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Giuseppe de Santis | |
|---|---|
 on a set break | |
| Born | (1917-02-11)11 February 1917 |
| Died | 16 May 1997(1997-05-16) (aged 80) |
| Years active | 1940–1995 |
| Spouse | Gordana Miletic |
Giuseppe De Santis (11 February 1917 – 16 May 1997) was an Italianfilm director. One of the most idealisticneorealist filmmakers of the 1940s and 1950s, he wrote and directed films punctuated by ardent cries for social reform.
He was the brother of ItaliancinematographerPasqualino De Santis. His wife was Gordana Miletic (native spelling: Miletić), a Yugoslav actress and former ballet dancer.
De Santis was born inFondi,Lazio. He was a member of theItalian Communist Party (PCI) and fought with the anti-German Resistance in Rome during World War II.
He was first a student of philosophy and literature[1] before enteringRome'sCentro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. While working as a journalist forCinema magazine, De Santis became, under the influence ofCesare Zavattini, a major proponent of the earlyneorealist filmmakers who were trying to make films that mirrored the simple and tragic realities of proletarian life using location shooting and nonprofessional actors.
In 1942, De Santis collaborated on the script forOssessione,Luchino Visconti's debut film, which is usually considered one of the first neo-realist films.
While still working forCinema magazine, he increasingly worked as a screenwriter and assistant director until 1947 when he made his own directorial debut withCaccia Tragica (Tragic Hunt). Like the two films to follow, it was a sincere call for better living conditions for the Italian working class and agrarian workers. Issues of corruption, the black market, collaboration with the Germans, and treatment of ex-soldiers were also introduced in the film.
His third filmBitter Rice (1949), the story of a young woman working in the rice fields who must choose between two socially disparate suitors, made a star ofSilvana Mangano and was a landmark of the new cinematic style. It also earned De Santis anAcademy Award nomination forBest Original Story.
By the early 1950s, the neorealist movement was falling out of favour with critics and audiences. New filmmakers began using dramatic stories that centered on relationships and de Santis also altered his focus.
In 1952 he filmedRoma ore 11 (Rome 11 o'clock), the first version of the real tragic accident thatAugusto Genina remade in 1953 asThree Forbidden Stories.
In 1959 he won aGolden Globe withLa strada lunga un anno; the film, produced inYugoslavia, had a nomination for theOscar asBest Foreign Language Film.[2]
In 1979 he was a member of the jury at the11th Moscow International Film Festival.[3] In 1985 he was a member of the jury at the14th Moscow International Film Festival.[4]
De Santis died in 1997 at the age of 80, inRome, following a heart attack, and a day of mourning was declared in Italy. A part of his archives have been donated to the Reynolds Library ofWake Forest University.
Also, his wife and friends have established a Foundation named after him.
| Year | Title | Director | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | Desire | No | Yes |
| The Sun Still Rises | No | Yes | |
| 1947 | Tragic Hunt | Yes | Yes |
| 1949 | Bitter Rice | Yes | Yes |
| 1950 | No Peace Under the Olive Tree | Yes | Yes |
| 1952 | Rome 11:00 | Yes | Yes |
| 1953 | A Husband for Anna | Yes | Yes |
| 1954 | Days of Love | Yes | Yes |
| 1956 | The Wolves | Yes | Yes |
| 1957 | Engaged to Death | No | Yes |
| 1958 | The Road a Year Long | Yes | Yes |
| 1960 | La garçonnière | Yes | Yes |
| 1964 | Attack and Retreat | Yes | Yes |
| 1972 | Un apprezzato professionista di sicuro avvenire | Yes | Yes |
