Vittorio Gassman

[charliechaplinfan]

I wanted to start a thread about one of my favourite foreign movie actors, in fact one of my favourite actors.


I've toyed with the idea for a time but wondered if he was only a favourite of mine. Two things changed my mind, I managed to post some of my own pictures on the site last night without getting too confused, so I guessed if I could do that I could illustrate this thread with some images from his movies.


Brought to the attention of the wider world in Bitter Rice

Secondly, at our Jubilee celebration on Monday I got talking to an Italian and started talking to him about Italian cinema, Britain does not have TV channels that show Italian movies, it's quite a niche thing to be into, I think in America there is a demand for these films but here it's something that has to be searched out. So the fact that he had found someone who could talk about a big range of Italian cinema impressed him, we talked of Fellini, De Sica, Visconti, we talked of the actors Mastroianni, Sophia Loren, Claudia Cardinale, Guilietta Masina, Gina Lollibrigida but the actor I knew that impressed him the most was Vittorio Gassman because I not only knew of him but rated him as high as Mastroianni and appreciated him both as a comedian and as a straight actor and also that I knew he was a stage actor who was well known for Shakespeare. It seems Mr Gassman is someone the Italians are very proud about, they are used to Marcello Mastroianni being their well known actor but Vittorio Gassman is more of a home grown secret. He did come to America for a time as the husband of Shelley Winters and made the very good Glass Wall. He gave a strong performance and didn't suffer from too atrong an accent but for some reason his career or his instinct was not for American film.


For a time the husband of Shelley Winters

It seems with in my conversation I had struck on one of the most reverred of all Italian actors and with it came so many film recommendations, alas many of them unavailable but I got the distinct impression if Vittorio Gassman is in it, it's worth seeing. Many of the most international films I've seen, I must look out for like his version of A Scent of a Woman, it's meant to be head and shoulders above the remake.

Watch Vittorio in only a handful of his movies and you will see how wide a range he can play, Bitter Rice seen only recently by me and one of his first movies, he doesn't play the good guy but he brings in a subtle and complex performance as the pimp/boyfriend of Silvano Magnano, seen above and also below.



Big Deal on Madonna Street he wasn't wanted for the role of the boxer which is essentially a comedy role, he wasn't known for his comedy skills, so he was made to alter his appearance and got to appear in one of the best caper/heist movies in history, a bunch of more inept burglars it would be impossible to find, Marcello Mastroianni is also in the cast along with Claudia Cardinale who is kept locked up at home by her brother. Just watch them break down that wall

[charliechaplinfan]

He worked with Dino Risi, in Il Sorpasso he left behind his own favourite performance



As the fortyish Bruno who enjoys the 'easy life' of the title, he breezes into the life of a young student when he asks to borrow his phone, the student played by Jean Louis Trintignant can't break away from Bruno, his life has no order, he flits from place to place, he chats up all the girls, he has no set routine, his life seems charmed until they meet up with Bruno's wife and daughter and life isn't quite as it seems. Bruno hilariously tries to pick up his own daughter, showing how incorrigble he is, until he realises it's her. His life, not as charmed but covered by his veneer of easy charm moves on to the next place with his pal in tow but things unravel disasterously and in one of the most memorable endings of any films I have ever seen.

I only watched this movie in the original Italian with French subs, 50% at least will have gone over my head but it remains strong because the pantomime and characterisation by the two actors and the photography make it a beautiful film to watch.

Gassman then made a second movie with Risi, I Monstri in which he plays in a series of episodes taking widely different parts. He plays young, old, rich, poor, simple, intelligent and as a woman



Again I had to watch in Italian with French subs and again, he's enough of an actor to give me most of what is going on.

He continued acting and only grew more distinguished through the years although he had a tendency to be quite gaunt, it certainly served him well in Bog Deal on Madonna Street part 2



Looing at his credits on the imdb there is a lot there yet to discover.

[feaito]

Excellent posts Alison. I've learnt a lot today, because I'm not particularly fond of/or know much about Gassman's life and movies except that he's one of the most famous and respected Italian actors; that he was married to Shelley Winters for a while (she later married Italian-American actor Tony Franciosa, so she has something going on for them Italians ); and little more.

Of the films he made in Hollywood I have only seen: "Sombrero!" (1953) which I found completely entertaining as a kid, but which is very lowly regarded by Critics (could be classified as a guilty pleasure?); "Rhapsody" (1954), a MGM handsome Romantic Triangle-De-Luxe with Gassman as a violinist, John Ericson as a pianist and lovely Liz Taylor as the girl in-between, with Rachmaninoff's music on the background; and "War and Peace" (1956) which I enjoyed very much, notwithstanding its flaws and Fonda's miscasting, among other things.

Some years ago I saw him in the very excellent "Il Sorpasso" (1962) you mentioned and "Il Soli Ignoti" (1958), a very good heist movie on the same league as the French film "Rififi" (1955).

I'd definitely like to see more of his films, especially "Riso Amaro" (1949). Thanks for bringing him up!

[CineMaven]

VITTORIO GASSMAN - I don’t really know a lot of his films (I knew about him and Shelley though, so you can see my priorities). I’ll be checking back here to see the new tidbits I can learn. I did just see him last year with the Glorious Gloria Grahame in “THE GLASS WALL” which aired at five this morning. Thank you for this SSO introduction, Allison. (Saw your Jubilee pix. Looks like a grand time was had by all).

[charliechaplinfan]

We had a wonderful time Theresa, it was the only sunny day of the week.

The Glass Wall is an excellent movie although I'm not sure it's that well known. I read all about him in Shelley's first set of memoirs, so far I haven't got around to the next installment, despite Shelley's writing style being a ball to read. Vittorio comes off really well, although the marriage didn't last, it was apparent that she remained fond of him.

I mean to reread the section now I'm more fimiliar with him as an actor.I did reread the section about their courting days, how they didn't share a language when they met and and how Vittorio lived with a woman who had looked after him since childhood and who would get up in the middle of the night to get him a glass of milk and when he had nightmares would enter the bedroom despite Shelley's presence to calm him down. Shelley thought his nightmares were to do with war memories. The other bit of the book I remember was about him learning the lines to Hamlet for a production he was starring in.

[charliechaplinfan]

I found this review of The Glass Wall, a film I hadn't heard of when I got lent a copy, it is without a doubt one of my favourite film noirs




The construction of Union Nations Secretariat building in New York City, New York was completed in 1952. Although it is in New York and activities that happen on the premise are under state and local jurisdiction, the land on which this building stands is considered international territory. The edifice stands at 505 feet tall and has almost 40 stories. It was designed by architects Le Corbusier and Oscar Niemeyer who created a modern building that stood out from the classic architecture that surrounded it. What is unique about the Secretariat building is that it looks like a giant glass wall. You can see the reflection of the city's skyline in the continuous rows of windows. It represents the uniting of nations to create a more cohesive world yet the building seems less like a beacon and more like a giant impediment. On the other side of the building is the East River which flows into the Atlantic. In some ways, the building looks like a wall blocking the US from the world and the world from the US. And the building, it's significance, it's placement and it's appearance proved to be perfect fodder for film noir.

The UN Secretariat building features prominent in The Glass Wall (1953) making the title of the film very apropos. Peter Kaban (Vittorio Gassman) has reached a glass wall. He can see through the wall to the other side, where there lies hope for a new life and for freedom. But the wall is an illusion and he can't get through. He tries to shatter the glass wall but doing so comes with major repercussions.

After spending nearly 10 years in concentration camps and watching his entire family die in a gas chamber, Peter escapes Aushwitz and walked 300 miles to get on a shipping vessel headed towards America. He gets on the ship as a stowaway and when he gets there, he is denied entrance because of his illegal entry. He tries to reason with the goverment officials using Statute Six which allows people of Allied forces who have helped the American cause to enter America. Peter helped an American soldier named Tom but only knows very rudimentary information about his American friend and cannot convince the officials. Determined not to go back to Europe, as it would be a death sentence for him, he escapes the docked vessel and goes on the lam, looking for his friend Tom. Tom is his one chance at staying in America and for his salvation but like any good film, finding Tom isn’t easy, even when Tom starts looking for Peter.

Peter has a naivete and a wholesomeness that makes us sympathize with him. He's been through so much and it pains us to watch him go through more pain and anguish. There is an amazing scene where Peter walks around Times Square and looks around in wonderment and awe at all the flashing lights, people and general hussle and bussle. He is the film noir equivalent of a lost puppy and we are desperate to save him.



Peter becomes a psuedo-celebrity. His face is plastered on the front page of the newspaper and many people in the city recognize him because of that. He runs and runs even past the point when he doesn't have to run anymore and running would do him more harm than good. We watch Peter’s slow descent into delirium as his body starts to lose it's battle against the broken ribs that threaten to puncture his surrounding organs. His physical deterioration adds to the ascent to the story's climax. When Peter reaches The Glass Wall, he sees the reflection of the building through a puddle. It's the last beacon. It's his final destination. It's his biggest obstacle that he must face. Can he make it? Can he push himself just a bit more? Can he take himself to the brink of death in order to save his life?


I would be remiss if I didn’t talk a bit about the film’s biggest shining star, Gloria Grahame. She has a formidable role of Peter’s love interest and friend, Maggie. Maggie is disillusioned by the same system which has also rejected Peter. She's used to men wanting her body and forcing themselves on her. She's fed up with not having money. She has nothing to fight for until she meets Kaban and she'll rob small children to help him out. Maggie is as desperate as Peter and in this way they complement each other. Grahame always excelled in roles in which the character’s were jaded and fed up. She emoted frustration very well especially with her characteristic frown and pout.


This film comes at a time when Americans are still reeling after the effects of WWII and of the horror that has come to light about the Holocaust and concentration camps. A massive influx of WWII refugees infiltrated the United States, many coming through Ellis Island which is also featured in the film. Many of these immigrants were know settling into their new lives in the US and trying to become part of the local fabric. Many abandoned their pasts for their futures while others never forgot where they came from. When Peter (a Hungarian) is on the lam, he runs into a sympathetic Hungarian-American who takes him in to her home. The sympathy they show for a complete stranger, and a well-known criminal at that, really demonstrates the bond between immigrants and the people from their homeland.

This is what I call an effective movie. It’s relevant to the times, it’s shot on location, the characters are interesting and sympathetic, the pacing works and the rising tension keeps you at the edge of your seat. There are some great shots of New York City and the inside of the UN Secretariat building. The pinnacle of the film is a superb monologue delivered by Vittorio Gassman (Peter) in an empty UN conference room. If that scene doesn’t move you, you have no soul.

The Glass Wall (1953) is highly underrated and overlooked. In my honest opinion, it has to be one of the best and effective film noirs out there. I’m very appreciative that it’s finally got it’s debut on DVD through the Bad Girls of Film Noir, Vol. 1 boxed set. And maybe with it’s availability, this little noir will get the recognition it deserves

[CineMaven]

...I mean to reread the section now I'm more fimiliar with him as an actor.I did reread the section about their courting days, how they didn't share a language when they met and and how Vittorio lived with a woman who had looked after him since childhood and who would get up in the middle of the night to get him a glass of milk and when he had nightmares would enter the bedroom despite Shelley's presence to calm him down. Shelley thought his nightmares were to do with war memories.

Bring him a glass of milk??? Is THAT what she called it. ( ) Ooohhhhkay. But it'd be hard to pull the wool over the eyes of a gal like Shelley.

[charliechaplinfan]

I can only presume that this lady was a lot older than Vittorio since she had looked after him since he was a child and didn't present any physical challenge to Shelley. Shelley lost her battles regarding her, she pointed out to Vittorio that if he wanted a glass of milk in the middle of the night that he was perfectly capable of getting it himself or if he was incapacitated then Shelley would get it but that wasn't taking into account the ladies felings, she would feel denied of her life's purpose. Trying a different tack, Shelley gave her money to go to the pictures when her and Vittorio were going out but Shelley's non Italian made the maid think she was being insulted and Vittorio blew his top, only to calm down and apologise prefusely when he realised her true intentions. He stops his car in the middle of the road not caring about the traffic and makes up with Shelley whilst everyone around them sighs and thinks it's sweet and them promptly pays a large fine for stopping traffic. Italians eh?

In I Mostri he plays a quick two minute scene as a man trying his best to cross the road. It reminds me of that episode with Shelley.

[charliechaplinfan]

I managed to watch the first twenty minutes of Cry of the Hunted today starring Vittorio and Barry Sullivan, I can't wait to get back to the rest of the film, roll on tomorrow. Vittorio is dressed like Stanley Kowalski and looks very fetching, especially when he crawls out of the swamp dripping wet . As an actor he can have such a wounded look about him, it's all in the eyes, he doesn't carry it in all of his performances, in Bitter Rice there isn't much to redeem his character with and he looks completely different, I love actors who physically transform in different roles through what they can convey rather than by using make up or other aids.

[CineMaven]

As you say, Alison, that is an admirable quality. But I think us gal want our t-shirt moments too, wet or not.

[charliechaplinfan]

Most certainly, I like those moments, perhaps we should start a thread. Wet T'Shirts who looks best? but that would be rather naughty.

[CineMaven]

Most certainly, I like those moments, perhaps we should start a thread. Wet T'Shirts who looks best? but that would be rather naughty.

Ha!! Yeah, I know. Saaaaaay, I thought you guys over there had stiff upper lips? Alison, you're a bit of alright, you are!! Well...who wants to be naughty anyway.

Oh my, what have we here...



And what's a little pleasure without payne?



Well...

Didn't we have a discussion about no navels or chest hair in the 30's???

I thought I would throw a bone to the boys and post a picture of Jacqueline Bissett in "THE DEEP" but there's not one photo I could post of her in that movie that wouldn't get me a time out from the Moderator. Oh well, sorry fellas...Let's just enjoy this:



There...there now. Tony, nice and wet.

[charliechaplinfan]

Tony looks lovely, perhaps we should contain our guilty secret here or perhaps not but those are lovely, I've searched about for pictures of Vittorio Gassman in the tight wet T-shirt





These are the best I can do to illustrate just how good he looks in a tight wet tshirt, in Big Deal on Madonna Street (a brilliant crime comedy) he is a boxer and in Il Sorpasso or The Easy Life he's on the beach, so you can get a good idea from those films or wait until Cry of the Hunted is played again on TCM the copy I watched was from a friend who'd recrded for me who lives in Texas. Take it from me though, he's tall and powerfully built and this film would cheer any lady up if they were feeling lonely.

To the series business, the review of the whole film The Cry of the Hunted is about an escaped prisoner and two prison officers, the man in charge, Barry Sullavan who is humane and his deputy who is cruel. The film opens with the lead prison officer in a fist fight with Jory which is Gassman's character and then they sit down to a cigarette, this sets the tone, there is mutual respect between the men, the proson officer has to get him to talk and reveal names and the prisoner who is prepared to take whatever is meted out to him as punishment. He escapes when he is with the other prison officer, the scene in which he escapes is at a famous LA landmark I think, if I describe a bridge going under the road with a tram going up to the left hand side of the bridge and steps to the right hand side, it's certainly been used in silent comedies and is used very effectively here. The rest of the film takes place in the swamps of Louisiana Jory heads back to his wife where the prisoner officer is waiting to take him back, he's allowed time wit hhis wife before being taken back in, very passionate scenes one might add, he makes his escape after his wife hits the officer with a bottle, the officer drinks swamp water when he comes around and nearly dies. This is when we get a surreal piece of film making, his dream when he's being haunted by Jory. He recovers and the hunt goes on, the picture does lag for me when Gassman isn't on the screen, the other performers don't have the power that he has, they're aren't bad, it's just that Gassman has the choice part and makes the very best of it. A spectacular fight scene ensues between Gassman, Sullavan and the swamp, two wet men there Theresa then the plot gets tidied up and everything resolved, the censors left happy etc. It's well worth seeing.

Gassman is a very physical actor, he uses his body and eyes really well, I don't think he was ever entirely comfortable with English but he more than makes up for this in the way he uses his physicality. It's more apparent too in the American movies I've watched, in his native language, speaking fast and gestures flying everywhere as Italian as won't to do but here the typicla Italian mannerisms are very much toned down and what we are left with is an actor who can play so well with his eyes (see the scene when he meets his son for the first time) and with the way he uses his body. A first rate actor if ever there was one.

We did have conversation about chest hair and it's dissappearance after the code, I'm all for it. Perhaps we should just start a thread entitled 'Chests' and see the kind of response we get

[Robert Regan]

Hello, charliechaplin fan. Just joined the site and one of the first things that struck me was your excellent introduction to Vittorio Gassman, a fine actor and extremely handsome. Also interesting was the discussion of The Glass Wall which, by a coincidence, is the topic of a recent post on the blog of Brian Camp, a college buddy of CineMaven and me. Brian, besides being a knowledgeable cinephile, is devoted to the history and geography of his hometown New York City, and his article focusses on the location shooting, particularly around Times Square. Some of this might be a bit too much for folks from out of town, but it is filled with many fascinating screen grabs and is worth a look.

http://briandanacamp.wordpress.com/2012 ... /#comments

Thanks for reminding us about Vittorio. Bob

[charliechaplinfan]

What a wonderful article, I didn't find it too detailed at all, thank you for your kind words about this thread. I've just learned how to post pictures, as you can see.

I was completely captured by The Glass Wall, it was much better than I thought it was going to be, after reading Shelley's book I got the impression that nobody knew what to do with Gassman but the two American movies I've found him impressive. One of the strengths of The Glass Wall is how lovingly New York is captured, I've never been but felt I was on a bit of a sightseeing trip. I can't imagine watching a movie with so much footage of New York in in 2012 and having the same feeling, perhaps viewed in 30 years time it might invite nostalgia. Another strength is it's two leads, it is a little known gem of a movie.