italian black-and-white films Films directed by Mario Mattoli Italian drama films 1942 drama films Films shot at Cinecittà Studios 1940s Italian films {{1940s-Italy-film-stub