Mamma (1941)

Director:

Guido Brignone

Writers:

Guido Cantini (dialogue)
Guido Cantini (screenplay)

Release Date:

16 February 1941 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Matilde Sarni lives in her villa near Rome. She has a son who has just married Donata and who is coming home after a series of recitals in the States...

Plot Keywords:

Country Life | Tenor | Sacrifice | Flirting | Melodrama

Cast

Beniamino Gigli	...	Mario Sarni, il tenore
Emma Gramatica	...	Matilde Sarni, madre di Mario
Carola Höhn	...	Donata Sarni
Friedrich Benfer	...	Giulio Roero (as Federico Benfer)
Ugo Ceseri	...	Il dottore Salverio
Carlo Campanini	...	Il professore Materi
Nico Pepe	...	Riccardo
Achille Majeroni	...	L'impressario Arnaldi
Oreste Fares	...	Giaccomo, il fattore
Nietta Zocchi	...	La cameriera dell'albergo a Venezia
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Margherita Cossa	...	La soprano
Vasco Creti
Diana Dei	...	Una passaggera sul transaltico
Lina Tartara Minora
Silverio Pisu	...	Il bambino

Also Known As:

Mother (International: English title)
Mutter (Germany)

Runtime:

83 min | Italy:80 min

Country:

Italy | Germany

Language:

Italian

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone System)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Itala Film

Trivia:

The film was shot (in Cinecittà) with both Italian and German actors, all appearing in both versions. All German actors are bubbed in the Italian version and vice-versa. The Italian version was released in Italy in February 1940. The German version of the film, known as "Mutter" was released in Germany in July 1941.

Soundtrack:

Non ti scordar di me

More of the splendid singing of Gigli

I really liked this Italian language movie, "Mamma", with subtitles, for it seemed to show the famous tenor, Gigli, in a more relaxed, informal atmosphere, more of his real self in his acting you might say.

He again plays the role of a great singer, Mario Sarni, and is newly married, bringing home his young wife, Donata, to meet his mother. There are differences along the way that inevitably surface, she being a city girl and more at ease with her invited city friends, to the detriment of her new family and surroundings. Included in her circle of friends is the tantalizing Giulio who is smitten with Donata and has hopes or convincing her to take him seriously. All too soon the idea of a possible separation looms so there's lots of conflict to be resolved. Enter "Mamma" who has a way of succeeding in her plans.

The mother role of Mme. Sarni is finely rendered by Emma Gramatica, a great Italian actress in her day, although I feel there's a tendency to be too high-blown at times and melodramatic, but perhaps that was a quality of the times.

This is an opportunity to appreciate the artistry of Beniamino Gigli who also sings arias from the operas Othello, and Rigoletto, plus more. "Mamma" is considered as his most well-known film and the title song was so popular that it was sung during the World War 2 by the Italian soldiers and prisoners of war. Very memorable honour indeed!