Sandra (1965) Vaghe stelle dell'Orsa... (original title)

Director:

Luchino Visconti

Writers:

Suso Cecchi D'Amico (story) &
Enrico Medioli (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

16 January 1966 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | War

Tagline:

SANDA has a husband - SANDRA has a brother - SANDRA loves one of them much too much. (original USA poster)

Plot:

Sandra comes back to Volterra, in Tuscany, the little town where she spent her childhood. She is with her American husband...

Plot Keywords:

Auschwitz | Concentration Camp | Scientist | Deportation | Italy

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Claudia Cardinale	...	Sandra Dawson
Michael Craig	...	Andrew Dawson
Jean Sorel	...	Gianni Wald-Luzzati
Marie Bell	...	Mrs. Gilardini, Sandra's Mother
Renzo Ricci	...	Antonio Gilardini
Fred Williams	...	Pietro Formari
Amalia Troiani	...	Fosca - Maid
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Vittorio Manfrino	...	(uncredited)
Renato Moretti	...	(uncredited)
Paola Piscini	...	(uncredited)
Isacco Politi	...	(uncredited)
Giovanni Rovini	...	(uncredited)
Glenn Saxson	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Ferdinando Scarfiotti	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Luchino Visconti

Writing credits
Suso Cecchi D'Amico		(story) &
Enrico Medioli		(story) &
Luchino Visconti		(story)
Suso Cecchi D'Amico		(screenplay) &
Enrico Medioli		(screenplay) &
Luchino Visconti		(screenplay)

Produced by
Franco Cristaldi	....	producer

Cinematography by
Armando Nannuzzi		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Mario Serandrei

Set Decoration by
Mario Garbuglia
Laudomia Hercolani

Costume Design by
Bice Brichetto

Makeup Department
Iole Cecchini	....	hair stylist (as Jole Cecchini)
Michele Trimarchi	....	makeup artist
Alfredo Marazzi	....	assistant makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Oscar Brazzi	....	general manager
Rodolfo Martello	....	production supervisor
Sergio Merolle	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Albino Cocco	....	assistant director
Rinaldo Ricci	....	assistant director

Art Department
Andrea Fantacci	....	assistant set decorator
Ferdinando Giovannoni	....	assistant production designer (uncredited)

Sound Department
Bruno Borghi	....	sound mixer
Claudio Maielli	....	sound engineer

Camera and Electrical Department
Claudio Cirillo	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Nino Cristiani	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Amedeo Nannuzzi	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Massimo Nannuzzi	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Sandro Tamborra	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Mario Tursi	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Enrico Umetelli	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lucia Baldacci	....	seamstress (uncredited)
Adriana Masseroni	....	seamstress (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Roberto Borghi	....	assistant editor (uncredited)
Eva Latini	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Augusto D'Ottavio	....	musician: "Prelude, chorale and fugue"

Other crew
Giulio Biagetti	....	script supervisor
Enzo Consolini	....	administrator (uncredited)
Enzo Lucarini	....	accountant (uncredited)
Andreina Pagnani	....	voice dubbing: Marie Bell (uncredited)
Aldo U. Passalacqua	....	production secretary (uncredited)
Giuseppe Rinaldi	....	voice dubbing: Michael Craig (uncredited)
Massimo Turci	....	voice dubbing: Jean Sorel (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Vides Cinematografica

Distributors

• Vides Film (1965) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Royal Films International (1966) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Cable Hogue Co. (1965) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Kinokuniya (2003) (Japan) (DVD) (box set)

Other Companies

• Fono Roma  sound recording
• Sviluppo Pellicole e Stampa (SPES)  post-production sound services

Also Known As:

"Vaghe stelle dell'Orsa..." - Italy (original title)
"Sandra of a Thousand Delights" - USA (dubbed version)
"Vague Stars of Ursa..." - International (English title) (imdb display title)

Runtime:

105 min | Argentina:100 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian | Hebrew | French | English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Italy:VM18 | Portugal:(Banned) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Geneva, Canton de Genève, Switzerland

Company:

Vides Cinematografica

Movie Connections:

Referenced in David Holzman's Diary (1967)

Soundtrack:

Let's Go

Still magical!

After watching "Sandra...", for the first time in mi life I wanted to know who the director was. It was 1966 and me 15, so until that moment, I was only interested in who starred what but never fully understood the director's work enormous importance. Since then, Visconti not only became one of my favorite directors ever but a parameter when judging a film. Actually, I had seen The leopard years before, when I was to young to notice more than the beauty in Cardinale and the sumptuous sets. About "Sandra" I still remember vividly not only how beautiful and glamorous Cardinale looked but how handsome and elegant Sorel was; how mysterious the whole black and white atmosphere was and the intriguing plot... which I didn't fully understood because even if the action seemed to say something, the subtitles said something else!. I thought then my mother was right when she used to tell me: You are too young to understand this and that. Well, not without relief, I learn, years later, than the subtitles had been made in Spain, during the Franco's days, so its censorship had erased all incest traces. After that, a new copy was made to match subtitles and story (and thats, thankfully, what you can find, at least in Spanish!). But even after so many years, and in my adulthood, I find Sandra as magical as the first time and still is one of my favorite movies, as many Visconti's works like Rocco and his brothers, Death in Venice or The dammed, as well, of course, The Leopard.