Monicelli, Mario

Mario Monicelli (16. maj 1915 - 29. november 2010)

Although associated with the 1950s period of commedia all’italiana, Mario Monicelli’s career hearkened back to Italy’s silent era.

Being in fact a predecessor to Italian neorealism rather than succeeding it.

Born in Tuscany in 1915, Monicelli gravitated to cinema early in his life, entering the film business in the early-30s.

His first films were co-directed with Alberto Mondadori, most notably a silent film adaptation of Ferenc Molnar’s The Paul Street Boys which won an award at the Venice Film Festival.

“Whenever Italians do something, they do it in a very Italian way, but they try to make sure that everyone is happy.”

Monicelli alternated as an assistant director and writer for other film-makers along with his own projects. His first solo feature was Summer Rain, made in 1937.

He first achieved renown for a series of films starring Italy’s famous comic Totò. Initially co-directed with Stefano ‘Steno’ Vanzina, Monicelli went solo with Totò e Carolina.

His first major film also marked his first collaboration with the screenwriting duo, Age & Scarpelli. I soliti ignoti (1958), better known internationally as Big Deal on Madonna Street, was a comic masterpiece, a success in Italy and around the world.

Taking influence from the British Ealing Comedies, the film spoofed popular heist films such as The Asphalt Jungle and Rififi.

The film is also notable for its cast, which features Vittorio Gassman, Claudia Cardinale and Marcello Mastroianni. His next great success was The Great War which starred Alberto Sordi and Vittorio Gassman.

Monicelli combined a satirical approach to war (evoking The Good Soldier Svejk) with detailed historical recreation of trench warfare. The film received the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film.

1959   The Great War - La grande guerra (1959)