Mario Monicelli honored at LA Italian Film Festival

Los Angeles Italian Film Festival will on the 25th February honor the great Italian Director and Screenwriter Mario Monicelli, who on the 29th of November 2010 leaped from his hospital window in Rome committing suicide at the age of 95. He had been admitted to hospital some days previously and was being treated for Prostrate Cancer.

 

Monicelli was since the 40s a major influence on the Italian Film Industry , he was dubbed the “father of Italian comedy” for directing films such as Amici Miei (My Dear Friends) and I Soliti Ignoti (Persons Unknown – Big Deal on Madonna Street ) a big void is being left for sure. I am so please to see Los Angeles Italian FIlm Industry honoring this big man with the showing of “Big Deal on Madonna Street” on the 25.02.11 at 10.00 as I fear due to the circumstances of his death, he will now be largely ignored by his Roman Catholic countrymen. Monicelli looked at his compatriots with love, and at Silvio Berlusconi with anger. Lets rejoice in the fact that he did not see the latest antics of Berlusconi dubiously managing to survive a no-confidence vote in parliament and the running of brothels in Milan ( Well, if you put young women in free housing and use them for sex, that constitutes brothel keeping, right ?).

Many quotes have been made since his death all positive , here are some of them for you:

President Giorgio Napolitano said he would be “remembered by millions of Italians for the way he moved them, for how he made them laugh and reflect”.

Director Giovanni Veronese said, “Monicelli was my Fellini”.

Politician, writer and former Mayor of Rome Walter Veltroni said that Mario Monicelli was an extraordinary man who carried his 95 years with a strong sense of irony. Mr Veltroni said that the director had become the “grand old man” of Italian cinema against his will.

Actor and director Michele Placido said that we should respect his decision to die.

My five top films Directed by Mario Monicelli:

Un Borghese piccolo piccolo – A very little Man

Amici Miei - My Dear Friends

Casanova 70

I Soliti Ignoti  - UK Persons Unknown – USA  Big deal on Madonna Street.

Padri e Figlie

Toto cerca casa  all Toto’s film really.

Yes I know that is six, he really was that good , difficult to choose .

 

COURTESY OF  wikipedia

Filmography

Director

• I ragazzi della Via Paal, with Alberto Mondadori (1935)
• Pioggia d’estate (1937)
• Totò cerca casa (with Steno, 1949)
• Al diavolo la celebrità (1949, with Steno)
• Vita da cani (with Steno, 1950)
• È arrivato il cavaliere! (with Steno, 1950)
• Guardie e ladri (with Steno, 1951)
• Totò e i re di Roma (with Steno, 1952)
• Totò e le donne (Toto and the Women, 1952, with Steno)
• Le infedeli, with Steno (1953)
• Proibito (1954)
• Un eroe dei nostri tempi (1955)
• Totò e Carolina (1955)
• Donatella (1956)
• Il medico e lo stregone (1957)
• Padri e figli (1957)
• I soliti ignoti (Big Deal on Madonna Street, 1958)
• The Great War (1959)
• Risate di gioia (1960)
• Boccaccio ’70 (1962 – segment “Renzo and Luciana”)
• I compagni (The Organizer, 1963)
• Alta infedeltà (High Infidelity, 1964, with Luciano Salce, Elio Petriand Franco Rossi)
• Casanova ’70 (1965)
• Le fate (1966 – , with Mauro Bolognini, Antonio Pietrangeli and Luciano Salce )
• L’armata Brancaleone (For Love and Gold, 1966)
• The Girl with the Pistol (1968)
• Capriccio all’italiana (Caprice Italian Style, 1968, with Mauro Bolognini, Steno, Pino Zac, Pier Paolo Pasolini and Franco Rossi)
• Toh, è morta la nonna! (1969)
• Brancaleone alle Crociate (Brancaleone at the Crusades, 1970)
• Le coppie (1971, with Alberto Sordi and Vittorio De Sica)
• La mortadella (1971)
• Vogliamo i colonnelli (1973)
• Romanzo popolare (1974)
• Amici miei (1975)
• Caro Michele (1976)
• Signore e signori, buonanotte (1976, with Luigi Comencini, Nanni Loy, Luigi Magni and Ettore Scola )
• Un borghese piccolo piccolo (1977)
• Viva Italia! (1977, with Dino Risi and Ettore Scola)
• Viaggio con Anita (1979)
• Temporale Rosy (1979)
• Camera d’albergo (1981)
• Il marchese del Grillo (1981)
• Amici miei atto II (1982)
• Bertoldo, Bertoldino e Cacasenno (1984)
• Le due vite di Mattia Pascal (1985)
• Speriamo che sia femmina (1986)
• I picari (1987)
• La moglie ingenua e il marito malato (1989)
• 12 registi per 12 città (1989, documentary. Segment “Verona”)
• Il male oscuro (1990)
• Rossini! Rossini! (1991)
• Parenti serpenti (1992)
• Cari fottutissimi amici (1994)
• Facciamo paradiso (1995)
• Esercizi di stile (1996 – segment Idillio edile)
• Topi di appartamento (1997, short)
• Panni sporchi (1999)
• Un amico magico: il maestro Nino Rota (1999, documentary)
• Come quando fuori piove (2000, TV mini series)
• Un altro mondo è possibile (2001, documentary)
• Lettere dalla Palestina (2002, documentary)
• Firenze, il nostro domani (2003, documentary)
• Le rose del deserto (The Roses of the Desert, 2006)

Screenplays

• I ragazzi della via Paal (1935)
• Pioggia d’estate (1937)
• La granduchessa si diverte (1940)
• Brivido (1941)
• La donna è mobile (1942)
• Cortocircuito (1943)
• Il sole di Montecassino (1945)
• Aquila nera (1946)
• Gioventù perduta (1947)
• La figlia del capitano (1947)
• Il corriere del re (1947)
• Follie per l’opera (1948)
• I Miserabili (1948)
• L’ebreo errante (1948)
• Il cavaliere misterioso (1948)
• Accidenti alla guerra! (1948)
• Il tradimento (1949)
• Al diavolo la celebrità (1949)
• Totò cerca casa (1949)
• Il lupo della Sila (1949)
• Il conte Ugolino (1949)
• Vita da cani (1950)
• Soho Conspiracy (1950)
• L’inafferrabile 12 (1950)
• È arrivato il cavaliere! (1950)
• Il brigante Musolino (1950)
• Botta e risposta (1950)
• Vendetta… sarda (1951)
• Guardie e ladri (1951)
• Tizio, Caio, Sempronio (1951)
• È l’amor che mi rovina (1951)
• Core ‘ngrato (1951)
• Accidenti alle tasse!! (1951)
• Amo un assassino (1951)
• Totò e i re di Roma (1952)
• Totò e le donne (1952)
• Totò a colori (1952)
• Perdonami (1952)
• Cinque poveri in automobile (1952)
• Cani e gatti (1952)
• Un turco napoletano (1953)
• Il più comico spettacolo del mondo (1953)
• Le infedeli (1953)
• Cavalleria rusticana (1953)
• Giuseppe Verdi (1953)
• Guai ai vinti (1954)
• Proibito (1954)
• Un eroe dei nostri tempi (1955)
• Totò e Carolina (1955)
• La donna più bella del mondo (1955)
• Donatella (1956)
• Il medico e lo stregone (1957)
• Padri e figli (1957)
• I soliti ignoti (1958)
• The Great War (1959)
• Risate di gioia (1960)
• A cavallo della tigre (1961)
• Boccaccio ’70 (1962 – segment “Renzo e Luciana”)
• Frenesia dell’estate (1963)
• I compagni (1963)
• Casanova 70 (1965)
• I nostri mariti (1966 – segment “Il marito di Olga”)
• L’armata Brancaleone (1966)
• The Girl with the Pistol (1968)
• Toh, è morta la nonna! (1969)
• Brancaleone alle crociate (1970)
• Vogliamo i colonnelli (1973)
• Gran bollito (1977)
• Amici miei (My Friends, 1975)
• Un borghese piccolo piccolo (1977)
• Temporale Rosy (1979)
• Camera d’albergo (1981)
• Il marchese del Grillo (1981)
• Amici miei atto II (1982)
• Bertoldo, Bertoldino e Cacasenno (1984)
• Le due vite di Mattia Pascal (1985)
• Speriamo che sia femmina (1986)
• I picari (1987)
• Il male oscuro (1990)
• Rossini! Rossini! (1991)
• Parenti serpenti (1992)
• Cari fottutissimi amici (1994)
• Facciamo paradiso (1995)
• Panni sporchi (1999)
• Un amico magico: il maestro Nino Rota (1999, documentary)
• Come quando fuori piove (2000, TV mini series)
• Le rose del deserto (The Roses of the Desert, 2006)

Actor

• Rue du Pied de Grue (1979)
• Sono fotogenico, directed by Dino Risi (1980)
• Il ciclone, directed by Leonardo Pieraccioni (1996, voice)
• Sotto il sole della Toscana (Under the Tuscan Sun, 2003)