Il bell'Antonio ("Handsome Antonio") is a 1960 Italian-French drama film directed by Mauro Bolognini and starring Marcello Mastroianni and Claudia Cardinale.[1] It is based on the novel of the same name by Vitaliano Brancati and was adapted for the screen by Pier Paolo Pasolini and Gino Visentini, moving the novel's setting during Italy's fascist era to the present.[2]
| Il bell'Antonio | |
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 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Mauro Bolognini |
| Written by |
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| Based on |
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| Produced by | Alfredo Bini |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Armando Nannuzzi |
| Edited by | Nino Baragli |
| Music by | Piero Piccioni |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Cino Del Duca |
Release date |
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Running time | 105 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | Italian |
The film won the Golden Leopard at the Locarno International Film Festival.[3] In 2008, the film was included in the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage's 100 Italian films to be saved, a list of 100 films that "have changed the collective memory of the country between 1942 and 1978."[4]
Plot
editStudent Antonio returns from Rome, where he had lived off his father's fortune, to his hometown Catania, as the father has invested the family's assets into an orange grove and is unable to finance Antonio's lifestyle anymore. Owning a reputation of a successful womanizer, Antonio's parents decide that it is time for him to settle down and arrange for a marriage with notary Puglisi's daughter Barbara. Antonio, hesitating at first, falls in love with Barbara after seeing a photo of her and agrees to marry her.
One year later, Puglisi confronts Antonio's unbelieving father with the fact that the marriage was never consummated, and obtains its annulation. Barbara soon marries the rich Duke of Bronte, leaving behind a grieving Antonio who still loves her. Antonio confesses to his cousin Edoardo that during his time in Rome, he was able to sleep with women whom he didn't care for, but was impotent when he met a woman for whom he had sincere feelings.
Some time later, Antonio's father dies from a heart attack during a visit to a brothel, where he wanted to prove his intact manhood. While the family is still in mourning, the housemaid Santuzza collapses, revealing that she is pregnant from Antonio. Antonio's mother instantly gives the news to relatives and neighbours that Antonio is becoming a father, and announces his and Santuzza's marriage. When Edoardo rings up Antonio to congratulate him, Antonio declares that he still thinks of Barbara and starts crying.
Cast
edit- Marcello Mastroianni ... Antonio Magnano
- Claudia Cardinale ... Barbara Puglisi
- Pierre Brasseur ... Alfio Magnano
- Rina Morelli ... Rosaria Magnano
- Tomas Milian ... Edoardo
- Fulvia Mammi ... Elena Ardizzone
- Patrizia Bini ... Santuzza
- Anna Arena ... Signora Puglisi
- Nino Camarda
- Guido Celano ... Calderana
- Maurizio Conti
- Maria Luisa Crescenzi ... Francesa
- Salvatore Fazio
- Jole Fierro ... Mariuccia
- Cesarina Gherardi ... Zia Giuseppina
- Rino Giusti
- Gina Mattarolo
- Alice Sandro ... Nanda
- Enzo Tiribelli
- Ugo Torrente ... Barbara's father
References
edit- ^ "NY Times: Il bell'Antonio". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-10-20. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
- ^ "Il bell'Antonio". Il Cinema Ritrovato. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
- ^ "Winners of the Golden Leopard". Locarno. Archived from the original on 2009-07-19. Retrieved 2012-08-12.
- ^ "Ecco i cento film italiani da salvare Corriere della Sera". www.corriere.it. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
External links
edit- Il bell'Antonio at IMDb
- Il bell'Antonio at Cinematografo