''The King's Jester'' ( it, Il re si diverte) is a 1941 Italian

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Mario Bonnard Mario Bonnard (24 December 1889 – 22 March 1965) was an Italian actor and film director. Bonnard was born and died in Rome. He began his cinematic career as an actor becoming a popular romantic lead in numerous silent films made before World ...

and starring

Michel Simon Michel Simon (; 9 April 1895 – 30 May 1975) was a Swiss-French actor. He appeared in many notable French films, including ''La Chienne'' (1931), ''Boudu Saved from Drowning'' (1932), ''L'Atalante'' (1934), ''Port of Shadows'' (1938), '' The He ...

María Mercader María de la Asunción Mercader Forcada (; 6 March 1918 – 26 January 2011) was a Spanish film actress who appeared in some forty films between 1923 and 1992. Julian Gorkin wrote that her cousin was born Montserrat in the family of Carida ...

and

Rossano Brazzi Rossano Brazzi (18 September 1916 – 24 December 1994) was an Italian actor. Biography Brazzi was born in Bologna, Italy, the son of Maria Ghedini and Adelmo Brazzi, an employee of the Rizzoli shoe factory. He was named after Rossano Vene ...

. The film is an adaptation of the play ''

Le roi s'amuse ''Le roi s'amuse'' (; literally, ''The King Amuses Himself'' or ''The King Has Fun'') is a French play in five acts written by Victor Hugo. First performed on 22 November 1832 but banned by the government after one evening, the play was used for G ...

'' by

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

and uses music from

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

's later opera ''

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play ''Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had cont ...

''.Fawkes p. 111 It is set at the court of

Francis I of France Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once ...

in the Sixteenth century.

Cast

as Rigoletto *

as Gilda *

as Il re Francesco Iº *

Doris Duranti Doris Duranti (25 April 1917 – 10 March 1995) was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 43 films between 1935 and 1975. She had a years-long affair with Alessandro Pavolini, a Fascist politician who in 1945 was executed by Italian parti ...

as Margot *

Paola Barbara Paola Barbara (22 July 1912 – 2 October 1989) was an Italian film actress. She appeared in more than 60 films between 1935 and 1978. She was sometimes credited as Pauline Baards. Life and career Born in Rome as Paola Proto, after her fi ...

as La duchessa di Cosse *

Elli Parvo Elli Parvo (17 October 1915 – 19 February 2010) was an Italian film actress, born in Milan as Elvira Gobbo. She appeared in more than 50 films between 1934 and 1960. Selected filmography * ''Loyalty of Love'' (1934) as La nobildonna al b ...

as La zingara *

Carlo Ninchi Carlo Ninchi (31 May 1896 – 27 April 1974) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1931 and 1963. He was born in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, and died on 27 April 1974 in Milan, Lombardy, Italy. Selected filmogra ...

as Il conte di Saint Vallier *

Juan de Landa Juan de Landa (1894–1968) was a Spanish film actor, who was born in the Basque Country. de Landa entered the film industry in 1930 following the arrival of sound film. He initially acted in Spanish-language versions of Hollywood films, but lat ...

as Sparafucile *

Loredana Loredana is a feminine given name, claimed to be invented by French author Lucile Aurore Dupin (George Sand) in her novel ''Mattea'' (1833), and later used by Luciano Zuccoli in ''L'amore di Loredana'' (1908). It may have been inspired by the rea ...

as Diana Di Saint Vallier *

Franco Coop Franco Coop (27 September 1891 – 27 March 1962), was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 65 films between 1931 and 1960. He was born in Naples, Italy and died in Rome, Italy. Selected filmography * '' Before the Jury'' (1931) * '' Moth ...

as Il duca di Cosse *

Corrado Racca Corrado Racca (November 14, 1889 – May 12, 1950) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Corrado began his career on stage when he moved to Florence in 1908. He later worked alongside other stage actors such as Ruggero Ruggeri, Emma Gr ...

as Signor De Brion *

Giulio Battiferri Giulio Battiferri (15 July 1893 – 22 January 1973) was an Italian actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films from 1939 to 1972. He was married to the actress Pina Piovani. Life and career Born in Rome, Battiferri started his career ...

as Uno dei rapitori di Gilda *

Oreste Bilancia Oreste Bilancia (24 September 1881 – 31 October 1945) was an Italian film actor. Born in Catania, Sicily he was a star of Italian films in the silent era. He worked during the 1920s in Weimar Germany which had the largest European film indust ...

as Un cortegiano *

Gildo Bocci Gildo Bocci (1 September 1886 – 22 July 1964) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 60 films between 1913 and 1959. He was born and died in Rome, Italy. Partial filmography * ''Messalina'' (1924) - Apollonio * ''Quo Vadis'' (1924) - ...

as Il Gran Visir *

Ruggero Capodaglio Ruggero (), the Italian equivalent of Roger, may refer to: * Ruggero I of Sicily (1031–1101) Norman king of Sicily *Ruggero Berlam (1854–1920), Italian architect * Ruggero Bonghi (1826–1895), Italian scholar, writer and politician * Ruggero ...

as Un cortegiano * Stanis Cappello as Un cortegiano *

Renato Chiantoni Renato Chiantoni (19 April 1906 – 24 December 1979) was an Italian actor. He appeared in 100 films between 1937 and 1978. Born in Brescia, the son of the stage actor Amedeo, Chiantoni debuted on stage entering several drama and revue comp ...

as Il terzo zingaro * Gemma D'Alba as Signora De Pardaillan *

Alfredo De Antoni Alfredo (, ) is a cognate of the Anglo-Saxon name Alfred and a common Italian, Galician, Portuguese and Spanish language personal name. People with the given name include: *Alfredo (born 1946), Brazilian footballer born as Alfredo Mostarda Fi ...

as Un cortegiano *

Liana Del Balzo Liana Del Balzo (4 March 1899 – 26 March 1982) was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 90 films between 1935 and 1979. She was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and died in Rome, Italy. Even making her film debut quite late, in her fort ...

as La marchesa che nasconde l'età *

Cesare Fantoni Cesare Fantoni (1 January 1905 – 15 January 1963) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Born in Bologna, Fantoni began his acting career in Luchino Visconti’s stage proses until making his first on-screen appearance in 1937. ...

as Il sergente Roland *

Oreste Fares Oreste Fares (1885–1950) was an Italian stage and film actor.Landy p.155 Selected filmography * '' Before the Jury'' (1931) * ''Venus'' (1932) * '' Villafranca'' (1934) * '' Red Passport'' (1935) * '' Cavalry'' (1936) * '' To Live'' (1937) * '' ...

as Il servitore di Saint Vallier *

Adele Garavaglia Adele Garavaglia (1869–1944) was an Italian stage and film actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media su ...

as Costanza, la governante *

Fausto Guerzoni Fausto Guerzoni (1904–1967) was an Italian film actor.Freire-Medeiros p.193 A character actor, he appeared in Italian films in supporting roles from the mid-1930s. Selected filmography * ''Cavalry'' (1936) * '' The Former Mattia Pascal'' (1937) ...

as Il primo zingaro *

Guido Morisi Guido is a given name Latinised from the Old High German name Wido. It originated in Medieval Italy. Guido later became a male first name in Austria, Germany, the Low Countries, Scandinavia, Spain, Portugal, Latin America and Switzerland. The mea ...

as Il duca De La Tour * Giacomo Moschini as Signor De Pardaillan *

Giovanni Onorato Giovanni Onorato (February 7, 1910 - February 23, 1960) was an Italian film actor.Chiti & Poppi p.85 He was the father of the actor Glauco Onorato and the cinematographer Marco Onorato. Selected filmography * '' La stella del cinema'' (1931) * ' ...

as Il secondo zingaro *

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 Berarda, governante di Gilda * Cesare Polesello as Il quarto zingaro * Evaristo Signorini as Un cortegiano *

Aldo Silvani Aldo Silvani (21 January 1891 – 12 November 1964) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 110 films between 1934 and 1964. He was born in Turin, Italy and died in Milan, Italy. Selected filmography * ''Cardinal Lambertini'' ...

as Il boia *

Edda Soligo Edda Soligo (1905–1984) was an Italian film and television actress.Verdone p.111 Selected filmography * ''Adam's Tree'' (1936) * '' The Man from Nowhere'' (1937) * ''The Former Mattia Pascal'' (1937) * ''Il signor Max'' (1937) * '' To Live'' (1 ...

as Un'amica della duchessa di Cosse *

Edoardo Toniolo Edoardo Toniolo (22 November 1907 - 31 December 1986) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Life and career Born in Turin, the son of the stage actors Antonio and Rosa Rosaz, at young age Toniolo debuted on stage in supporting roles. He late ...

as Il poeta Marot

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* 1941 films 1940s historical musical films Italian historical musical films 1940s Italian-language films Films directed by Mario Bonnard Italian black-and-white films Films set in the 16th century Films set in France Italian films based on plays Films based on operas Films based on works by Victor Hugo 1940s Italian films {{historic-musical-film-stub