Mario Landi (12 October 1920 – 18 March 1992) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

director known for his

giallo In Italian cinema, ''Giallo'' (; plural ''gialli'', from ''giallo'', Italian for yellow) is a genre of mystery fiction and thrillers that often contains slasher, crime fiction, psychological thriller, psychological horror, sexploitation, a ...

movies such as ''

Giallo a Venezia ''Giallo a Venezia'' (''Giallo in Venice'') is a 1979 Italy, Italian giallo film directed by Mario Landi. The film released on December 31, 1979 in Italy and starred Leonora Fani. It is known primarily for its extremely graphic scenes of sex and sp ...

'' and his television series ''

Le inchieste del commissario Maigret ''Le inchieste del commissario Maigret'' (i.e. "The inquiries of the superintendent Maigret") is an Italian television series based on the detective fiction of Georges Simenon about the French police ''commissaire'' Jules Maigret, portrayed by ...

''.

Life and career

Born in

Messina, Sicily Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in t ...

, Landi attended the National Academy of Dramatic Arts in Rome, graduating in direction in 1944. He began his career in theater, working with the best actors of his time, in particular being one of the most active protagonists of the "Diogene" cultural circle in Milan, a reference point for the Italian theater in the 1950s. He made his debut as a film director in 1950, with the musical film ''

Canzoni per le strade ''Songs in the Streets'' (Italian: ''Canzoni per le strade'') is a 1950 Italian musical melodrama film directed by Mario Landi and starring Luciano Tajoli, Antonella Lualdi and Carlo Ninchi.Chiti & Poppi p.80 Cast * Luciano Taioli as Luciano L ...

'', but soon his interests shifted to the new medium of his era, the television; he is regarded as a pioneer of Italian television, for which he worked since 1952, when

RAI RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many terr ...

started experimental broadcasting before starting the regular TV service.Aldo Grasso, Massimo Scaglioni. ''Enciclopedia della Televisione''. Garzanti, 1996 – 2003. . From 1955 to 1979 he directed a very large number of television movies and series, occasionally directing a few variety shows, including an edition of ''

Canzonissima ''Canzonissima'' was an Italian musical variety show broadcast by Rai 1 Rai 1 () is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's fl ...

''.Aldo Grasso, Massimo Scaglioni. ''Enciclopedia della Televisione''. Garzanti, 1996 – 2003. . He was less active in cinema, in which he sporadically directed a number of low-profile genre films.

Reception

The films of Mario Landi were not well received.

Paolo Mereghetti Paolo Mereghetti (born 28 September 1949) is an Italian film critic. Born in Milan, Mereghetti graduated in philosophy with a thesis about Orson Welles.Giorgio Dell’Arti, Massimo Parrini. "Mereghetti, Paolo". ''Catalogo dei viventi''. Marsilio ...

, author of ''Il Mereghetti'', wrote of ''Maigret a Pigalle'': "the direction is slovenly", while of ''Giallo a Venezia'' he wrote that it:

Filmography

As actor

*''

Howlers in the Dock ''Howlers in the Dock'' ( it, Urlatori alla sbarra) is a 1960 Italian " musicarello" film directed (and co-written) by Lucio Fulci. It is also known as ''Howlers of the Dock'' in some reference books. The film was shown on Italian TV under a lon ...

'' (1960, as Il regista Lando) *''

Cry of a Prostitute ''Cry of a Prostitute'' ( it, Quelli che contano, also known as ''Love Kills'' and ''Guns of the Big Shots'') is a 1974 Italian gangster film directed by Andrea Bianchi. Plot Hitman Tony Aniante returns to his native Sicily after having spent ma ...

'' (1974, as Don Turi Scannapieco)

As director

* ''

Songs in the Streets ''Songs in the Streets'' (Italian: ''Canzoni per le strade'') is a 1950 Italian musical melodrama film directed by Mario Landi and starring Luciano Tajoli, Antonella Lualdi and Carlo Ninchi.Chiti & Poppi p.80 Cast *Luciano Taioli as Luciano Land ...

'' (1950) *'' Siamo tutti Milanesi'' (1953) *'' Così è (se vi pare)'' (1954) *''

Andrea Chénier ''Andrea Chénier'' () is a verismo opera in four acts by Umberto Giordano, set to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica, and first performed on 28 March 1896 at La Scala, Milan. The story is based loosely on the life of the French poet A ...

'' (1955) *'' Cime tempestose'' (1956, TV Mini-Series) *'' All'insegna delle sorelle Kadar'' (1957) *''

'' (1958, TV series) *''

Canne al vento ''Canne al vento'' (; Italian for "Reeds in the wind") is a novel by the Italian author and Nobel Prize winner Grazia Deledda. After being published by episodes on '' L'Illustrazione Italiana'', in the period January 13–27, 1913, it was relea ...

'' (1958) *'' Il povero fornaretto di Venezia'' (1959) *'' Il romanzo di un maestro'' (1959, TV Mini-Series) *''

Lo schiavo impazzito Lo may refer to any of the following: Arts and entertainment * ''Lo! ''Lo!'' is the third published nonfiction work of the author Charles Fort (first edition 1931). In it he details a wide range of unusual phenomena. In the final chapter of ...

'' (1960) *'' Ragazza mia'' (1960, TV Mini-Series) *'' Racconti dell'Italia di ieri - Un episodio dell'anno della fame'' (1961) *'' Il piacere dell'onestà'' (1961) *'' Racconti dell'Italia di oggi - Una lapide in Via Mazzini'' (1962) *''

Ritorna il tenente Sheridan ''Ritorna il tenente Sheridan'' is an Italian television series in six episodes of the detective genre, produced in 1963 by RAI and centered around the figure of Lieutenant Sheridan, played by the actor Ubaldo Lay. It was created by screenwriter ...

'' (1963, TV series, 6 episodes) *''

Giacobbe ed Esau ''Jacob and Esau'' ( it, Giacobbe ed Esaù) is a 1963 Italian religious epic drama film written and directed by Mario Landi and starring Edmund Hashim and Ken Clark in the title roles. Plot Cast *Edmund Hashim as Jacob * Ken Clark as Adult E ...

'' (1963) *''

'' (1964-1972, TV series, 16 episodes) *''

Maigret a Pigalle ''Maigret a Pigalle'' (''Maigret in Pigalle'') is a 1966 Italian crime film directed by Mario Landi. It is based on the novel '' Maigret al Picratt's'' by Georges Simenon. Synopsis One evening, Arlette, a stripper in a Paris nightclub called the ...

'' (1967) *''

Questi nostri figli Giulio Questi (18 March 1924 – 3 December 2014) was an Italian film director and screenwriter.Marco Giusti, Dizionario dei film italiani stracult, Roma, Frassinelli, 2004. Questi was born in Bergamo. He wrote short stories and filmed se ...

'' (1967, TV Mini-Series, 4 episodes) *''

Dossier Mata Hari A dossier is a collection of papers or other sources, containing detailed information about a particular person or subject. Dossier can also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * '' Dossier 51'', a 1978 film based on a book of the same nam ...

'' (1967, TV Mini-Series, 4 episodes) *'' I racconti del maresciallo (1968, TV series, 6 episodes) *''

Dal tuo al mio In Indian cuisine, ''dal'' (also spelled ''daal'' or ''dhal''; pronunciation: , Hindi: दाल, Urdu: ) are dried, split pulses (e.g., lentils, peas, and beans) that do not require soaking before cooking. India is the largest producer of pu ...

'' (1969) *''

Un mese in campagna The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizin ...

'' (1970) *''

Nessuno deve sapere "Nessuno" (literally "Nobody") is a 1959 Italian song composed by Antonietta De Simone and Edilio Capotosti. The song premiered at the ninth edition of the Sanremo Music Festival, with a double performance by Wilma De Angelis and Betty Curtis, ...

'' (1972, TV Mini-Series, 4 episodes) *''

Serata al gatto nero A Serata is one of a series of events organised by the futurists. These events combined artistic and nationalist political agendas with the intention of implementing change. The first serata The first serata was held at Politeama Rossetti, Trieste ...

'' (1973, TV Mini-Series, 2 episodes) *''

Batton Story ''Batton Story'' ( it, Le impiegate stradali, literally ''The road employees'') is a 1976 commedia sexy all'italiana directed by Mario Landi. Synopsis A Roman teacher takes the side of a group of prostitutes and sets up a trade union to support ...

'' (1976) *'' L'altro Simenon'' (1979, TV Series) *'' Accadde ad Ankara'' (1979, TV Mini-Series) *''

La vedova e il piedipiatti ''La vedova e il piedipiatti'' is an Italian television series directed by Mario Landi and consisting of six episodes. It stars Ave Ninchi, Enrico Papa Enrico is both an Italian masculine given name and a surname, Enrico means homeowner, or ki ...

'' (1979, TV Mini-Series, 6 episodes) *'' Supersexymarket'' (1979) *''

'' (1979) *'' Il viziaccio'' (1980) *'' Patrick Still Lives'' (1980)

As Screenwriter

* '' The Two Sergeants'' (1951)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Landi, Mario 1992 deaths 1920 births Italian television directors Italian film directors Horror film directors People from Messina Accademia Nazionale di Arte Drammatica Silvio D'Amico alumni Giallo film directors Film people from the Province of Messina