''Seconda B'' is a 1934 Italian

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Goffredo Alessandrini Goffredo Alessandrini (20 November 1904, in Cairo – 16 May 1978, in Rome) was an Italian scriptwriter and film director. He also acted, edited, and produced some films. He practiced athletics in his youth, and won a title of Italian champion ...

and starring

Sergio Tofano Sergio Tòfano (20 August 1886 – 28 October 1973) was an Italian actor, director, playwright, scene designer and illustrator. Tofano was born in Rome. In 1909, he made his first appearance on stage with Ermete Novelli, then joined Virgil ...

Dina Perbellini Dina Perbellini (14 January, 1901–2 April, 1984) was an Italian actress. She appeared in over sixty films and television series between 1934 and 1969 and was also a leading voice actress, dubbing foreign films for release in Italy. She made her ...

and

María Denis María Denis (22 November 1916 – 15 April 2004) was an Argentine-born actress in Italian made films. Denis moved to Italy in 1932 when she was 16, and appeared in her first film there the same year. Denis became a top Italian star between 1936 ...

. It was screened at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

where it was awarded a prize. It started a trend for "schoolgirl comedies" during the Fascist era, targeted primarily at girls and young women audiences. The title itself refers to a school class.Moliterno p.4 The film is set in the early 1910s.

Synopsis

A school teacher falls in love with one of his female colleagues, who teaches

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...

. She returns his love, but this is discovered by his students who try to sabotage their relationship.

Main cast

as Professore Monti *

as Professorina Vanni *

as Marta Renzi *

Ugo Ceseri Ugo Ceseri (30 June 1893 – 3 December 1940) was an Italian stage and film actor. He appeared in forty two films between 1931 and his death in 1940. In 1934 he appeared in the play '' 18 BL'', an attempt to create a mass theatre by the Fascist ...

as L'onorevole Renzi *

Cesare Zoppetti Cesare Zoppetti (January 1, 1876 – March 15, 1940) was an Italian stage and film actor. Zoppetti was a prolific film actor of the 1930s, appearing in nearly fifty productions between 1930 and his death in 1940 including the comedy ''What S ...

as Il preside *

Umberto Sacripante Umberto Sacripante (2 October 1904 – 14 January 1975) was an Italian film and stage actor. Life and career Born Umberto Sacripanti in Rome, Sacripante debuted on stage in 1921, and in 1926 he became first actor in the theatrical company Teat ...

as Il bidello *

Mercedes Brignone Mercedes Brignone (18 May 1885 – 24 June 1967) was a Spanish-born Italian stage, film and television actress. She was the daughter of the actor Giuseppe Brignone. She often played divas, and appeared in numerous silent films for Milano Films ...

as Un'invitata alla festa dei Renzi *

Gino Viotti Gino Viotti (1875–1951) was an Italian film actor who appeared in more than forty films, mostly in supporting roles. He played the part of Chilone Chilonides in the 1924 epic ''Quo Vadis''.Wyke p.214 Selected filmography * '' Nemesis'' (1920) * ...

as Un insegnante *

Alfredo Martinelli Alfredo Martinelli (7 March 1899 – 11 November 1968) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 103 films between 1916 and 1967. He was born and died in Siena, Tuscany. Selected filmography * ''I Topi Grigi'' (1918) * ''Tortured Soul'' (1 ...

as Un altro insegnante *

Vinicio Sofia Vinicio Sofia (13 November 1907 – 30 December 1982) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Born in Corleone, Sofia began his career on screen in 1933 when he made his film debut in '' Black Shirt'' directed by Giovacchino Forzano ...

as Il segretario di Renzi *

Liselotte Smith Liselotte is a feminine given name which may refer to: *childhood name of Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine (1652–1722), German princess, sister-in-law of King Louis XIV of France, and prolific letter writer * Liselotte Blumer (born 1957), ...

as Una compagna di scuola di Marta * Dora Baldanello as Petronilla *

Amina Pirani Maggi Amina Pirani Maggi (January 15, 1892 – November 10, 1979) was an Italian stage and film actress.Waldman p.162 Selected filmography * ''Television'' (1931) * ''Seconda B'' (1934) * '' Dimmed Lights'' (1934) * '' Like the Leaves'' (1935) * ''Depa ...

as Signora Renzi *

Zoe Incrocci Zoe Incrocci (21 September 1917 – 6 November 2003) was an Italian actress and voice actress. Biography Born in Brescia, Incrocci was the older sister of the screenwriter Agenore Incrocci. She made her film debut at young age in a supporting ...

as L'allieva Fumasoni * Elena Tryan-Parisini as L'insegnante di francese * Lina Bacci as L'insegnante Zucchi * Celeste Aída as Signora Cesira * Albino Principe as Un invitato al festo

References

Bibliography

* De Grazia, Victoria. ''How Fascism Ruled Women: Italy, 1922-1945''. University of California Press, 1992. *Moliterno, Gino. ''The A to Z of Italian Cinema''. Scarecrow Press, 2009. * Reich, Jacqueline & Garofalo, Piero. ''Re-viewing Fascism: Italian Cinema, 1922-1943''. Indiana University Press, 2002.

External links

* 1934 films 1930s historical comedy films Italian historical comedy films 1930s Italian-language films Films directed by Goffredo Alessandrini Films set in the 1910s Italian black-and-white films 1930s Italian films {{historic-film-stub