''Madame Butterfly'' ( it, Madama Butterfly, link=no) is a 1954
musical film directed by
Carmine Gallone
Carmine Gallone (10 September 1885 – 11 March 1973) was an early Italian film director, screenwriter, and film producer, who was also controversial for his works of pro-Fascist propaganda and historical revisionism. Considered one of Itali ...
and starring
Kaoru Yachigusa
was a Japanese actress from Osaka Prefecture. From 1947 to 1957 she was a member of the Takarazuka Revue. After leaving the Revue, she was active in film, television, and narration.
She famously quit part way through the filming of the televi ...
,
Nicola Filacuridi and
Michiko Tanaka. It is based on
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Puccini ( Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long ...
's opera, ''
Madama Butterfly'' which is based on
David Belasco
David Belasco (July 25, 1853 – May 14, 1931) was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director, and playwright. He was the first writer to adapt the short story ''Madame Butterfly'' for the stage. He launched the theatrical career of ...
's short story
of the same name.
Cast
*
Kaoru Yachigusa
was a Japanese actress from Osaka Prefecture. From 1947 to 1957 she was a member of the Takarazuka Revue. After leaving the Revue, she was active in film, television, and narration.
She famously quit part way through the filming of the televi ...
as Madame Butterfly, sung by
Orietta Moscucci
*
Nicola Filacuridi as Pinkerton, sung by
Giuseppe Campora
*
Michiko Tanaka as Suzuki, sung by
Gianna Maria Canale
* Ferdinando Lidonni as Sharpless, the Consul
* Kiyoshi Takagi as Goro, sung by Paolo Carloni
*
Yoshio Kosugi
was a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than 120 films from 1924 to 1967.
Career
First appearing on stage as a shingeki actor, he was initially recognized for his role as Yasha in ''The Cherry Orchard''. He made his film debut in the 1920s a ...
as Bonze, sung by
Plinio Clabassi
*
Tetsu Nakamura
, also known as Kaka Murad (Pashto: , transl. "Uncle Nakamura"), (15 September 1946 – 4 December 2019), was a Japanese physician and honorary Afghan citizen who headed Peace Japan Medical Services (PMS), an aid group known as ''Peshawar-kai'' ...
as Yamadori, sung by Adelio Zagonara
* Josephine Corry as Kate Pinkerton
Production
''Madame Butterfly'' was shot at
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 ...
in Rome between October and December 1954.
Release
''Madame Butterfly'' was distributed theatrically in Japan on 3 June 1955. It was released in the United States by I.F.E. in Italian with English subtitles on 23 April 1956. It was reissued in 1970 by
Cinemation Industries.
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
*
1954 films
1954 musical films
Italian musical films
Japanese musical films
1950s Italian-language films
Films based on works by Giuseppe Giacosa
Films directed by Carmine Gallone
Films based on operas by Giacomo Puccini
Toho films
Opera films
1950s Japanese films
1950s Italian films
{{musical-film-stub