''The Machine to Kill Bad People'' (Italian: ''La Macchina ammazzacattivi'') is a 1952 Italian
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
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
Roberto Rossellini
Roberto Gastone Zeffiro Rossellini (8 May 1906 – 3 June 1977) was an Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He was one of the most prominent directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing to the movement with films such ...
and featuring
Marilyn Buferd,
William Tubbs
William Tubbs (May 10, 1907 – January 25, 1953) was an American stage and film actor.Bondanella p.156 He appeared in a number of European films in the years after the Second World War, including several by Roberto Rossellini
Roberto Gaston ...
and
Clara Bindi. It is part of the tradition of
neorealism of the post-war years. Having helped neorealism gain international recognition with his 1945 work ''
Rome, Open City
''Rome, Open City'' ( it, Roma città aperta, also released as ''Open City'') is a 1945 Italian neorealist war drama film directed by Roberto Rossellini and co-written by Sergio Amidei, Celeste Negarville and Federico Fellini. Set in Rome in ...
'', Rossellini was trying to branch out into different styles.
Production
Rossellini began shooting the film in 1948, but production was beset by many problems.
[Brunette p.101] Location shooting
Location shooting is the shooting of a film or television production in a real-world setting rather than a sound stage or backlot. The location may be interior or exterior.
The filming location may be the same in which the story is set (for ex ...
took place around
Amalfi
Amalfi (, , ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno, in the region of Campania, Italy, on the Gulf of Salerno. It lies at the mouth of a deep ravine, at the foot of Monte Cerreto (1,315 metres, 4,314 feet), surrounded by dramati ...
,
Salerno and
Trani
Trani () is a seaport of Apulia, in southern Italy, on the Adriatic Sea, by railway west-northwest of Bari. It is one of the capital cities of the Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani.
History
Overview
The city of ''Turenum'' appears for the fir ...
.
Synopsis
A stranger claiming to be
Saint Andrea gives to the village photographer a magic camera with the power to destroy the wicked. When it becomes apparent that no one is immune the photographer turns the device on the giver, who is unmasked as a devil and forced to return everyone to life.
Cast
*
Gennaro Pisano as Celestino
*
Marilyn Buferd as American tourist
*
William Tubbs
William Tubbs (May 10, 1907 – January 25, 1953) was an American stage and film actor.Bondanella p.156 He appeared in a number of European films in the years after the Second World War, including several by Roberto Rossellini
Roberto Gaston ...
as American tourist
*
Helen Tubbs as American tourist
*
Giovanni Amato as Mayor
*
Clara Bindi as Giulietta Del Bello
*
Giacomo Furia as Romano
*
Aldo Giuffrè
*
Carlo Giuffrè
Carlo Giuffrè (3 December 1928 – 1 November 2018) was an Italian stage, film and television actor and a stage director. He appeared in more than 90 films between 1942 and 2002.
Biography
Giuffrè was born in Naples, Italy and was the brothe ...
References
Bibliography
* Peter, Bondanella. ''The Films of Roberto Rossellini''. Cambridge University Press, 1993.
* Brunette, Peter. ''Roberto Rossellini''. University of California Press, 1996.
* Nowell-Smith, Geoffrey . ''The Companion to Italian Cinema''. Cassell, 1996.
* Wagstaff, Christopher. ''Italian Neorealist Cinema: An Aesthetic Approach''. University of Toronto Press, 2007.
External links
*
* Review Essay https://www.academia.edu/3379967/The_Machine_that_Kills_Bad_People
1952 films
1950s Italian-language films
Films directed by Roberto Rossellini
Commedia all'italiana
1950s fantasy comedy films
Italian fantasy comedy films
1952 comedy films
Films scored by Renzo Rossellini
Italian black-and-white films
1950s Italian films
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