''The Black Panther'' (Italian: ''La pantera near'') is a 1942 Italian

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

directed by

Domenico Gambino Domenico Gambino (17 May 1890 – 17 April 1968) was an Italian actor, screenwriter and film director. Gambino played Saetta, one of the rival strongman heroes to Maciste. Saetta had his own series of films during the early 1920s. He directed t ...

and starring Leda Gloria,

Dria Paola Dria Paola (1909–1993) was an Italian stage and film actress. She played the female lead in Alessandro Blasetti's late silent ''Sun'' (1929). In 1930 she starred in the first Italian sound film ''The Song of Love''.Forgacs & Gundle p.159 Sel ...

and Lauro Gazzolo.Goble p.476 It was shot at the

Titanus Studios 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. Lomb ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

Arrigo Equini Arrigo Equini was an Italian art director who designed the sets of around eighty films during his career.Palmer & Riley p.164 Selected filmography * '' The Black Eagle'' (1946) * '' The White Devil'' (1947) * '' Ring Around the Clock'' (1950) * ...

and Vincenzo Pantano.

Synopsis

Two police officers are killed while investigating criminal activities at The Black Panther

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

. A third

detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads th ...

goes undercover to bring the murderers to justice.

Cast

* Leda Gloria as Sonya Harkaneck *

as Anna, la segretaria dell'ispettore Hegeduz * Lauro Gazzolo as L'ispettore Stefano Hegeduz *

Ennio Cerlesi Ennio Cerlesi (21 January 1901 – 20 September 1951) was an Italian film actor. He played the title role in the 1937 film '' Doctor Antonio''.Goble p.401 Cerlesi was also a leading voice actor, dubbing international films for release in Italy. H ...

as Andrea Szabo * Vanna Martines as Margherita Ambrus * Nando Tamberlani as Il professore Ambrus * Nerio Bernardi as Il dottore Rosenberg * Marichetta Stoppa as Josette * Pia De Doses as Una entraineuse del locale *

Silvio Bagolini Silvio Bagolini (4 August 1914 – 26 September 1976) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1936 and 1973. Life and career Born in Bologna, Bagolini studied architecture at the Bologna University, without gr ...

as Tony * Nico Pepe as Panik *

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 La signora Simmons * Gildo Bocci as Il sergente Mack * Loris Gizzi as L'ispettore Jackmil *

Vitale De Stefano Vitale De Stefano (1889–1959) was an Italian actor and film director of the silent era. He played the role of Masinissa in Giovanni Pastrone's epic ''Cabiria'' in 1914.Reich p.285 Selected filmography * ''The Last Days of Pompeii'' (1913) * ''C ...

as Jean * Nino Marchetti as Gerard * Alfredo Martinelli as Il signor Roney

References

Bibliography

* Curti, Roberto. ''Italian Giallo in Film and Television: A Critical History''. McFarland, 2022. * Goble, Alan. ''The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film''. Walter de Gruyter, 1999.

External links

* 1942 films Italian crime films 1942 crime films 1940s Italian-language films Films directed by Domenico Gambino Italian black-and-white films 1940s Italian films {{1940s-Italy-film-stub