Francesco Maselli
Directing
Biography
Francesco Maselli (9 December 1930 – 21 March 2023), also known as Citto Maselli , was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Born into a well educated family (his father was an art critic) originally from the Molise region, Maselli graduated from the Italian National Film School in 1949 and began his career as an assistant and assistant director for Luigi Chiarini , Michelangelo Antonioni , and Luchino Visconti. After directing several short documentary and fiction films, he gave his feature film debut with the World War II drama Abandoned (1955), which premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Following a series of minor films, Maselli had greater success with Silver Spoon Set (1960, also titled The Dolphins ) and Time of Indifference (1964), an adaptation of a novel by Alberto Moravia. In the 1970s, Maselli turned to openly left-wing political films, notably Open Letter to a newspaper of the evening (1970) and The Suspect (1975), before shifting to more intimate films centered on female protagonists in the 1980s such as A Tale of Love (1986) and The Secret (1990). In 2021, Maselli was honored with a retrospective at the Venice Film Festival, where many of his films had seen their premiere. Maselli died in Rome on 21 March 2023, at the age of 92.
Known For
In an Italian seaside town, young Titta gets into trouble with his friends and watches various local eccentrics as they engage in often absurd behavior. Frequently clashing with his stern father and defended by his doting mother, Titta witnesses the actions of a wide range of characters, from his extended family to Fascist loyalists to sensual women, with certain moments shifting into fantastical scenarios.
Amarcord
Eight Italian politicians from the communist party gather on a terrace in Rome for a get-together. They discuss about their past, present and future.
The Terrace
In 1914, a cruise ship sets sail from Naples to spread the ashes of beloved opera singer Edmea Tetua near Erimo, the isle of her birth. During the voyage, the eclectic array of passengers discovers a group of Serbian refugees aboard the vessel. Peace and camaraderie abound until the ship is descended upon by an Austrian flagship. The Serbians are forced to board it, but naturally they resist, igniting a skirmish that ends in destruction.
And the Ship Sails On
Six vignettes explore love and desire in Rome, from prostitution and heartache to unwed motherhood and the male gaze.
Love in the City
A wealthy, possessive husband's investigation reignites his young wife's past love, leading them to plot against him. As obstacles fall away, their passion faces a new test.
Story of a Love Affair
Lucia (Natassja Kinski) is a volatile, exciteable young woman. She forms a romance with Carlo (Stefano Dionisi), who is somewhat callow and is very skittish. Their romance is not an easy one, but they are assisted in coping with its ups and downs by their mutual friendship with Franco (Franco Citti), an older, wiser and more stable man.
The Secret
An episodic film based on letters to agony columns, showing the effect of sex on the lives of women.
Latin Lovers
A detective gets involved with the beautiful daughter of an old friend. The daughter turns out to be a jewel thief, who in turn gets the detective involved in a caper in Austria.
A Fine Pair
A film of Enrico Berlinguer's funeral in Rome, briefly tracing his career as leader of the Italian Communist Party.
Farewell to Enrico Berlinguer
A penniless countess falls in love with a cad, unaware that he is also involved on the side with her beautiful daughter.
Time of Indifference
A group of rich young intellectuals hiding from the war in rural Italy play at being partisans when some disbanded soldiers and some refugees ask them for shelter in their villa. The young and aristocratic Andrea strikes up a friendship with a peasant girl, Lucia. Then the Germans suddenly appear, looking for the real partisans, and the time comes for serious decisions.
Abandoned
After the war, almost by chance, Alfonso Sansone started to produce documentary films and moved from Palermo to Rome, the city of film.
Alfonso Sansone: Producer by Chance
An acid portrait of Italian youth at the time, I DELFINI follows a dreary season of discontent and viciousness in the lives of a thoroughly unpleasant group of mostly rich youngsters in a small Adriatic coast city.
The Dolphins
Fascism has forced the leadership of the Italian Communist Party to settle in Paris. In Italy arrests of militants are decimating the organization, so Emilio is sent on a mission in the area of Turin, to put out of harm whistleblowers.
The Suspect
Three gorgeous seamstresses meet on the historic steps of the Piazza de Spagna in Rome to discuss one another's love lives.
Three Girls from Rome
Indagine su un cittadino di nome Volonté is a documentary exploring the life and career of Italian actor Gian Maria Volonté. Known for his roles in films with significant political and social impact, this documentary offers an intimate look through interviews and archival footage, highlighting his commitment to cinema as a form of artistic expression and a tool for social change.
Investigation of a Citizen Named Volonté
Five portraits of actresses in their "common" life, seen as women rather than movie stars.
We, the Women
A struggling model concocts a story of being raped and beaten by three strangers and soon becomes a media darling. Complications arise when the police eventually arrest three suspects.
The Doll that Took the Town
This short documentary explores the world of Italian photo comics (fumetti), focusing on the models who posed as romantic heroes and heroines for popular illustrated stories. By contrasting their staged screen personas with their everyday lives, the film offers an observational look at a mass-culture phenomenon in postwar Italy.
Lies of Love
The title of this Italian melodrama translates to Pact with the Devil. However, His Satanic Majesty does not appear in the film. Rather, this expensively produced period piece is more along the lines of Romeo and Juliet, with young love threatened by warring families. In his first Italian film, Hollywood veteran Eduardo Cianelli goes through his usual villainous paces as the scheming father of the male lead (Jacques Francois). The most fascinating performance is rendered by Umberto Spadaro, as the village idiot, or is he? Patto col Diavolo makes the most of the visual dynamics of Italy's mountainous Calabrian region.