Giuseppe De Santis

Directing

Giuseppe De Santis

Born February 11, 1917 · Fondi, Lazio, Italy

Died May 16, 1997 · aged 80

Giuseppe De Santis (11 February 1917 – 16 May 1997) was an Italian film director. One of the most idealistic neorealist filmmakers of the 1940s and 1950s, he wrote and directed films punctuated by ardent cries for social reform. In 1942, De Santis collaborated on the script for Ossessione, Luchino Visconti's debut film, which is usually considered one of the first neo-realist films. His third fi…

Known For

Bitter RiceBitter Rice · 1949
Bitter Rice
7.51949
MovieDramaCrime
Francesca and Walter are two-bit criminals in Northern Italy, and, in an effort to avoid the police, Francesca joins a group of women rice workers. She meets the voluptuous peasant rice worker, Silvana, and the soon-to-be-discharged soldier, Marco. Walter follows her to the rice fields, and the four characters become involved in a complex plot involving robbery, love, and murder.
ObsessionObsession · 1943
Obsession
7.51943
MovieCrimeDrama
Gino, a drifter, begins an affair with inn-owner Giovanna as they plan to get rid of her older husband.
Rome 11:00Rome 11:00 · 1952
Rome 11:00
7.71952
MovieDrama
The story of 5 girls among 200 who answer a wanted ad for a modest secretarial position, which leads to overcrowding in the building and a tragic accident.
Attack and RetreatAttack and Retreat · 1964
Attack and Retreat
6.71964
MovieDramaHistory
Chronicle of the unheralded and unsuccessful invasion of the Soviet Union by the Italian army during World War II.
National Theatre Live: ObsessionNational Theatre Live: Obsession · 2017
National Theatre Live: Obsession
6.62017
MovieDrama
Gino is a drifter, down-at-heel and magnetically handsome. At a road side restaurant he encounters husband and wife, Joseph and Hanna. Irresistibly attracted to each other, Gino and Hanna begin a fiery affair and plot to murder her husband. But, in this chilling tale of passion and destruction, the crime only serves to tear them apart.
Angels of DarknessAngels of Darkness · 1954
Angels of Darkness
3.61954
MovieDrama
When "Tamara" throws herself from the window of their brothel, her colleagues are made to realise that a new law will close down the source of their livelihood. The girls must now find honest work.
The Year Long RoadThe Year Long Road · 1958
The Year Long Road
6.71958
MovieDrama
Set in an unspecified country and an unspecified time period, the film follows a communist intelectual who, after travelling the world for many decades, decides to return and settle down to the place he grew up in, a small coastal village seemingly forgotten by time itself. With him, he brings news of the dawn of a new world on the horizon, with which he wishes to connect with through constructing a modern highway. This news is welcomed in the village, however, the construction of the road begins to bring out violent conflicts, reveals forbidden romances and ends up regressing the community even further into the darkness from which it wanted to escape.
Days of LoveDays of Love · 1954
Days of Love
6.71954
MovieRomanceComedy
A man and a woman would like to get married, but lack the necessary funds for the traditional "big" wedding. Thus they plan to escape to the countryside and "live in sin".

Filmography

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Engaged to DeathEngaged to Death · 1957
Engaged to Death
7.01957
MovieDrama
A tale of love, rivalry and passion set in the 50s, in the madcap world of motorcycle speed races, shot on the occasion of the main competitions of that time, such as Monza’s Moto GP and the last edition of the legendary Milano-Taranto race. With also very rare footage of the Moto Guzzi wind tunnel and factories. The film features, alongside popular actors Rik Battaglia and Sylva Koscina, many of the most important champions of those years: Geoffrey Duke, Libero Liberati, Bill Lomas, Enrico Lorenzetti, Reg Armstrong, Stanley Woods, Ken Cavanagh, Dickie Dale, Thomas Campbell, Pierre Monneret, Albino Milani, Walter Zeller, Bruno Francisci, all of them riding amazing Moto Guzzi, Gilera, Mondial and Norton bikes with the so charming and dangerous dustbin fairings that were going to be banned in 1958.

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