The Jester's Supper (film)
| The Jester's Supper | |
|---|---|
 Clara Calamai in the film | |
| Directed by | Alessandro Blasetti |
| Produced by | Giuseppe Amato |
| Written by |
Sem Benelli (play) Renato Castellani Alessandro Blasetti |
| Starring |
Amedeo Nazzari Osvaldo Valenti Clara Calamai Alfredo Varelli |
| Music by | Giuseppe Becce |
| Cinematography | Mario Craveri |
| Edited by | Mario Serandrei |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | ENIC |
Release dates | 9 February 1942 |
Running time | 87 minutes |
| Country | Italy |
| Language | Italian |
The Jester's Supper (Italian:La cena delle beffe) is a 1942 Italian historical film directed by Alessandro Blasetti and starring Amedeo Nazzari, Osvaldo Valenti and Clara Calamai.[1] It was based on a play of the same title by Sem Benelli, which had later been turned into an opera by Umberto Giordano. Like the play, the film is set in the 15th century Florence of Lorenzo the Magnificent and portrays a rivalry that leads to a series of increasingly violent jokes.
Production and reception
It was shot at Cinecittà in Rome partly using sets which had been constructed for Blasetti's earlier The Iron Crown which was set in the same era. Amadeo Nazzari, the leading Italian star of the decade, was cast strongly against type. Usually Nazzari played romantic heroes or action men, but in the film he plays a loutish character and appeared without his trademark moustache.[2] A popular catchphrase associated with Nazzari originated in the film "a plague on anyone who refuses to drink with me!"[3]
The film was extremely popular and boosted the career of Clara Calamai in particular. In one scene she has her dress ripped off by Nazzari, briefly exposing her breasts in one of the first topless scenes in Italian cinema.[4] It was one of several films in which Osvaldo Valenti and Luisa Ferida, later extecuted in 1945, appeared together.
Cast
- Amedeo Nazzari as Neri Chiaramontesi
- Osvaldo Valenti as Giannetto Malespini
- Clara Calamai as Ginevra
- Alfredo Varelli as Gabriello Chiaramantesi
- Valentina Cortese as Lisabetta
- Memo Benassi as Il Tornaquinci
- Piero Carnabuci as Fazio
- Elisa Cegani as Laldòmine
- Luisa Ferida as Fiammetta
- Alberto Capozzi as Luca
- Lauro Gazzolo as Il Trinca
- Nietta Zocchi as Cinzia
- Silvio Bagolini as Il terzo cerusico
- Aldo Silvani as Il premio cerusico
- Umberto Sacripante as Il secondo cerusico
- Gildo Bocci as Il taverniere
- Antonio Acqua as Lapo
- Margherita Bagni as Una dama alla festa
- Ernesto Bianchi as Un servitore della taverna
- Lilla Brignone as Una dama alla festa
- Anna Carena as La moglie del taverniere
- Adele Garavaglia as La nonna di Elisabetta
- Carlo Minello as Un messere alla taverna
- Milla Papa as Una fantesca
References
Bibliography
- Gundle, Stephen. Mussolini's Dream Factory: Film Stardom in Fascist Italy. Berghahn Books, 2013.
- Moliterno, Gino. The A to Z of Italian Cinema. Scarecrow Press, 2009.
External links
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