The Brigand (1961 film)
| The Brigand | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Renato Castellani |
| Screenplay by | Renato Castellani |
| Based on | The Brigand by Giuseppe Berto |
| Produced by | Angelo Rizzoli |
| Starring | Adelmo Di Fraia Serena Vergano |
| Cinematography | Armando Nannuzzi |
| Edited by | Jolanda Benvenuti |
| Music by | Nino Rota |
Release date |
|
| Country | Italy |
| Language | Italian |
The Brigand (Italian: Il brigante) is a 1961 Italian historical drama film written and directed by Renato Castellani. It premiered in competition at the 22nd edition of the Venice Film Festival.
Plot
Cast
- Adelmo Di Fraia as Michele Rende
- Serena Vergano as Miliella Stigliano
- Francesco Seminario as Nino Stigliano
- Mario Ierardi as Pataro
- Anna Filippini as Giulia Ricadi
- Giovanni Basile as Fimiani
- Renato Terra as Carmelo
- Elena Sestito as Nino's Mother
- Angela Sirianni as Nino's Grandmother
Production
The film was produced by Cineriz with a budged of 98 millions lire.[1][2] It is based on the 1951 historical novel The Brigand by Giuseppe Berto.[3][4] After a pre-production of over a year, it was shot in 10 months in Calabria.[5] The cast mostly consisted on non-professional actors, the majority of whom recruited directly on location.[4][5] In its original cut, it run about 3 and a half hour.[2]
Release
The film had its premiere at the 22nd Venice International Film Festival, in the main competition section, winning the FIPRESCI prize.[6][7]
Reception
Gian Luigi Rondi wrote: "The story finds in him a careful and accurate narrator, now polemical, now inspired, not always able, however, to impose a harmonious unity on the narration nor to keep the often epic atmosphere of the film clear of certain errors of taste and style, certain dramatic novelties which smack not so much of exasperation as of mere exaggeration".[8]
References
- ^ Bondanella, Peter (25 July 2019). The Italian Cinema Book. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-83902-025-4.
- ^ a b Faldini, Franca; Fofi, Goffredo (2009). L'avventurosa storia del cinema italiano. Cineteca Bologna. p. 115. ISBN 978-8899196349.
- ^ Laura, Ernesto G. (September 1961). "Il brigante". Bianco e Nero (9): 24–26. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
- ^ a b Scalzo, Domenico (2001). Gianni Amelio: un posto al cinema (in Italian). Lindau. pp. 37–38. ISBN 978-88-7180-363-0.
- ^ a b Fasolo, Furio (30 August 1961). "Sul Brigante di Castellani si narrano curiosi retroscena". Stampa Sera. 205. p. 8. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
- ^ Naldi, Ugo (2 August 1961). "Briganti e Banditi a Venezia". Corriere della Sera. p. 11.
- ^ "In Camera". Films and Filming. 8. Hansom Books: 20. 1961.
- ^ Rondi, Gian Luigi (1967). Italian Cinema Today: 1952-1965. Dobson. p. 49.
External links
- The Brigand at IMDb