''Mizar'' or ''Mizar (Sabotaggio in mare)'' (''Mizar (Sabotage at sea)'') is a 1954 Italian war film directed by

Francesco De Robertis Francesco De Robertis (1902–1959) was an Italian screenwriter, film editor and director. His semi-documentary film-making style of the early 1940s has been credited as an influence on the development of Italian neorealism.Bondanella, p. 32 Sele ...

. It is notable as the second of only two films produced by Film Costellazione. It was released in France as ''Mizar (Sabotage en mer)'', the United Kingdom as ''Frogman Spy'' and in the US as ''The Woman Who Came from the Sea'' or ''Frogwoman''. It is loosely based on the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

actions of the naval officer Luigi Ferraro.

Production

Its cast includes

Silvana Jachino Silvana Jachino (2 February 1916 – 28 August 2004) was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 65 films between 1936 and 1970. She was born in Milan, Italy and died in Rimini, Italy. Partial filmography * ''Cuor di vagabondo'' (1936) * ...

, Antonio Centa and

Lia Di Leo Lia Anna Di Leo (22 July 1923 – 15 December 2006) was an Italian actress and model. She entered the 1951 Miss Italy contest and then began acting in films, generally playing glamorous supporting roles. Di Leo's parents died while she was very ...

. It also marked the second appearances of

Charles Fernley Fawcett Charles Fernley Fawcett (2 December 1915 – 3 February 2008) was an American adventurer, soldier, film actor, and a co-founder of the International Medical Corps. He was a recipient of the French Croix de Guerre and the American Eisenhower ...

and

Paolo Stoppa Paolo Stoppa Knight Grand Cross (6 June 1906 – 1 May 1988) was an Italian actor. Biography Born in Rome, he began as a stage actor in 1927 in the theater in Rome and began acting in films in 1932. As a stage actor, his most celebrated ...

, two of the few actors De Robertis used in more than one film. The cinematographer was Carlo Bellero with his usual camera operator Dino Reni (Bernardo Procacci). The score was by Annibale Bizzelli and costumes by Marilù Carteny.

Film editing Film editing is both a creative and a technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film stock, film which increasingly involves the use Digital cinema, of digital ...

was by

Eraldo Da Roma Eraldo Da Roma (born Eraldo Judiconi, 1 March 1900 – 27 May 1981) was an Italian film editor best known for his work with Roberto Rossellini, Vittorio De Sica, and Michelangelo Antonioni. Life and career Da Roma was born on 1 March 1900 in Rom ...

, who also worked with De Robertis on ''

La nave Bianca ''The White Ship'' (Italian: ''La nave bianca'') is a 1941 Italian war film directed by Roberto Rossellini. Its cast was made up entirely of amateur actors, many of them the real crew of a hospital ship of the Italian navy. The production was a wo ...

'' (1941) and '' Uomini ombra'' (1954).

Plot

The Italian Royal Navy gives dangerous assignments to the Italian naval officer and diver Luigi Ferri (

Franco Silva Franco Silva (18 February 1920 – 10 November 1995) was an Italian actor. Born in Genoa as Francesco Vistarini, Silva moved in Rome to attend the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, from which he graduated in 1938; the following year he made ...

), who is assisted by a woman scuba-diver named Mizar ( Dawn Addams). He recovers a codebook from an enemy ship before going on a secret mission to Turkey and sinking merchant ships carrying weapons, whilst the British attempt to hunt down the couple.

External links

* Italian war films 1954 films 1954 war films Italian Campaign of World War II films World War II submarine films 1950s Italian-language films Italian World War II films 1950s Italian films {{1950s-Italy-film-stub