Giuliano Montaldo, director of the film “Sacco e Vanzetti”, has died.

The director died at his home in Rome Giuliano Montaldo. Born in Genoa in 1930, he would have been 94 on February 22. His wife is next to him Vera PescaroloHis daughter, Elisabetta, and his grandchildren, Enti and Gianna Carbone. At the family’s choice, no public funeral will be held.

Director, screenwriter and actor, he directed more than 20 films. Between these The intangible (1969); A lot and Vanzetti (1970); Giordano Bruno (1973); Agnes goes to die (1976); Golden glasses (1987). Montaldo was also very active in producing television masterpieces such as the eight-episode blockbuster Marco Polo.

Montaldo appeared as an actor in several films, including: Ashtung bandits And Poor Lovers’ ChroniclesEach of Carlo LizaniAnd Caiman to Nanni Moretti.

Fighting with the rebels

When he was only 14 years old, Montaldo was captured by Nazi fascists in Liguria and deported to the Southern Front. He managed to escape and then join the resistance National working group (gap) from his city.

Beginnings with Lizani

He began his acting career in 1951 Achtung! Bandits! By Carlo Lizani with Gina Lollobrigida And again by Lizani, V Poor records lovers with Marcello MastroianniLater in his career he starred in about twenty films, directing, among others Luciano Imer, Francesco Maselli, Elio Petri, Valerio Zurlini, Margarete von Trotta, Nanni Moretti, Carlo Verdone And – finally – who Francesco Bruni in Everything you want Which earned him the 2018 award David Donatello To interpret it.

Debut as director

Assistant director on many films, including: The long blue road (1957) e Cabo (1960), and later director of the second unit in Battle of Algiers (1966) all directed by Gello PontecorvoMontaldo made his debut as a director in 1961 with the film pigeon shooting Which was restored by Cineteca Nazionale, and presented in 2019 at the Venice Film Festival.

Collaboration with Morricone

He directed more than 20 films, 16 of which were adapted to music Ennio Morricone Which makes Montaldo the director with whom the composer collaborated several times, entering the history of cinema, including: The intangible (1969) with John Cassavetes; Sacco and Vanzetti (1970, with Gian Maria Volonte) Which was worth a Ricardo Cucciola Best Leading Actor Award at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival.

The last film with Favino and Purgatori

Giordano Bruno (1973) is still phenomenal Gian Maria Volonte And with Charlotte Rampling; L’Agnese Va A Morire (1976) with a great performance Ingrid Thulin; Golden glasses (1987) adapted from the novel of the same name by the writer Giorgio Bassaniwith Philippe Noiret, Rupert Everett, Stefania Sandrelli, and Valeria Golino; Even his last film as director was written with him Andrea Purgatori, Industrial (2011) with Pierfrancesco FavinoIt is a film that won countless awards including 4 Golden Globe Awards from the foreign press.

Great television work

Montaldo was also very active in producing television masterpieces such as the 8-episode blockbuster Marco PoloIt was produced by Ray and NBC in 1982, broadcast in 46 countries around the world, and won an Emmy Award. An epic and highly complex assignment filmed in Venice, Morocco, China and Mongolia, it was completed only thanks to his stubbornness and enthusiasm and that of his wife Vera, his inseparable assistant.

Passion for opera

With a passion for music, Montaldo directed famous operas for major national and international theatres, including… Turandot (1983), Troubadour (1990), No bohème (1994), Othello (1994), Magic flute (1995), Nabucco (1997) e Tosca (1998) presented at the Olympic Stadium in Rome.

Commitment with Ray and David Awards

From 1999 to 2009, he was the first president of Rai Cinema and in 2016-2017 he headed the Italian Film Academy – David di Donatello Awards. In 2002, he was appointed Knight Grand Cross by the President of the Republic, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.

Bond with his wife

In 2021, in his autobiography great love Published by La nave di Teseo, Montaldo tells the film of his life for the first time in the first person, reconstructing in a most convincing way over his seventy-year career in front of and behind the camera, and at the same time the deep bond of love and work with his wife Vera Pescarolo, whom he described as “My best collaborator.”

Several documentaries have been produced about the couple, directed by, among others Fabrizio Corallo (Vera and Giuliano), Marco Spagnoli (Four times twenty years) and a series of articles including From pole to equator to Alberto Crespi.