The Countess of Parma (Italian: La contessa di Parma) is a 1937 Italian "white-telephones" comedy film directed by Alessandro Blasetti and starring Elisa Cegani, Antonio Centa and María Denis. Marcella, a mannequin working in a fashion store in Turin, falls in love with an Italian International football player whose aunt has just acquired the store intending to replace its reliance on French fashions with Italian designs.[1] Blasetti later described it as his only "white telephone" film,[2] although his 1939 comedy Backstage has also been noted for its similar characteristics.

The Countess of Parma
Directed byAlessandro Blasetti
Written by
Produced byRoberto Dandi
Starring
Cinematography
Edited by
Music by
Production
company
Industrie Cinematografiche Italiane
Distributed byVariety Distribution
Release date
  • April 1937 (1937-04)
Running time
86 minutes
CountryItaly
LanguageItalian

It was shot at the Fert Studios in Turin and on location around the city including at the Stadio Municipale and the Mirafiori district where the racetrack scenes were staged. Exterior shots were also taken at the Avigliana Lakes and the resort town of Sestriere to the west of the city on the French border. Filming began in November 1936 and lasted through the winter, with the final shots being taken at Sestriere's ski resort.

Cast

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References

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  1. ^ Paulicelli p.92-93
  2. ^ Moliterno p.41

Bibliography

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  • Liehm, Mira. Passion and Defiance: Film in Italy from 1942 to the Present. University of California Press, 1984.
  • Moliterno, Gino. Historical Dictionary of Italian Cinema. Scarecrow Press, 2008.
  • Paulicelli, Eugenia. Fashion Under Fascism: Beyond the Black Shirt. Berg, 2004.
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