Cesare Zavattini: A Screenwriter Who Helped Define Italian Cinema

He may not be a household name, but he was a major force behind the rise of the neorealism movement and Italy’s Golden Age of Cinema.

Screenwriter Cesare Zavattini was born in the region of Emilia-Romagna in 1902, earning a law degree before turning his attention to writing. In 1930, he moved to Milan to work at the Rizzoli publishing company. Five years later, he met Vittorio De Sica. They would go on to make 20 films together, including the neorealist classics “Sciuscià” (Shoeshine) (1946), “Ladri di biciclette” (The Bicycle Thief) (1948), “Miracolo a Milano” (Miracle in Milan) (1951) and “Umberto D.” (1952).

Zavattini worked on more than 80 films with many of the great directors of Italian cinema. Among them was Giuseppe De Santis, who collaborated with Zavattini in 1952 on “Roma 11:00.” A tragic story based on true events, the film follows several young women in post-WWII Rome as they answer a job listing for a typist. With 200 applicants waiting in line for an interview, the staircase they’re standing on collapses, killing one woman and injuring dozens more. The tragedy spotlighted the poverty and desperation so many Italians endured in the early 1950s. Zavattini co-wrote the script and interviewed many of the actual victims, a few of whom were cast in supporting roles. Click the image below watch it on YouTube.

Zavattini’s words graced the script of Dino Risi’s 1955 comedy “Il segno di Venere” (The Sign of Venus), which features a host of Golden Age legends, including De Sica, Sophia Loren, Alberto Sordi and Raf Vallone. The timeless tale follows the amorous misadventures of Cesira (Franca Valeri), who is frequently overshadowed by her beautiful cousin Agnese (Loren). After having her fortune told by a tarot card reader, Cesira meets a flurry of possible suitors who turn out to be more trouble than they’re worth. Click here to watch it on Netflix.

Zavattini came up with the concept for the film “L’amore in città” (Love in the City), a collection of short stories based on actual events. The 1953 compilation features one vignette co-directed by Zavattini. “Storia di Caterina” tracks the plight of a young, single Sicilian mother who leaves for Rome after being shamed in her hometown. When she loses her job as a maid, she roams the streets of the Eternal City with her toddler in tow looking for work. Desperate to provide for her son, she decides to abandon him in a park, hoping a wealthy family will take him in. He’s brought to a police station instead, where he’s reunited with his mother. The emotional impact of the story is heightened by the fact that the real-life mother plays herself.

Among Zavattini’s last collaborations with De Sica before the director’s death in 1974 was the 1970 war drama “I girasoli” (Sunflower). Shot in Italy and Russia, the heart-wrenching story brings together screen legends Marcello Mastroianni and Loren for one of the most powerful performances of their onscreen love affair. At the start of the film, Antonio (Mastroianni) must leave his new bride, Giovanna (Loren), to fight on the Russian front. After a near-death experience, Antonio has a brief episode of amnesia and marries the young Russian woman who saved his life. Though Antonio is listed as missing in action, Giovanna sets out to find him in Russia, leading to an explosive reunion. The film is a great example of Zavattini’s signature writing style: a human story that tugs at the heartstrings.

Zavattini’s impact on the film industry extends well beyond the written word. In 1967, he founded the Zavattini Municipal Library, and a decade later, he created the Audiovisual Archive Foundation of the Workers’ and Democratic Movement, which he oversaw until his death in 1989. The foundation still serves as a hub for researching, collecting and storing historical audiovisual work. In 2006, Centro Culturale Zavattini was established in his honor to foster young writers and filmmakers.

Stream Zavattini's films on Amazon..

- Written by Jeannine Guilyard for the February issue of Fra Noi Magazine. Click here to subscribe.

Comments

A Conversation with Sergio Castellitto

Sergio Castellitto has made a profound impact on world cinema, both in front of and behind the camera. Born in Rome in 1953, Castellitto graduated from film school in 1978 and credits American cinema with pushing him toward a career in acting. His work has garnered numerous accolades, largely due to his immersive, original approach to projects in film, television and theatre. Castellitto is fluent in French and English, which has contributed mightily to his international stardom. But it's the actor's trademark brown eyes and charming everyman qualities that have lent his various characters -- even the ones that are rough around the edges -- an air of dignity that other actors might not have achieved. Sergio Castellitto and Margaret Mazzantini, 2005 Films such as "Paura e Amore," "L'uomo delle stelle," "Caterina va in città," and "Bella Martha" heralded Castellitto as a versatile artist with far-reaching abilities. But it ...

Golden Age Masterpiece: Luchino Visconti’s 1957 “White Nights”

Photo Credit: Archivio Luce Cinecittà Luchino Visconti’s 1957 film, “White Nights” (“Le notti bianche”), offers a thoughtful and poignant exploration of themes such as loneliness, desire and emotional vulnerability. Based on Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novella of the same name, it transports the tale from 19th-century St. Petersburg to a dreamy mid-20th-century Italian setting. While Visconti remains largely faithful to Dostoevsky’s narrative, his characteristic style infuses the film with emotional depth, striking visuals, and a focus on class and societal constraints. The story follows a young man named Matteo, played by Marcello Mastroianni, who lives a solitary life in a small Italian town. One evening, he encounters a beautiful young woman named Natalia, portrayed by Austrian-Swiss actress Maria Schell, who is also feeling isolated. Although she is initially reluctant, Natalia eventually confides in Matteo about her love for a man who has promised to return and marry her, but he ha...

Alberto Sordi Like You've Never Seen Him..

Twenty two-year-old Alberto Sordi on the set of "I tre aquilotti" Directed by Mario Mattoli, the 1942 film"I tre aquilotti" (The Three Pilots) is set at the Royal Air Force Academy of Caserta where three students– Mario (Carlo Minello), Marco (Leonardo Cortese) and Filippo (Alberto Sordi) become close friends. Towards the end of his studies, Marco casually meets and falls in love with Mario's sister, Adriana (Michela Belmonte). Mario shows his opposition to Marco and this causes the end of their friendship. Due to an accident during a training flight, Marco is demoted from the sailors role to the service role, thus not getting the military pilot's license. After the end of the course, the three friends split up for various destinations but all three find themselves in Russia, with Mario and Filippo already decorated with medals of merit, while Marco is in charge of logistics services. During a war action Mario is hit in flight and is forced to land in en...

Sergio Leone: Recreating the American Cowboy

Henry Fonda in "Once Upon a Time in the West" He's an Italian filmmaker who left his mark on the world by telling uniquely American stories. Known throughout the world for his iconic Spaghetti Westerns, Sergio Leone comes from a family of filmmakers. His mother, Edvige Valcarenghi whose stage name was Bice Walerian, was a silent movie actress who gave up her career to become a wife and mother when she married Vincenzo Leone in 1916. Vincenzo whose stage name was Roberto Roberti, was a noted filmmaker who directed and acted in movies during the silent film era. He actually tried to discourage his son from pursuing a career in cinema, so Sergio Leone briefly studied law. But then fate stepped in and he landed a position as an assistant on Vittorio De Sica ’s "The Bicycle Thieves" in 1948. Leone also briefly appears in the film, as part of a group of German priests taking shelter from the rain. Although he emerged during the rise of Neorealism, Leone mig...

The Extraordinary Career and Legacy of Dino De Laurentiis

Producer Dino De Laurentiis was one of the most prolific filmmakers ever, having produced or co-produced more than 600 films during a career that spanned seven decades. His legacy continues not only through the work of his children and grandchildren but also through a new generation of filmmakers in his Italian hometown. De Laurentiis was born in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius on Aug. 8, 1919, in the city of Torre Annunziata, located just minutes from the ruins of Pompeii. As a child, he worked at a local pasta factory owned and operated by his father. That experience had a profound effect on him, shaping a lifelong passion for food and an appreciation for business. At the age of 17, he decided to leave home for the big city. He arrived in Rome and enrolled in the prestigious film school, Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. After attending the school for about a year, he managed to produce one film in 1940, The Last Combat , before having to leave Rome temporarily for m...

Italian Cinema Today

Search This Blog