The Gold of Naples (1954)

Tribute to Naples, where director De Sica spent his first years, this is a collection of 6 Neapolitan episodes : a clown exploited by a gangster ; an inconstant pizza seller (Sofia) losing ... See full summary »

Director:

Vittorio De Sica

Writers:

Giuseppe Marotta (story), Cesare Zavattini (adapted for the screen by)

Stars:

Silvana Mangano, Sophia Loren, Eduardo De Filippo

3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Silvana Mangano	...	Teresa (segment "Teresa")
Sophia Loren	...	Sofia (segment "Pizze a credito")
Eduardo De Filippo	...	Don Ersilio Miccio (segment "Il professore")
Paolo Stoppa	...	Don Peppino - il vedovo (segment "Pizze a credito")
Erno Crisa	...	Don Nicola (segment "Teresa")
Totò	...	Don Saverio Petrillo (segment "Il guappo")
Lianella Carell	...	Carolina Petrillo (segment "Il guappo")
Giacomo Furia	...	Rosario - marito di Sofia (segment "Pizze a credito")
Tina Pica	...	Old woman (segment "Il professore")
Alberto Farnese	...	Alfredo - l'amante di Sofia (segment "Pizze a credito")
Tecla Scarano	...	Un amico di Peppino (segment "Pizze a credito")
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Pierino Bilancioni	...	Il piccolo Gennarino (segment "I giocatori")
Lars Borgström	...	Federico - the Doorkeeper (segment "I giocatori") (as L. Borgoström)
Gianni Crosio	...	Alfonso Maria di Sant'Agata dei Fornai (segment "Il professore")
Nino Imparato	...	Gennaro (segment "Il professore")

Storyline

Tribute to Naples, where director De Sica spent his first years, this is a collection of 6 Neapolitan episodes : a clown exploited by a gangster ; an inconstant pizza seller (Sofia) losing her husband's ring ; the funeral of a child ; the gambler Count Prospero B. defeated by a kid ; the unexpected and unusual wedding of Teresa, a prostitute ; the "professor" Ersilio Micci, a "wisdom seller".

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Plot Keywords:

italy | place name in title | napoli | based on novel | 

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Taglines:

Four droll and dramatic tales bursting with humor and vitality and that love of life that characterizes these volatile people...

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

11 February 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Gold of Naples

Filming Locations:

Naples, Campania, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carlo Ponti Cinematografica, Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Alternate Versions

The segment on the funeral of a dead child was deleted from all release versions, and the short segment on the Professor only appeared in the original Italian version. The time for the remaining four episodes was 107 minutes.

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Connections

Featured in Cinema Paradiso (1988)

User Reviews

Film in Need of Re-discovery

I recently watched The Gold of Naples after a prolonged search. Like many others, I first learned of this film through Martin Scorsese's documentary on Italian cinema. While not as famous as some of Vittorio De Sica's other films, I assumed The Gold of Naples would eventually be released on DVD. Years have passed and the only American DVD release is a cheap, dubbed, public domain copy paired with The Bicycle Thief. I recently found a subtitled VHS tape from a 90's dealer (Facets or Sinister Cinema). Although the print is the 107 minute U.S. cut with two stories missing, the experience was well worth it. The Gold of Naples is an anthology film and, like most, the stories vary in quality. However, none of these stories are bad (something I cannot say about many anthology films). The first one has Toto as a man with the misfortune to be stuck living with a bully. This local thug moved in and will not leave. This story I found the weakest, but Toto is something of an acquired taste. The second story features the lovely Sophia Loren as the adulterous wife of a pizza maker. Much havoc ensues when the wife's prized jade ring goes missing. The third story is the funniest (and was prominently featured in the Scorsese documentary). In it, director Vittorio De Sica, himself, plays a compulsive gambler who meets his match in the hotel doorman's young son. Lastly, Silvano Mangano plays a prostitute who marries a wealthy man she has never met. This one is the most melancholy of the stories, a far cry from the good humor of the first three. That is all. I wish I could report on the other two stories, but they remain unseen in America. How about a restoration, Criterion?