Raffaello Matarazzo (17 August 1909 – 17 May 1966) was an Italian filmmaker.

Life

Matarazzo started writing film reviews for the Roman newspaper ''Il Tevere'' before re-editing scripts for the Italian film company

Cines The Società Italiana Cines (''Italian Cines Company'') is a film company specializing in production and distribution of films. The company was founded on 1 April 1906. A major force in the European film industry before the First World War, the c ...

. His first films were comedies until he shifted to making melodramas. With '' Catene'', produced by

Titanus Titanus is an Italian film production company, founded in 1904 by Gustavo Lombardo (1885–1951). The company's headquarters are located at 28 Via Sommacampagna, Rome and its studios on the Via Tiburtina, 13 km from the centre of Rome. Lom ...

in 1949, he became the most successful director in Italy. Audience loved his melodramas. Critics, however, have tended to disparage his work, saying that Matarazzo films were ''Neorealismo d'appendice'' (neorealism wannabe). Since the 1970s, some film critics have tried to restore Matarazzo's reputation. French magazine '' Positif'' loved his erotic-historical peplum '' Ship of Lost Women''.

Filmography

* '' The Telephone Operator'' (1932) * ''

Littoria Latina () is the capital of the province of Latina in the Lazio region, in central Italy. , the city has 126,612 inhabitants and is the second-largest city of the region, after the national capital Rome. It was founded in 1932 under the fascist ...

'' (1933) * '' Fanny'' (1933) * ''

Tourist Train ''Tourist Train'' (Italian: ''Treno popolare'') is a 1933 Italian comedy film directed by Raffaello Matarazzo and starring Marcello Spada, Lina Gennari and Carlo Petrangeli. The film portrays the comic adventures of a group of summertime traveller ...

'' (1933) * ''

Unripe Fruit ''Unripe Fruit'' (Italian: ''Frutto acerbo'') is a 1934 Italian comedy film directed by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia and starring Lotte Menas, Nino Besozzi and Maria Wronska. A German-language version of the same story was made in Austria as ''A Preco ...

'' (1934) * '' Kiki'' (1934) * '' The Serpent's Fang'' (''Il serpente a sonagli'') (1935) * ''

Joe the Red ''Joe the Red'' (Italian: ''Joe il rosso'') is a 1936 Italian comedy crime film directed by Raffaello Matarazzo and starring Armando Falconi, Luisa Garella and Ada Dondini.Apra p.99 The film's sets were designed by the art director Gastone M ...

'' (1936) * '' The Ambassador'' (1936) * ''

The Anonymous Roylott ''The Anonymous Roylott'' (Italian: ''L'anonima Roylott'') is a 1936 Italian thriller film directed by Raffaello Matarazzo and starring Camillo Pilotto, Isa Pola and Giulio Donadio.Apra p.99 The film is an adaptation of a play set in the United ...

'' (1936) * ''

The Carnival Is Here Again ''The Carnival Is Back'' or ''The Carnival Is Here Again'' (Italian: ''È tornato carnevale'') is a 1937 Italian " white-telephones" comedy film directed by Raffaello Matarazzo and starring Armando Falconi, Clara Tabody and Franco Coop.Aprà p. 99 ...

'' (1937) * '' It Was I!'' (1937) * '' L'albergo degli assenti'' (1938) * ''

The Marquis of Ruvolito ''The Marquis of Ruvolito'' (Italian: ''Il marchese di Ruvolito'') is a 1939 Italian " white-telephones" comedy film directed by Raffaello Matarazzo and starring Eduardo De Filippo, Peppino De Filippo and Leda Gloria.Goble p.311 Based on a play of ...

'' (1939) * '' Giù il sipario'' (1940) * ' (1940) * '' Notte di fortuna'' (1941) * '' The Adventuress from the Floor Above'' (1941) * '' Giorno di nozze'' (1942) * '' Dora o le spie'' (1943) * ''

Il birichino di papà ''Il birichino di papà'' ("''The fluffy dad''") is a 1942 Italian " white-telephones" comedy film written and directed by Raffaello Matarazzo. It is an adaptation of the 1905 novel ''Papas Junge'' by Henny Koch. Cast * Armando Falconi as Leop ...

'' (1943) * '' Empezó en boda'' (1944) * '' Lo sciopero dei milioni'' (1947) * ''

The Opium Den ''The Opium Den'' (Italian: ''Fumeria d'oppio'') is a 1947 Italian crime film directed by Raffaello Matarazzo and starring Emilio Ghione Jr., Mariella Lotti, and Emilio Cigoli. It was an unsuccessful attempt to revive the Za La Mort character ...

'' (1947) * ''

Paolo e Francesca ''Paolo e Francesca'' (''Paolo and Francesca''), also known as ''Legend of Love'', is a 1950 Italian historical melodrama film directed by Raffaello Matarazzo and starring Odile Versois and Armando Francioli. It is loosely based on real life event ...

'' (1949) * ''

Chains A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A c ...

'' (1949) * ''

Torment Torment may refer to: * The feeling of pain or suffering * Causing to suffer, torture Films * ''Torment'' (1924 film), a silent crime-drama * ''Torment'' (1944 film) (''Hets''), a Swedish film * ''Torment'' (1950 British film), a British thr ...

'' (1950) * '' Nobody's Children'' (1951) * '' Il tenente Giorgio'' (1952) * '' Who is Without Sin'' (1952) * ''

Vortice ''Vortice'' (i.e. "Vortex") is a 1953 Italian melodrama film directed by Raffaello Matarazzo and starring Massimo Girotti and Silvana Pampanini. Plot Cast *Massimo Girotti as Guido Aureli *Silvana Pampanini as Elena Fanti *Franco Fabrizi ...

'' (1953) * '' Ship of Lost Women'' (''La nave delle donne maledette'') (1953) * ''

Torna! ''Torna!'' (i.e. "Come Back!") is a 1953 Italian melodrama film directed by Raffaello Matarazzo and starring Amedeo Nazzari and Yvonne Sanson. Plot Cast * Amedeo Nazzari as Roberto Varesi * Yvonne Sanson as Susanna *Franco Fabrizi as ...

'' (1953) * '' The Life and Music of Giuseppe Verdi'' (''Giuseppe Verdi'') (1953) * ''

Schiava del peccato ''Schiava del peccato'' (''Slave to Sin'') is a 1954 Italian melodrama film directed by Raffaello Matarazzo. Cast * Silvana Pampanini as Mara Gualtieri * Marcello Mastroianni as Giulio * Irene Genna as Dina * Franco Fabrizi as Carlo * Renato ...

'' (1954) * ''

Guai ai vinti ''Guai ai vinti'' (''Woe to the Vanquished Ones'') is a 1954 Italian melodrama film directed by Raffaello Matarazzo. It is based on the novel ''Vae Victis'' by Annie Vivanti. Plot During the First World War the Italian front at Caporetto is ...

'' (1954) * '' The White Angel'' (1955) * '' The Intruder'' (1956) * '' La risaia'' (1956) * '' L'ultima violenza'' (1957) * ''

Melancholic Autumn ''Melancholic Autumn'' (Italian:''Malinconico autunno'') is a 1958 Italian-Spanish melodrama film directed by Raffaello Matarazzo and starring Amedeo Nazzari, Yvonne Sanson and Mercedes Monterrey. It was part of a popular series of romantic dram ...

'' (1958) * ''

Cerasella ''Cerasella'' is a 1959 Italian teen comedy film directed by Raffaello Matarazzo. It is loosely inspired by the lyrics of the song " Cerasella". Cast *Claudia Mori: Cerasella *Mario Girotti: Bruno *Luigi De Filippo: Alfredo *Alessandra Pana ...

'' (1959) * '' I terribili sette'' (1963) * '' Adultero lui, adultera lei'' (1963) * '' Amore mio'' (1964)

External links

* .
Criterion Collection Essay
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matarazzo, Raffaello 1909 births 1966 deaths Film directors from Rome