Life Begins Anew
| Life Begins Anew | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Mario Mattoli |
| Written by |
Aldo De Benedetti Mario Mattoli |
| Starring |
Alida Valli Fosco Giachetti Eduardo De Filippo Carlo Romano |
| Music by | Ezio Carabella |
| Cinematography | Ubaldo Arata |
| Edited by | Fernando Tropea |
Production company |
Excelsa Film |
| Distributed by | Minerva Film |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 84 minutes |
| Country | Italy |
| Language | Italian |
Life Begins Anew (Italian: La vita ricomincia) is a 1945 Italian drama film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Alida Valli, Fosco Giachetti and Eduardo De Filippo. It was the second most popular Italian film during 1945-46 after Roberto Rossellini's Paisan.[1]
Production
The film was shot on location in war-damaged Naples. This was not because the director Mattoli wished to follow neorealist style, which he largely rejected.[2] Interior scenes were shot at the Palatino Studios in Rome. The film was important in Giachetti's transition from one of the leading stars of the Fascist era into a figure acceptable to post-war audiences. This was partly achieved through retaining his previously strongly masculine persona which was adapted to the new conditions. Alida Valli, also a celebrated Fascist period star, received a boost from the film and went to Hollywood the following year.
Synopsis
An Italian serviceman returns home to Rome after spending some time in a British Prisoner of War camp during the Second World War. He finds that his wife, during the desperate war years, has become a prostitute to pay for medicine to keep their son alive. He is at first outraged and pushes her away, but after being given wise advice by a friendly neighbour, he decides to reconcile with her.
Cast
- Alida Valli - Patrizia Martini
- Fosco Giachetti - Paolo Martini
- Eduardo De Filippo - Il professore
- Carlo Romano - Croci
- Aldo Silvani - Il giudice istruttore
- Nando Bruno - Scorcelletti, il camionista
- Anna Haardt - La baroness Magda Huberth
- Maria Donati - Maria
- Ughetto Bertucci - Righetto
- Maurizio Ceselli - Sandrino Martini, figlio di Patrizia e Paolo
References
Bibliography
- Bayman, Louis (ed.) Directory of World Cinema: Italy. Intellect Books, 2011.
- Gundle, Stephen. Mussolini's Dream Factory: Film Stardom in Fascist Italy. Berghahn Books, 2013.
- Hipkins, Danielle & Plain, Gill (eds.) War-torn Tales: Literature, Film and Gender in the Aftermath of World War II. Peter Lang, 2007.