''The Countess of Parma'' (Italian: ''La contessa di Parma'') is a 1937 Italian " white-telephones"

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 Alessandro Blasetti and starring

Elisa Cegani Elisa Cegani (11 June 1911 – 23 February 1996) was an Italian actress. She appeared in 60 films between 1935 and 1983. Partial filmography * ''Aldebaran'' (1935) - Nora Bandi * ''Cavalry'' (1936) - Speranza di Frassineto * ''The Countess ...

, Antonio Centa 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 ...

. Marcella, a

mannequin A mannequin (also called a dummy, lay figure, or dress form) is a doll, often articulated, used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, window dressers and others, especially to display or fit clothing and show off different fabrics and textiles. P ...

working in a fashion store in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...

, falls in love with an Italian

International International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

football player whose aunt has just acquired the store intending to replace its reliance on French fashions with Italian designs. Blasetti later described it as his only " white telephone" film,Moliterno p.41 although his 1939 comedy '' Backstage'' has also been noted for its similar characteristics. It was shot at the

Fert Studios FERT (sometimes tripled, ''FERT, FERT, FERT''), the motto of the royal house of Savoy-Sardinia and Italy, the House of Savoy, was adopted by Duke Vittorio Amedeo II (1666–1732). It appeared for the first time on the collar of the Supreme Or ...

and on location around the city including at the Stadio Municipale and the

Mirafiori The Stabilimento di Mirafiori (in English, the Mirafiori Factory) is the headquarters and industrial district of the Italian automobile manufacturer Fiat, a subsidiary of FCA Italy, which is part of Stellantis, and is the headquarters of CNH I ...

district where the

racetrack A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also use ...

scenes were staged. Exterior shots were also taken at the Avigliana Lakes and the resort town of

Sestriere Sestriere (/se'strjɛre/) ( oc, Sestrieras, pms, Ël Sestrier, french: Sestrières) is a ski resort in Piedmont, Italy, a ''comune'' (municipality) of the Metropolitan City of Turin. It is situated in Val Susa, from the French border. Its name ...

to the west of the city on the French border. Filming began in November 1936 and lasted through the winter, with the final shots being taken at Sestriere's

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In Nort ...

Cast

as Marcella * Antonio Centa as Gino Vanni *

as Adriana * Umberto Melnati as Carrani *

Osvaldo Valenti Osvaldo Valenti (17 February 1906 – 30 April 1945) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 50 films between 1928 and 1945. He was born in Istanbul, Turkey to a Sicilian carpet trader and a wealthy Lebanese woman of Greek descen ...

as Duca di Fadda *

Nunzio Filogamo Nunzio Filogamo (20 September 1902 – 24 January 2002) was an Italian television and radio presenter, actor and singer. Life and career Born in Palermo, Filogamo moved to Turin at a young age, then he studied law at the Sorbonne University a ...

as Conte di Sebasta *

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 Marco *

Pina Gallini Pina Gallini (19 March 1888 – 31 January 1974) was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 82 films between 1935 and 1963. Selected filmography * ''The Countess of Parma'' (1936) * ''The Ferocious Saladin'' (1937) * ''The Former Mattia ...

as Marta Rossi * Marichetta Stoppa as Una Guardarobiera *

Giannina Chiantoni Giannina Chiantoni (24 June 1881 - 17 May 1972) was an Italian actress. She appeared in more than twelve films from 1910 to 1955. Selected filmography References External links * 1881 births 1972 deaths Italian film actresses Peop ...

as La sarta della casa di mode * Mario Lembo as Il tassista * Pina Valli as Un'indossatrice * Mirica Albis as Un'altra indossatrice

References

Bibliography

* Liehm, Mira. ''Passion and Defiance: Film in Italy from 1942 to the Present''. University of California Press, 1984. * Moliterno, Gino. ''Historical Dictionary of Italian Cinema''. Scarecrow Press, 2008. * Paulicelli, Eugenia. ''Fashion Under Fascism: Beyond the Black Shirt''. Berg, 2004.

External links

*
''The Countess of Parma''
at

Variety Distribution Variety Distribution is an Italian-based film distribution company. It distributes Italian films worldwide, produced from the 1930s onward. History Variety Distribution (formerly Variety Film and Variety Communications) has been in the film p ...

1937 films Italian comedy films Italian black-and-white films 1937 comedy films 1930s Italian-language films Films directed by Alessandro Blasetti Films set in Turin Films scored by Giovanni Fusco Italian association football films Films about fashion 1930s Italian films {{1930s-Italy-comedy-film-stub