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Showing posts from December, 2021

In Conversation with Enrico Vanzina

"When my father died, (Dino Riso) told me, 'If you need another father, I'm here for you.'" Enrico Vanzina and his brother Carlo grew up during the Golden Age of Italian cinema with an iconic father who directed some of the most memorable films ever made. Stefano Vanzina aka Steno worked often with Mario Monicelli, Totò  and Alberto Sordi , and brought us eternal classics like "Un Americano a Roma,"   "Piccola Posta" and  Totò nella luna (Totò in the Moon) . Following in their father's footsteps, Enrico and Carlo made their feature film debut in 1976 with the comedy, "Luna di miele in tre." It would be the first film in a lifelong collaboration between the siblings until Carlo's untimely death in 2018. At the heart of those collaborations was Enrico as writer and Carlo as director. The two were known for their Christmastime comedies otherwise known as Cinepanettone. Enrico has recently taken on the role of director with the 2

Amedeo Nazzari: The Once and Future Idol

He’s been referred to as the “mustachioed matinee idol,” but a newfound interest in 1950s melodramas has made him an international art house legend. Amedeo Nazzari was born Salvatore Amedeo Buffa on Dec. 10, 1907, in Sardinia. Assuming his maternal grandfather’s last name and moving to Rome during the 1930s to pursue a career in acting, he found an immediate place in theater but had a tough time breaking into film because of his towering height and slim build. Nazzari landed small film parts during the mid-’30s before scoring the title role in Goffredo Alessandrini’s 1938 “Luciano Serra, pilota” (Luciano Serra, Pilot), about an American pilot attacked by Ethiopian soldiers. The film was awarded the Mussolini Cup for Best Italian Film at the 6th Venice International Film Festival and launched Nazzari’s silver screen career.   Although he rose to fame during tumultuous times, and was personally invited by Mussolini to join the Fascist Party, Nazzari managed to stay politically neutral an