Luigi Comencini (; 8 June 1916 – 6 April 2007)
''The Guardian'' was an Italian

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

. Together with

Dino Risi Dino Risi (23 December 1916 – 7 June 2008) was an Italian film director. With Mario Monicelli, Luigi Comencini, Nanni Loy and Ettore Scola, he was one of the masters of ''commedia all'italiana''. Biography Risi was born in Milan. He had an o ...

, Ettore Scola and

Mario Monicelli Mario Alberto Ettore Monicelli (; 16 May 1915 – 29 November 2010) was an Italian film director and screenwriter and one of the masters of the ''Commedia all'Italiana'' (Comedy Italian style). He was nominated six times for an Oscar, and was awa ...

, he was considered among the masters of the ''

commedia all'italiana Commedia all'italiana (, pl. Commedie all'italiana, "Comedy in the Italian way") or Italian-style comedy is an Italian film genre born in Italy in the 1950s and developed in the 1960s and 1970s. It is widely considered to have started with Mar ...

'' genre. His daughters

Cristina Cristina is a female given name, and it is also a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Cristina (daughter of Edward the Exile), 11th-century English princess *Cristina (singer), Cristina Monet-Palaci (1956–2020), American s ...

and Francesca are both film directors.

Biography

His first successful movie was ''

L'imperatore di Capri ''The Emperor of Capri'' (Italian: ''L'imperatore di Capri'') is a 1949 Italian comedy film directed by Luigi Comencini and starring Totò, Yvonne Sanson and Marisa Merlini.Moliterno p.88 The film's sets were designed by the art director Carlo E ...

'', featuring

Totò Antonio Griffo Focas Flavio Angelo Ducas Comneno Porfirogenito Gagliardi de Curtis di Bisanzio (15 February 1898 – 15 April 1967), best known by his stage name Totò (), or simply as Antonio de Curtis, and nicknamed ''il Principe della risata ...

. Comencini's 1953 ''

Pane, amore e fantasia ''Bread, Love and Dreams'' ( it, Pane, amore e fantasia) is a 1953 Italian romantic comedy film directed by Luigi Comencini. At the 4th Berlin International Film Festival it won the Silver Bear award. Plot The film is set in Sagliena, an imaginar ...

'', with

Vittorio De Sica Vittorio De Sica ( , ; 7 July 1901 – 13 November 1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement. Four of the films he directed won Academy Awards: ''Sciuscià'' and ''Bicycle Thieves'' (honorary) ...

and

Gina Lollobrigida Luigia "Gina" Lollobrigida (born 4 July 1927) is an Italian actress, photojournalist, and politician. She was one of the highest-profile European actresses of the 1950s and early 1960s, a period in which she was an international sex symbol. As o ...

, is considered a primary example of ''neorealismo rosa'' (pink neorealism). It was followed by ''

Pane, amore e gelosia ''Bread, Love and Jealousy'' ( it, Pane, amore e gelosia), known as ''Frisky'' in the US, is a 1954 Italian romantic comedy film directed by Luigi Comencini. It is the second part of the Italian trilogy, preceded by ''Bread, Love and Dreams'' an ...

''. After first directing

Alberto Sordi Alberto Sordi (15 June 1920 – 24 February 2003) was an Italian actor, voice actor, singer, comedian, director and screenwriter. Early life Born in Rome to a schoolteacher and a musician and the last of five children, Sordi was named in hon ...

in ''La bella di Roma'' (1955), Comencini again worked with Sordi in what is considered his masterwork, '' Tutti a casa'', a bitter comedy about Italy after the armistice of 1943. The film won the Special Golden Prize at the 2nd Moscow International Film Festival. Also set in World War II, but devoted to the

Italian partisans The Italian resistance movement (the ''Resistenza italiana'' and ''la Resistenza'') is an umbrella term for the Italian resistance groups who fought the occupying forces of Nazi Germany and the fascist collaborationists of the Italian Social ...

, is ''

La ragazza di Bube LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

'' (1963). This was followed by ''Incompreso'' (1966, based on the English novel by

Florence Montgomery Florence Montgomery (1843–1923) was an English novelist and children's writer. Her 1869 novel ''Misunderstood'' was enjoyed by Lewis Carroll and George du Maurier, and by Vladimir Nabokov as a child. Her writings are pious in tone and set in f ...

). Comencini obtained an outstanding success with what is ranked amongst the best productions of Italian television, ''

The Adventures of Pinocchio ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' ( ; it, Le avventure di Pinocchio ; commonly shortened to ''Pinocchio'') is a children's fantasy novel by Italian author Carlo Collodi. It is about the mischievous adventures of an animated marionette named Pi ...

'' (1972). In the same year, he directed the feature film '' Lo scopone scientifico'', a dark comedy with Sordi and

Silvana Mangano Silvana Mangano (; 21 April 1930 – 16 December 1989) was an Italian film actress. She was one of a generation of thespians who arose from the neorealist movement, and went on to become a major female star, regarded as a sex symbol for the 19 ...

. In 1975, he released the mystery ''La donna della domenica'', featuring Marcello Mastroianni,

Jacqueline Bisset Winifred Jacqueline Fraser Bisset ( ; born 13 September 1944) is a British actress. She began her film career in 1965 and first came to prominence in 1968 with roles in '' The Detective'', ''Bullitt'', and ''The Sweet Ride'', for which she rec ...

and

Jean-Louis Trintignant Jean-Louis Xavier Trintignant (; 11 December 1930 – 17 June 2022) was a French actor. He made his theatrical debut in 1951, and went on to be regarded as one of the best French dramatic actors of the post-war era. He starred in many classic fi ...

. Comencini's subsequent works were characterized by the presence of famous Italian actors of the time:

Ugo Tognazzi Ugo Tognazzi (23 March 1922 – 27 October 1990) was an Italian actor, director, and screenwriter. Early life Tognazzi was born in Cremona, in northern Italy but spent his youth in various localities as his father was a travelling clerk fo ...

in ''Il gatto'' (1977), or

Nino Manfredi Saturnino "Nino" Manfredi (22 March 1921 – 4 June 2004) was an Italian actor, voice actor, director, screenwriter, playwright, comedian, singer, author, radio personality and television presenter. He was one of the most prominent Italian a ...

in his episode of ''Basta che non si sappia in giro''. In the 1980s, Comencini's movies met with less success but his ''

Cuore The Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events (CUORE , also ) is a particle physics facility located underground at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in Assergi, Italy. CUORE was designed primarily as a search for neutrinoless dou ...

'' television series of 1984 was praised. He died in Rome after a long illness in 2007.

Filmography

* ''Bambini in città'' (1947) * '' Hey Boy (Proibito rubare)'' (1948) * ''

The Emperor of Capri ''The Emperor of Capri'' (Italian: ''L'imperatore di Capri'') is a 1949 Italian comedy film directed by Luigi Comencini and starring Totò, Yvonne Sanson and Marisa Merlini.Moliterno p.88 The film's sets were designed by the art director Carlo Eg ...

(L'imperatore di Capri)'' (1949) * ''L'ospedale del delitto'' (1950) * '' Behind Closed Shutters (Persiane chiuse)'' (1950) * ''

Heidi ''Heidi'' (; ) is a work of children's fiction published in 1881 by Swiss author Johanna Spyri, originally published in two parts as ''Heidi: Her Years of Wandering and Learning'' (german: Heidis Lehr- und Wanderjahre) and ''Heidi: How She Use ...

'' (1952) * '' La Tratta delle bianche'' (1953) * ''

La valigia dei sogni ''La valigia dei sogni'' ("Suitcase of dreams") is a 1953 Italian comedy film directed by Luigi Comencini. Cast * Umberto Melnati: Ettore Omeri * Maria-Pia Casilio: Mariannina * Roberto Risso: Giorgio Astori * Ludmilla Dudarova: Baronessa Capr ...

'' (1953) * ''

Bread, Love and Dreams ''Bread, Love and Dreams'' ( it, Pane, amore e fantasia) is a 1953 Italian romantic comedy film directed by Luigi Comencini. At the 4th Berlin International Film Festival it won the Silver Bear award. Plot The film is set in Sagliena, an imaginar ...

(Pane, amore e fantasia)'' (1953) * ''

Bread, Love and Jealousy ''Bread, Love and Jealousy'' ( it, Pane, amore e gelosia), known as ''Frisky'' in the US, is a 1954 Italian romantic comedy film directed by Luigi Comencini. It is the second part of the Italian trilogy, preceded by ''Bread, Love and Dreams'' an ...

(Pane, amore e gelosia)'' (1954) * '' The Belle of Rome (La bella di Roma)'' (1955) * ''

The Window to Luna Park ''The Window to Luna Park'' ( it, La finestra sul Luna Park) is a 1957 Italian drama film directed by Luigi Comencini. It was entered into the 7th Berlin International Film Festival. Cast * Giulia Rubini Giulia Rubini (born 2 June 1935) is a ...

'' (1957) * '' Husbands in the City (Mariti in città)'' (1957) * ''

Mogli pericolose ''Mogli pericolose'' ("Dangerous wives") is a 1958 Italian comedy film written and directed by Luigi Comencini. Cast * Sylva Koscina: Tosca, Pirro's wife * Dorian Gray: Ornella, Bruno's wife * Renato Salvatori: Dr. Federico Carpi * Nino Ta ...

'' (1958) * '' Le sorprese dell'amore'' (1959) * ''

And That on Monday Morning ''And That on Monday Morning'' (german: Und das am Montagmorgen) is a 1959 West German comedy film directed by Luigi Comencini and starring O.W. Fischer, Ulla Jacobsson and Vera Tschechowa . Based on the 1955 British play '' Mr. Kettle and Mrs. ...

'' (1959) * ''

Everybody Go Home ''Everybody Go Home'' ( it, Tutti a casa) is a 1960 Italian comedy-drama film directed by Luigi Comencini. It features an international cast including the U.S. actors Martin Balsam, Alex Nicol and the Franco-Italian Serge Reggiani. Nino Manfre ...

(Tutti a casa)'' (1960) * '' A cavallo della tigre'' (1961) * '' Il commissario'' (1962) * ''

'' (1963) * '' Tre notti d'amore'' (1964) * '' La mia signora'' (1964) * '' Il compagno Don Camillo'' (1965) * '' Six Days a Week (La bugiarda)'' (1965) * ''

Le bambole ''Le bambole'' (U.S. title: ''The Dolls'', UK title: ''Four Kinds of Love'') is a 1965 Italian comedy film in four segments; starring Nino Manfredi, Virna Lisi, Elke Sommer, and Mario Montuori. The four vignettes—The Telephone Call (La telef ...

'' (1965, episode "Il trattato di eugenetica") * '' Misunderstood (Incompreso)'' (1966) * ''

Italian Secret Service ''Italian Secret Service'' (also known as ''Il nostro agente Natalino Tartufato'') is a 1968 Italian comedy film directed by Luigi Comencini. For his performance in this film and in '' Il padre di famiglia'', Nino Manfredi was awarded with a Golden ...

'' (1968) * ''

Infanzia, vocazione e prime esperienze di Giacomo Casanova, veneziano ''Giacomo Casanova: Childhood and Adolescence'' ( it, Infanzia, vocazione e prime esperienze di Giacomo Casanova, veneziano, lit=Childhood, Vocation, and First Experience of Giacomo Casanova, Venetian), internationally released as ''Casanova: His ...

'' (1969) * '' Senza sapere niente di lei'' (1969) * ''

'' (1972, TV series) * '' Lo scopone scientifico (

The Scientific Cardplayer ''The Scientific Cardplayer'', also known as ''The Scopone Game'' ( it, Lo scopone scientifico), is a 1973 Italian comedy-drama film directed by Luigi Comencini. The screenplay was written by Rodolfo Sonego. Plot An aging and wealthy American w ...

)'' (1973) * '' Somewhere Beyond Love (Delitto d'amore)'' (1974) * '' Mio Dio, come sono caduta in basso!'' (1974) * ''

La donna della domenica ''The Sunday Woman'' ( it, La donna della domenica) is a crime fiction, crime novel by Italian authors Carlo Fruttero and Franco Lucentini, first published in 1972. It was subsequently translated into English language, English by William Weaver in ...

'' (1975) * ''

Basta che non si sappia in giro ''Basta che non si sappia in giro'' is a 1976 Italian anthology comedy film directed by Luigi Comencini, Nanni Loy and Luigi Magni. The film obtained a good commercial success. Plot In a triptych of events (the first directed by Loy, the second ...

'' (1976, episode "L'equivoco)'' * ''

Quelle strane occasioni ''Quelle strane occasioni'', internationally released as ''Strange Occasion'', is a 1976 Italian anthology comedy film directed by Luigi Comencini, Nanni Loy and Luigi Magni. Loy didn't accept to sign his segment, ''Italian Superman'', that resul ...

'' (1976) * ''

Signore e signori, buonanotte ''Goodnight, Ladies and Gentlemen'' ( it, Signore e signori, buonanotte, french: Mesdames et messieurs bonsoir) is a 1976 French-Italian satirical comedy anthology film. It comprises twelve episodes on themes of corruption in various Italian ...

'' (1976) * '' The Cat (Il gatto)'' (1977) * '' L'ingorgo - Una storia impossibile'' (1978) * ''

Voltati Eugenio ''Voltati Eugenio'' (internationally released as ''Eugenio'' and ''Turn Around Eugenio'') is a 1980 Italian comedy drama film by Luigi Comencini. It entered the 37th Venice International Film Festival. The film won the David di Donatello for b ...

'' (1980) * ''Cercasi Gesù'' (1982) * ''Cuore'' (1984, TV series) * ' (1986) * ''

A Boy from Calabria ''Un ragazzo di Calabria'' (internationally released as ''A Boy from Calabria'') is a 1987 Italian comedy drama film by Luigi Comencini. It entered the main competition at the 44th Venice Film Festival in which it won the Pasinetti Award for Best ...

(Un ragazzo di Calabria)'' (1987) * ''

La Bohème ''La bohème'' (; ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions '' quadri'', '' tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giusep ...

'' (1988) * '' Buon Natale... buon anno'' (1989) * ''Marcellino'' (1992)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Comencini, Luigi 1916 births 2007 deaths People from Salò Italian film directors Italian Waldensians German-language film directors David di Donatello winners Burials at the Cimitero Flaminio