Italian actor, screenwriter, and director Aldo Fabrizi (1905-1990) was one of the most important figures in post-war Italian cinema. With his receding hairline and round silhouette, he imposed a character typical of a sympathetic and naive Roman, which won him great success in the Italian peninsula. But his talent far exceeded the mere register of comedy, as his tragic role as a resistant priest in Roma, città aperta/Rome, Open City (Roberto Rossellini, 1945) proved.
Italian postcard by Stab. Angeli, Terni, Ditta Terzoli, no. 351. Photo: Bertazzini.
Italian postcard by Rotalfoto, Milano, no. 252.
British press photo, no. TBA-54. David McCallum, Aldo Fabrizi, and Tammy Grimes in Three Bites of the Apple (Alvin Ganzer, 1967). Caption: Tour guide Stanley Thrumm (David McCallum) explains to his touring party that they will be held up because of the illness of two of the members, who are being treated by the doctor (Aldo Fabrizi) at his right. Seated in the lower right corner is Tammy Grimes, cast as the spinster tourist, Miss Sparrow.
Aldo Fabrizi was a true Roman, born in Trastevere in 1905 as Aldo Fabbrizi into a humble family. He was the older brother of actress Elena Fabrizi.
Fabrizi debuted on stage in a suburban theater in 1931. He soon got a local success thanks to his comical sketches and 'macchiette' (i.e. comical monologues caricaturing stock characters), and during the 1930s, he became a star of the Roman revue and 'avanspettacolo'.
In the cinema, he made his debut as an actor and co-screenwriter (with his friend Federico Fellini, who also debuted) of Avanti, c'è posto .../Before the Postman (Mario Bonnard, 1942), the story of a bus attendant who falls in love with a maid. Already in his film debut, he imposed his character of Roman, plump and naive, who lives, at the height of a man, the thousand and one adventures of daily life.
On this theme, he gave many comic variations, including a beautiful composition as the driver of a horse-drawn carriage who objects to the competition from motorised taxis in modern Rome, in the moving comedy L'ultima carrozella/The Last Wagon (Mario Mattoli, 1943), opposite a hysterical Anna Magnani.
In Campo de' Fiori (Mario Bonnard, 1943), he also acted opposite Magnani as a fish seller on the famous Roman market, temporarily taking care of a wealthy lady's little boy. He scripted the film himself, again in the company of Federico Fellini. The job of bus attendant, fish seller, and carriage driver, he had already played on stage in his cabaret shows in the Roman dialect.
Italian postcard by Ed. Gel, series Aldo Fabrizi. Poster/lobby card for Roma, città aperta/Rome Open City (Roberto Rossellini, 1945).
Italian postcard by Ed. Gel. Aldo Fabrizi and Gar Moore in Vivere in pace (Luigi Zampa, 1947).
Italian postcard. Ed. Gel, series Aldo Fabrizi. Poster/lobby card for Il delitto di Giovanni Episcopo/Flesh Will Surrender (Alberto Lattuada, 1947).
It would be wrong to confine Aldo Fabrizi to the comic register only. He had his international breakthrough as the courageous priest Don Pietro resisting the fascists in the neo-realist dramaRoma, città aperta/Rome, Open City (Roberto Rossellini, 1945). The title refers to Rome being declared an open city after 14 August 1943.
Fabrizi's role was based on two Roman priests in the resistance, who were both killed. Roma, città aperta/Rome, Open City won several awards at various film festivals, including the most prestigious Cannes Grand Prix and was nominated for the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar at the 19th Academy Awards. The film brought international attention to Italian cinema and is considered a quintessential example of neorealism in film, so much so that together with Paisà and Germania anno zero it is called Rossellini's 'Neorealist Trilogy'.
Following the critical and commercial success of the film he had a number of leading roles in other neo-realist films. He was again very convincing as a humiliated victim in Il delitto di Giovanni Episcopo/The crime of Giovanni Episcopo (1947) by Alberto Lattuada. In 1950 Fabrizi got a Nastro d'argento award for his leading role in Prima communione by Alessandro Blasetti.
From then Fabrizi acted in over 70 films. He played in several films with Totò, becoming one of the leading men of the Commedia all Italiana.
In 1953-1954 he acted in two films by G.W. Pabst, La voce del silenzio and Cose da pazzi. In 1964 he got a large success on stage with the musical comedy 'Rugantino', he also toured across Europe, in Latin America and in Broadway.
Aldo Fabrizi was also a little-known director and author of several interesting films. Between 1948 and 1957 he directed seven films, a.o. Emigrantes/Emigrants (1948) which was mostly shot in Argentine, the comedy trilogy on the Passaguai family (1951-1952) with Ave Ninchi, Peppino De Filippo, and Giovanna Ralli, and Hanno rubato un tram/They Stole a Tram (1957), shot in Bologna, with cinematography by future director Mario Bava. He was awarded at the 1952 Cannes Film Festival for best screenplay for the cult comedy Guardie e ladri/Cops and Robbers (Steno and Mario Monicelli, 1951).
After a series of unpretentious comedies, Fabrizi made a noticeable comeback in the 1970s. He played a corrupt real-estate man in C'eravamo tanto amati/We All Loved Each Other So Much (1974), under the direction of Ettore Scola. It gained him his second Nastro d'argento.
He devoted much of his time in later years to the culinary arts, writing several cookbooks and related poetry. In 1988 he received a David di Donatello award for his whole career. At the age of 84, Aldo Fabrizi died in Rome in 1990. He was married to the singer Beatrice Rocchi (1931-1981). They had two children, the twin Massimo and Wilma (1932).
Italian postcard by Ed. Gel, series Aldo Fabrizi. Poster/lobby card for Emigrantes/Immigrants (Aldo Fabrizi, 1948). Italo-Argentinian production, shot in Rome and Buenos Aires.
Italian postcard by Ed. Gel, series Aldo Fabrizi. Poster/lobby card for I due compari/The Two Friends (Carlo Borgheso, 1955).
Italian postcard. Ed. Lo Vecchio, Genova. Series De Filippo. Poster/lobby card for Guardia, guardia scelta, brigadiere e maresciallo (Mauro Bolognini, 1956).
Italian postcard by Ed. Gel, series Aldo Fabrizi. Poster/lobby card for Totò, Fabrizi e i giovani d'oggi/Toto, Fabrizi and the Young People Today (Mario Mattoli, 1960).
Sources: Gary Brumburgh (IMDb), Wikipedia (English and French), and IMDb.
Italian postcard by Stab. Angeli, Terni, Ditta Terzoli, no. 351. Photo: Bertazzini.
Italian postcard by Rotalfoto, Milano, no. 252.
British press photo, no. TBA-54. David McCallum, Aldo Fabrizi, and Tammy Grimes in Three Bites of the Apple (Alvin Ganzer, 1967). Caption: Tour guide Stanley Thrumm (David McCallum) explains to his touring party that they will be held up because of the illness of two of the members, who are being treated by the doctor (Aldo Fabrizi) at his right. Seated in the lower right corner is Tammy Grimes, cast as the spinster tourist, Miss Sparrow.
Roman, plump and naive
Aldo Fabrizi was a true Roman, born in Trastevere in 1905 as Aldo Fabbrizi into a humble family. He was the older brother of actress Elena Fabrizi.
Fabrizi debuted on stage in a suburban theater in 1931. He soon got a local success thanks to his comical sketches and 'macchiette' (i.e. comical monologues caricaturing stock characters), and during the 1930s, he became a star of the Roman revue and 'avanspettacolo'.
In the cinema, he made his debut as an actor and co-screenwriter (with his friend Federico Fellini, who also debuted) of Avanti, c'è posto .../Before the Postman (Mario Bonnard, 1942), the story of a bus attendant who falls in love with a maid. Already in his film debut, he imposed his character of Roman, plump and naive, who lives, at the height of a man, the thousand and one adventures of daily life.
On this theme, he gave many comic variations, including a beautiful composition as the driver of a horse-drawn carriage who objects to the competition from motorised taxis in modern Rome, in the moving comedy L'ultima carrozella/The Last Wagon (Mario Mattoli, 1943), opposite a hysterical Anna Magnani.
In Campo de' Fiori (Mario Bonnard, 1943), he also acted opposite Magnani as a fish seller on the famous Roman market, temporarily taking care of a wealthy lady's little boy. He scripted the film himself, again in the company of Federico Fellini. The job of bus attendant, fish seller, and carriage driver, he had already played on stage in his cabaret shows in the Roman dialect.
Italian postcard by Ed. Gel, series Aldo Fabrizi. Poster/lobby card for Roma, città aperta/Rome Open City (Roberto Rossellini, 1945).
Italian postcard by Ed. Gel. Aldo Fabrizi and Gar Moore in Vivere in pace (Luigi Zampa, 1947).
Italian postcard. Ed. Gel, series Aldo Fabrizi. Poster/lobby card for Il delitto di Giovanni Episcopo/Flesh Will Surrender (Alberto Lattuada, 1947).
A courageous priest resisting the fascists
It would be wrong to confine Aldo Fabrizi to the comic register only. He had his international breakthrough as the courageous priest Don Pietro resisting the fascists in the neo-realist dramaRoma, città aperta/Rome, Open City (Roberto Rossellini, 1945). The title refers to Rome being declared an open city after 14 August 1943.
Fabrizi's role was based on two Roman priests in the resistance, who were both killed. Roma, città aperta/Rome, Open City won several awards at various film festivals, including the most prestigious Cannes Grand Prix and was nominated for the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar at the 19th Academy Awards. The film brought international attention to Italian cinema and is considered a quintessential example of neorealism in film, so much so that together with Paisà and Germania anno zero it is called Rossellini's 'Neorealist Trilogy'.
Following the critical and commercial success of the film he had a number of leading roles in other neo-realist films. He was again very convincing as a humiliated victim in Il delitto di Giovanni Episcopo/The crime of Giovanni Episcopo (1947) by Alberto Lattuada. In 1950 Fabrizi got a Nastro d'argento award for his leading role in Prima communione by Alessandro Blasetti.
From then Fabrizi acted in over 70 films. He played in several films with Totò, becoming one of the leading men of the Commedia all Italiana.
In 1953-1954 he acted in two films by G.W. Pabst, La voce del silenzio and Cose da pazzi. In 1964 he got a large success on stage with the musical comedy 'Rugantino', he also toured across Europe, in Latin America and in Broadway.
Aldo Fabrizi was also a little-known director and author of several interesting films. Between 1948 and 1957 he directed seven films, a.o. Emigrantes/Emigrants (1948) which was mostly shot in Argentine, the comedy trilogy on the Passaguai family (1951-1952) with Ave Ninchi, Peppino De Filippo, and Giovanna Ralli, and Hanno rubato un tram/They Stole a Tram (1957), shot in Bologna, with cinematography by future director Mario Bava. He was awarded at the 1952 Cannes Film Festival for best screenplay for the cult comedy Guardie e ladri/Cops and Robbers (Steno and Mario Monicelli, 1951).
After a series of unpretentious comedies, Fabrizi made a noticeable comeback in the 1970s. He played a corrupt real-estate man in C'eravamo tanto amati/We All Loved Each Other So Much (1974), under the direction of Ettore Scola. It gained him his second Nastro d'argento.
He devoted much of his time in later years to the culinary arts, writing several cookbooks and related poetry. In 1988 he received a David di Donatello award for his whole career. At the age of 84, Aldo Fabrizi died in Rome in 1990. He was married to the singer Beatrice Rocchi (1931-1981). They had two children, the twin Massimo and Wilma (1932).
Italian postcard by Ed. Gel, series Aldo Fabrizi. Poster/lobby card for Emigrantes/Immigrants (Aldo Fabrizi, 1948). Italo-Argentinian production, shot in Rome and Buenos Aires.
Italian postcard by Ed. Gel, series Aldo Fabrizi. Poster/lobby card for I due compari/The Two Friends (Carlo Borgheso, 1955).
Italian postcard. Ed. Lo Vecchio, Genova. Series De Filippo. Poster/lobby card for Guardia, guardia scelta, brigadiere e maresciallo (Mauro Bolognini, 1956).
Italian postcard by Ed. Gel, series Aldo Fabrizi. Poster/lobby card for Totò, Fabrizi e i giovani d'oggi/Toto, Fabrizi and the Young People Today (Mario Mattoli, 1960).
Sources: Gary Brumburgh (IMDb), Wikipedia (English and French), and IMDb.
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