Man, Beast and Virtue (1953)
May 9, 1953Release Date
Man, Beast and Virtue (1953)
May 9, 1953Release Date
Plot.
Where to Watch.
Cast & Crew.
Totò
Prof. Paolino
Orson Welles
Captain Perella - the Beast
Mario Castellani
The doctor
Viviane Romance
Assunta Perella
Rocco D'Assunta
Zeppo
Franca Faldini
Mariannina
Carlo Delle Piane
Studente
Steno
Director
Vitaliano Brancati
Writer
Clelia Matania
Grazia
Lucio Fulci
Writer
Italia Marchesini
Rosaria
Jean Josipovici
Writer
Luigi Pirandello
Writer
Angelo Francesco Lavagnino
Composer
Giancarlo Nicotra
Nonò
Media.
Details.
Release DateMay 9, 1953
Original NameL'uomo, la bestia e la virtù
StatusReleased
Running Time1h 26m
Filming LocationsCetara, Italy
Genres
Wiki.
L'uomo, la bestia e la virtù (Italian pronunciation: [ˈlwɔːmo la ˈbestja e la virˈtu]), internationally released as Man, Beast and Virtue, is a 1953 Italian comedy film directed by Steno. It starred Italian comedian Totò and famed actor Orson Welles. The film was originally shot in Gevacolor, but only black-and-white prints exist today.Sergio Leone and Lucio Fulci were both assistant directors on this film. Fulci said the film did not really do well, but it gave Fulci his first screenwriting credit, and he really enjoyed being in Orson Welles' presence. Welles was in Italy filming Othello at the time, and Fulci said Welles' entire diet consisted of oranges which he ate in massive quantities. Fulci described Totò as being a very sad figure, and said Carlo Ponti forced him to star in this film against his will as Totò had signed a contract with the producer. Although filming went past the contracted period, Ponti never paid Orson Welles a penny in overtime either.The film was based on the 1919 novel and play of the same name by Luigi Pirandello. Pirandello's heirs were very disappointed with the film, which they said omitted most of the bawdy humor and the theme of dressing the actors up in animal costumes was jettisoned by the producers, leaving behind an emasculated version of Pirandello's play. To make matters worse, the film vanished from sight for decades following its brief theatrical release, a black-and-white print only surfacing in the early 1990s, making it impossible to evaluate Mario Damicelli's much vaunted color cinematography.