''La voce senza volto'' () is a 1939 Italian " white-telephones"

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

Gennaro Righelli Gennaro Righelli (12 December 1886 – 6 January 1949) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and actor. He directed more than 110 films in Italy and Germany between 1910 and 1947. In 1930, he directed the first Italian sound film, ''T ...

. It is part of the tradition of ''

telefoni bianchi ''Telefoni Bianchi'' (; white telephones) films, also called deco films, were made by Italian film industry in the 1930s and the 1940s in imitation of American comedies of the time in a sharp contrast to the other important style of the era, cal ...

'' () comedies, popular in Italy at the time.

Cast

:Cast adapted from ''Riccardo Freda: The Life and Works of a Born Filmmaker''. * Giovanni Manurita as Gino Malversi *

Vanna Vanni Vanna Vanni (7 January 1915 – 6 March 1998) was an Italian film actress. She was in thirty-one films between 1930 and 1943. Life and career Vanni was born in Florence as Maria Angelica Giovanna Pegna. She has been described as a graceful a ...

as Mirella Bonardi *

Elsa De Giorgi Elsa De Giorgi (26 January 1914 – 12 September 1997) was an Italian film actress and writer. She appeared in twenty seven films, including '' Captain Fracasse'' (1940). Her 1955 book ''I coetanei'' (The Peers), a diary of Italy during the civ ...

as an actress *

Carlo Romano Carlo Romano (8 May 1908 – 16 October 1975) was an Italian actor, voice actor and screenwriter. Biography Born in Livorno, Romano was the son of actress Dina Romano and the younger brother of actor Felice Romano. Romano started his acting ...

as Maurizio Sala, the tenore *

Romolo Costa Romolo Costa (26 February 1897 - 1 January 1965) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Costa appeared in more than seventy films and television series between 1934 and 1964 and he was a character actor who generally appeared in support ...

as Riva, the film director *

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 ...

as Tabarrini *

Adele Garavaglia Adele Garavaglia (1869–1944) was an Italian stage and film actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media su ...

as Gino's mother *

Anita Farra Anita Farra (15 July 1905 – 4 August 2008) was an Italian stage and film actress. She appeared in around forty films during her career, generally in small or supporting roles such as that in ''The Siege of the Alcazar'' (1940).Cardullo p.210 ...

as the Hostel owner *

Nietta Zocchi Nietta Zocchi (10 July 1909 – 23 April 1981) was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 70 films between 1936 and 1976. Selected filmography * ''The Amnesiac'' (1936) - Zelinda (uncredited) * '' To Live'' (1936) - Una spettatrice al concer ...

as the actress' maid

Production

''La voce senza volto'' 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 wer ...

. The film features Giovanni Manurita, a popular tenor who had a brief film career. ''La voce senza volto'' would be his third last film.

Release

''La voce senza volto'' was distributed theatrically in Italy by Juventus Film on January 5, 1939. Film historian and critic Roberto Curti noted that the current prints of the film in Italy suffer from soundtrack damage, and feature voice work that was re-dubbed onto the film with contemporary dialogue.

References

Bibliography

External links

* 1939 films Italian comedy films 1939 comedy films Films directed by Gennaro Righelli Italian black-and-white films Films shot at Cinecittà Studios 1930s Italian films {{1930s-Italy-film-stub