Condottieri (1937 film)

Condottieri is a 1937 Italian historical film directed by Luis Trenker and starring Trenker, Loris Gizzi and Laura Nucci. It portrays the life of Giovanni de' Medici, a celebrated condottieri of the sixteenth century. A separate German-language version was also made.

The film received 9.6 million lire of funding from the Italian government,^[1] as part as a major drive by the Fascist authorities to develop the Italian film industry (which also involved the construction of the large Cinecittà complex in Rome). Along with Scipio Africanus, the film was an attempt to harness history to support the Fascist regime's current policies. Condottieri drew parallels between the dictator Benito Mussolini and the historical figure of de' Medici, portraying both as unifying Italy.^[2] The film's elaborate sets were designed by Virgilio Marchi.

Cast

• Luis Trenker: Giovanni de' Medici
• Loris Gizzi: Malatesta
• Laura Nucci: Tullia delle Grazie
• Carla Sveva: Maria Salviati
• Ethel Maggi: Caterina Sforza
• Mario Ferrari: Cesare Borgia
• Angelo Ferrari
• Giulio Cirino: Rüschli
• Sandro Dani: D'Argentière
• Tito Gobbi: Nino
• Augusto Marcacci: Daniello
• Nino Marchetti: Corrado
• Lando Muzio: Pedro
• Ernesto Nannicini
• Umberto Sacripante: Sanzio
• Carlo Tamberlani: Duke of Urbino
• Gino Viotti: Pope
• Giuseppe Addobbati: Duke of Imola
• Friedl Trenker: Giovanni
• Oreste Bilancia
• Alberto Emmerich
• Carlo Fontana
• Tullio Galvani
• Luis Gerold: Barbo
• Alberto Minoprio
• Carlo Simoneschi
• Virgilio Botti
• Mara Danieli
• Claudio Ermelli
• Carlo Duse

References

Bibliography

• Gundle, Stephen. Mussolini's Dream Factory: Film Stardom in Fascist Italy. Berghahn Books, 2013.
• Ricci, Steven. Cinema and Fascism: Italian Film and Society. University of California Press, 2008.

External links

• Condottieri at the Internet Movie Database