''Caravaggio, il pittore maledetto'' is a 1941 Italian

historical History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

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. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

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

and starring

Amedeo Nazzari Amedeo Nazzari (10 December 1907 – 5 November 1979) was an Italian actor. Nazzari was one of the leading figures of Italian classic cinema, often considered a local variant of the Australian–American star Errol Flynn. Although he emerged as ...

Clara Calamai Clara Calamai (7 September 1909 – 21 September 1998) was an Italian actress. Career Calamai was born in Prato, Tuscany, on 7 September 1909. Calamai's first acting role was in the 1938 war film ''Pietro Micca'', directed by Aldo Vergano. I ...

and

Lamberto Picasso Lamberto Picasso (21 October 1880 – 17 September 1962) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 70 films between 1914 and 1953. Life and career Born in La Spezia, Picasso studied at the Istituto Tecnico in Genoa, and made his acting debu ...

. Nazzari portrays the painter

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (also Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi da Caravaggio; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), known mononymously as Caravaggio, was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the fina ...

as a wayward genius. It was one of his favourite screen roles.

Main cast

as Michelangelo Merisi, il "Caravaggio" *

as Madonna Giaconella *

as Il cavalier d'Arpino * Nino Crisman as Alef di Wignacourt *

Lauro Gazzolo Lauro Gazzolo (born Ilario Gazzolo; 15 October 1900 – 2 October 1970) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Born in Nervi, Gazzolo began his career on screen in 1938 starring in the comedy film '' The Document'' and became mo ...

as Zio Nello * Beatrice Mancini as Lena *

Olinto Cristina Olinto Cristina (5 February 1888 – 17 June 1962) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Born in Florence to stage actors Raffaello Cristina and Cesira Sabatini, Cristina began acting on stage as a child, within the company of Ti ...

as Il cardinale Dal Monte *

Maria Dominiani Maria "Mariuccia" Dominiani (10 May 1913 – 10 December 1993) was an Italian actress. Biography Dominiani made her debut on screen in the 1936 film '' Joe the Red'', dedicating herself also to variety shows and photo comics in the following de ...

as Alessandra *

Achille Majeroni Achille Majeroni (24 August 1881 – 12 October 1964) was an Italian film actor. Born in Syracuse, Sicily, son of Achille Majeroni and his second wife Graziosa Bignetti, he made his stage debut at age twelve with the Marazzi-Diligenti c ...

as Il cardinale Scipione Borghese *

Renato Malavasi Renato Malavasi (8 August 1904 – 7 October 1998) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 135 films between 1921 and 1985. Selected filmography * '' The Golden Vein'' (1928) * '' The Song of Love'' (1930) * '' Lowered Sails'' (1931) * ' ...

as Mauro

Production

Screenwriter

Riccardo Freda Riccardo Freda (24 February 1909 – 20 December 1999) was an Italian film director. He worked in a variety of genres, including sword-and-sandal, horror film, horror, ''giallo'' and spy films. Freda began directing ''I Vampiri'' in 1956. The f ...

met Francesco Curato and partner of his Carbone, who were trying to produce a film on the Italian painter

. The budget of the film became higher and higher. It was shot in 1940 and was released the following year, making it the first film from Elica Film. Freda is credited in the film as having "collaborated to the making of the film." Besides working on the screenplay, Freda acted as the executive producer and worked on the art direction and created a ''maquette'' of the port of Ostia. The film starred

was among Italy's most popular actors at the time and was conflicted with the role when his character Caravaggio did not embrace or kiss any woman in the film, which he thought would put his career at risk.

Release

''Caravaggio, il pittore maledetto'' was distributed theatrically in Italy by

Minerva Film Minerva Film was an Italian film production and film distribution, distribution company active between 1912 and 1956. It should not be confused with a similarly-named Danish production house. Founded during the silent era, the company was named ...

on 6 February 1941.

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* 1941 films Italian historical drama films Italian black-and-white films 1940s historical drama films 1940s Italian-language films Films directed by Goffredo Alessandrini Films set in the 16th century Films set in the 1600s Films set in the 1610s Films set in Italy Biographical films about painters Italian biographical drama films 1940s biographical drama films Minerva Film films 1940s Italian films Films scored by Riccardo Zandonai {{1940s-Italy-film-stub Cultural depictions of Caravaggio Italian-language historical drama films Italian-language biographical drama films