Cesare Zavattini | |
|---|---|
 Cesare Zavattini (photo byPaolo Monti, 1975) | |
| Born | (1902-09-20)20 September 1902 Luzzara, Italy |
| Died | 13 October 1989(1989-10-13) (aged 87) Rome, Italy |
| Occupation | Screenwriter |
| Years active | 1936–1975 |
| Children | Arturo Zavattini |
Cesare Zavattini (20 September 1902 – 13 October 1989) was an Italian screenwriter and one of the first theorists and proponents of theNeorealist movement in Italian cinema.
Born inLuzzara nearReggio Emilia in northern Italy, on 20 September 1902, Zavattini studied law at the University ofParma, but devoted himself to writing. He started his career inGazzetta di Parma.[1] In 1930 he relocated toMilan, and worked for the book and magazine publisherAngelo Rizzoli. After Rizzoli began producing films in 1934, Zavattini received his first screenplay and story credits in 1936. At the same time he was writing the plot for the comic stripSaturn against the Earth withFederico Pedrocchi (script) and Giovanni Scolari (art) forI tre porcellini (1936–1937)[2] andTopolino (1937–1946).[3]
In 1935, he metVittorio De Sica, beginning a partnership that produced some twenty films, including such masterpieces ofItalian neorealism asSciuscià (1946),Ladri di biciclette (1948),Miracolo a Milano (1951), andUmberto D. (1952).
In 1952, Zavattini gave an interview to The Italian Film Magazine 2, republished in English as "Some Ideas on the Cinema". The thirteen points Zavattini outlined are widely regarded as his manifesto to Italian neorealism.
In his only experience in Hollywood, Zavattini wrote the screenplay forThe Children of Sanchez (1978) based onOscar Lewis's book of the same title, a classic study of a Mexican family. At the11th Moscow International Film Festival in 1979, he was awarded the Honorable Prize for the contribution to cinema.[4] In 1983 he was a member of the jury at the13th Moscow International Film Festival.[5]
Zavattini died inRome on 13 October 1989.[6]
Among the many celebrated directors of Italian and international cinema Zavattini worked with in his more than 80 films are:
Also, In the short story "La Santa", byNobel Prize winnerGabriel García Márquez a character is named after Zavattini. In the story, the character is a teacher of cinema.
