L'uomo più allegro di Vienna (1925)

Maria Corda, Ruggero Ruggeri and Victor Varconi star in the Italian silent film L'uomo più allegro di Vienna/The Most Cheerful Man in Vienna (1925). Amleto Palermi directed and produced the film with his Palermi Films. G.B. Falci and A. Traldi both produced a series of attractive postcards of the film.


Italian postcard by Ed. A. Traldi, Milano. Photo: S.A.I.C. Ruggero Ruggeri in L'uomo più allegro di Vienna/The Most Cheerful Man in Vienna (Amleto Palermi, 1925).


Italian postcard by Ed. A. Traldi, Milano. photo: S.A.I.C. / Palermi Films. Maria Corda and Victor Varconi in L'uomo più allegro di Vienna (Amleto Palermi, 1925). Caption: Il Congedo/The Goodbye.


Italian postcard by G.B. Falci, Milano, no. 345. Photo: La Fotominio / Fotolux / Palermi Films. Maria Corda and Victor Varconi in L'uomo più allegro di Vienna/The Most Cheerful Man in Vienna (Amleto Palermi, 1925).

Quite moralistic but also modern

The plot of L'uomo più allegro di Vienna/The Most Cheerful Man in Vienna (Amleto Palermi, 1925) is quite moralistic but also modern. Katy, a young girl (Maria Corda) is easily attracted to a fancy life by a gigolo, William (Victor Varconi). Her father Max Bluck (Ruggero Ruggeri), a happy-go-lucky leader of a jazz band, energetically manages to subtract her from danger, even if all the relatives think he is a good-for-nothing.

Hungarian Maria Corda (1898-1975) was an immensely popular star of the silent cinema of Austria and Germany. The pretty, blonde actress was a queen of the popular epic spectacles of the 1920s, which were often directed by her husband, Alexander Korda.

Ruggero Ruggeri (1871-1953) was one the most important Italian stage actors of the first half of the twentieth century, who often performed the plays by Pirandello. He did perform in films too, both in silent and sound films. Nowadays, he is best remembered as the voice of Jesus in the Don Camillo films.

Handsome Victor Varconi (1891–1976) was a highly successful matinee idol of the Hungarian-Austrian and German silent cinema in the 1910s and early 1920s. Later he was the first Hungarian actor to become a Hollywood star until the sound film completely altered the course of his career.

In addition to Corda, Ruggeri and Varconi, Gianna Terribili Gonzales played Katy's mother, Loulou. Cinematography was by Vittore Armenise, while art direction was by Nino Macarones and Vittorio Cafiero.


Italian postcard by G.B. Falci, Milano, no. 341. Photo: La Fotominio / Fotolux / Palermi Films. Maria Corda in L'uomo più allegro di Vienna/The Most Cheerful Man in Vienna (Amleto Palermi, 1925).


Italian postcard by G.B. Falci, Milano, no. 343. Photo: La Fotominio / Fotolux / Palermi Films. Maria Corda in L'uomo più allegro di Vienna/The Most Cheerful Man in Vienna (Amleto Palermi, 1925).


Italian postcard by G.B. Falci, Milano, no. 345. Photo: La Fotominio / Fotolux / Palermi Films. Maria Corda and Victor Varconi in L'uomo più allegro di Vienna/The Most Cheerful Man in Vienna (Amleto Palermi, 1925).


Italian postcard by G.B. Falci, Milano, no. 349. Photo: La Fotominio / Fotolux / Palermi Films. Maria Corda and Ruggero Ruggeri in L'uomo più allegro di Vienna/The Most Cheerful Man in Vienna (Amleto Palermi, 1925).

Set in the louche dens of Vienna with its brutish visitors

L'uomo più allegro di Vienna/The Most Cheerful Man in Vienna (Amleto Palermi, 1925) was produced by Palermi's company A. P. Films (Almeto Palermi Films), while S.A.I.C. distributed it. On 25 November 1925, the film had its premiere in Rome.

At the time, the Milanese journal La rassegna del teatro e del cinematografo wrote that the plot seemed like a modernised Rigoletto, as a very moral tale about a father who in vain tries to prevent his daughter from dishonour, and also commented that the story was not entirely innocent, set in the louche dens of Vienna with its brutish visitors. The journal concluded the film was like a true restaurant dish: good meat but with an indigestible sauce.

In addition, the Roman source Il Tevere wrote that the plot may have seemed sentimental and old hat, but Ruggero Ruggeri gave a modern, innovative performance to it, giving his character a life of its own, while Maria Corda was given ample space to excel side by side with him.

A print of L'uomo più allegro di Vienna/The Most Cheerful Man in Vienna was restored by the Cineteca del Friuli, Gemona (Italy), in collaboration with the Hungarian National Film Archive in Budapest.


Italian postcard by G.B. Falci, Milano, no. 402. Photo: La Fotominio. Gianna Terribili Gonzales as Loulou and Victor Varconi as William in L'uomo più allegro di Vienna/The Most Cheerful Man in Vienna (Amleto Palermi, 1925).


Italian postcard by G.B. Falci, Milano, no. 350. Photo: La Fotominio / Fotolux / Palermi Films. Maria Corda and Ruggero Ruggeri in L'uomo più allegro di Vienna/The Most Cheerful Man in Vienna (Amleto Palermi, 1925).


Italian postcard by G.B. Falci, Milano, no. 352. Photo: La Fotominio / Fotolux / Palermi Films. Maria Corda in L'uomo più allegro di Vienna/The Most Cheerful Man in Vienna (Amleto Palermi, 1925).


Italian postcard by G.B. Falci, Milano, no. 363. Photo: La Fotominio / Fotolux / Palermi Films. Maria Corda and Victor Varconi in L'uomo più allegro di Vienna/The Most Cheerful Man in Vienna (Amleto Palermi, 1925).

Sources: Vittorio Martinelli (Il cinema muto italiano, 1923-1931 - Italian), Cineteca del Friuli, and IMDb.

Ruggero Ruggeri

Ruggero Ruggeri (1871-1953) was one the most important Italian stage actors of the first half of the twentieth century, who often performed the plays by Pirandello. He did act in films too, both in silent and sound films. Nowadays, he is best remembered as the voice of Jesus in the Don Camillo films.


Italian postcard, no. 8067. Photo: Ruggero Ruggeri as Hamlet, either on stage or in the film Amleto (Eleuterio Rodolfi, 1917).


Italian postcard, no. 10. Editor unknown. Ruggero Ruggeri as Hamlet.


Italian postcard by Ed. Vettori, Bologna, no. 245.


Italian postcard by Ed. A. Traldi, Milano. Photo: S.A.I.C. Ruggero Ruggeri in L'uomo più allegro di Vienna/The Most Cheerful Man in Vienna (Amleto Palermi, 1925).


Italian postcard by S.A. Grafitalia, Milano (Milan), no. 10. Photo: Film Lux. Ruggero Ruggeri as Cardinal Federigo Borromeo in I Promessi Sposi/The Spirit and the Flesh (Mario Camerini, 1941).

Multi Colored Voice

Ruggero Ruggeri was born in Fano, in the Italian region Marches in 1871. His father was Augusto Ruggeri and his mother Corina Casazza.

As an actor, he broke with the histrionic acting style, so typical for 19th-century theatre and instead opted for a more restrained, sober style, only with some stylisation of his gestures.

His multi-coloured voice was very popular. He was famous for his role in 'La figlia di Jorio' (The Daughter of Jorio) by Gabriele D'Annunzio, but he was also the most important performer of Luigi Pirandello's stage plays, such as 'Enrico IV'(Henry IV), purposely written for Ruggeri.

Ruggeri was leader of various theatre companies, with actresses such as Emma Grammatica, Lyda Borelli, and Wanda Capodaglio with whom he was also glorified abroad, because of their frequent tours.


French postcard. Photo: Nunes-Vais.


Italian postcard by RPH, no. 3546. Photo: Varischi Artico.& Co., Milano. Mailed 18 May 1906. Ruggero Ruggeri in the stage play La figlia di Jorio (1906).


Italian postcard by R. Rota Ed., Milano. Photo: cav. G. Artico, Milano.

Silent Era

From 1914 on, Ruggero Ruggeri played in eleven silent films.

First, he was seen in a series of dramas and comedies for the Cines company, like Veli di giovinezza/Veils of Youth (Nino Oxilia, 1914) and Papa (Nino Oxilia, 1915).

At Cines, Ruggeri was often paired with diva Pina Menichelli. Director Nino Oxilia was killed in service during the First World War, shortly after Italy joined the Allied forces.

In 1917 Ruggeri followed this with a memorable film adaptation of William Shakespeare's Hamlet: Amleto (Eleuterio Rodolfi, 1917), with Helena Makowska as Ophelia and Mercedes Brignone as Gertrude. Outside of Italy the film was released only after the war.

In the mid-1920s, Ruggeri would perform in films by Amleto Palermi and Augusto Genina, and in 1930 he appeared opposite Francesca Bertini in La donna di una notte/The Woman of A Night, the Italian version of Königin der Nacht, directed by Marcel L'Herbier, who demanded his name be to be removed, because the film was edited without his consent.


Italian postcard for the film Amleto (Eleuterio Rodolfi, 1917), adapted from Shakespeare's play Hamlet, and starring Ruggero Ruggeri in the title role, here also with Helena Makowska as Ophelia. Caption: Hamlet: Oh, I am your jester. What else can one ever do down here that is joyous?


Italian postcard. Ruggero Ruggeri as Hamlet in Amleto (Eleuterio Rodolfi, 1917). The caption says: Horatio and Marcellus tell Hamlet of their vision of the ghost. Hamlet responds (Shakespeare's words): 'Upon the platform, 'twixt eleven and twelve, I'll visit you.'


Italian postcard. Photo: Palermi Films. Maria Corda and Ruggero Ruggeri in L'uomo più allegro di Vienna (Amleto Palermi, 1925).


Italian postcard, no. 624. Photo: Sciutto.

The Voice of Jesus

In the late 1930s and early 1940s, when Ruggero Ruggeri was already in his sixties and seventies, he performed in ten Italian films, often as the lead, for companies as Scalera and Lux.

These films included La vedova/The Widow (Goffredo Alessandrini, 1939), Il documento/The Document (Mario Camerini, 1939) with María Denis, and I promesi sposi/The Spirit and the Flesh (Mario Camerini, 1941) with Gino Cervi.

He also appeared in Gelosia/Jealousy (Ferdinando Maria Poggioli, 1942), and played Napoleon in Sant'Elena, piccola isola/Daint Helens - Small Island (Umberto Scarpelli, Renato Simoni, 1942). He also worked as a voice actor, dubbing foreign actors for Italian release.

Ruggeri's best known performance today is only oral. Most older Italians will know him as the voice of Jesus in Don Camillo (1952) and in Le retour de Don Camillo/The Return of Don Camillo (1953), both directed by Julien Duvivier.

Ruggero Ruggeri died in Milano in 1953. He was 81. Ruggeri was interred at the Cimitero Monumentale di Milano in Milan.


Italian postcard by SA Grafitalia, Roma. Photo: Lux Film. Ruggero Ruggeri as Cardinal Federigo Borromeo offers solace to the repenting Innominato (Carlo Ninchi) in I Promessi Sposi/The Spirit and the Flesh (Mario Camerini, 1941).


Italian postcard by Rotocalco Dagnino, Torino. Photo: Lux. Ruggero Ruggeri as Papà Martin in the drama La gerla di papà Martin (Mario Bonnard, 1940), an adaptation by the Italian Lux company of the popular drama Les crochets du père Martin by Eugène Cormon and Eugène Grangé. Among Ruggeri's co-actors in this film were Germana Paolieri, Roberto Villa, Enrico Glori and Maria Mercader.


Italian postcard by Alterocca, Terni XIX [1941], no. 7097. Photo: Camuzzi.


Italian postcard by ASER (A. Scaramaglia Edizioni Roma), no. 64. Photo: Pesce.

Teatro Valle, Rome. Ruggero Ruggeri and Lyda Borelli often performed in this prominent Roman theatre. The Teatro Valle was built in 1727 as a wooden structure by Tommaso Morelli, enlarged and turned into stone in 1765 by architect Francesco Fiori and radically transformed, embellished and enlarged in 1821 by architect Giuseppe Valadier. Photo: Ivo Blom.

Sources: Wikipedia (Italian) and IMDb.

Amleto / Hamlet (1917)

The Italian silent production Amleto/Hamlet (Eleuterio Rodolfi, 1917) is one of two hundred or more Shakespeare films that were made in the silent period of cinema. Film historian Luke McKernan introduced a screening of the film at the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival in 2004: "it is a good and interesting film. Not a great film, but arguably the best silent Shakespeare film that exists."


Italian postcard, no. 8067. Photo: Ruggero Ruggeri as Hamlet/Amleto, either on stage or in the film Amleto (Eleuterio Rodolfi, 1917).


Italian postcard. Editor unknown.


Italian postcard. Ruggero Ruggeri as Hamlet and Mercedes Brignone as Queen Gertrude in Amleto/Hamlet (Eleuterio Rodolfi, 1917). Caption: "Disgusted Hamlet assists to the wedding of his mother. Hamlet: 'That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain.'" (Though these are Shakespeare's words, in the play however, Gertrude is already remarried.)

Triumph
The title role of Amleto/Hamlet was played by Ruggero Ruggeri, one the most important Italian actors of the first half of the twentieth century. Before making the film, he had already triumphed in a stage production of Hamlet. Amleto was his third film. Helena Makowska played Ophelia, and Mercedes Brignone, who is particularly good in the film, played Gertrude. Armand Pouget was King Claudius and Gherardo Pena played Laertes. The film was released in Italy, and after the war also in France, Britain and the US. Luke McKernan: "Amleto made under economic circumstances very different to the pre-war period when Italian epics conquered the world cinema market. It is an altogether more modest production; though not an impoverished one as such. It is certainly a film that needs to be much better known."


Italian postcard. Ruggero Ruggeri as Hamlet in Amleto/Hamlet (Eleuterio Rodolfi, 1917). Translation caption: "Horatio and Marcellus tell Hamlet of their vision of the ghost. Hamlet responds (Shakespeare's words): 'Upon the platform, 'twixt eleven and twelve, I'll visit you.'"


Italian postcard. Ruggero Ruggeri as Hamlet in Amleto/Hamlet (Eleuterio Rodolfi, 1917). Caption: "Hamlet's meditation: 'There's another: why may not that be the skull of a lawyer? Where be his quiddities now, his quillets, his cases, his tenures, and his tricks?'"


Italian postcard. Mercedes Brignone as Queen Gertrude and Armand Pouget as King Claudius in Amleto/Hamlet (Eleuterio Rodolfi, 1917). Caption: "Polonius: 'Your noble son is mad. Mad call I it.'"

Sources: Luke McKernan, and IMDb.