VITTORIO DE SICA

The seminnal figure of the neo realism movement, Vittorio De Sica was born in sora,Italy, on July 7, 1901.Raised in Naples, he began working as an office clerk at a young age in order to help sipport his impoverished family. He became fascinated by acting while still a youth, and made his screen debut in 1918,s "The  clemenceau Affair " at the age of just 16. In 1923, De Sica joined Tatiana  Pavlova,s famed stage company, and by the end of the decade his dashing good looks had made him one of the Italian theater,s most prominent matinee idols. With 1932,s La Vecchina Signora ,he made his sound -era film debut and went on to became an even bigger star in the cinema, appearing primarily in light romantic comedies throughout the decade. In 1939, De Sica graduated to the directors chair with Rose Scarlatte and over the next two years, he helmed three more feature; Maddalena, Zero in condotta(1940) and Un  Garibaldino al
convento(1941).However, his work lacked distinction until he, along with fellow Italian filmmakers Roberto Rossellini and Luchino Visconti, began exploring the possibilities of making more humanistic movies documenting the harsh realities facing their country-men as a result of World War-II. With 1942,s I Bambini ci Guardano,De Sica revolutionized the Italian film industry, crafting a poignant, heartfelt portrait of a downtrodden culture free of the conventions of Hollywood production. Working with screenwriter Cesare Zavattini, who remained a central figure in the majority of his greatest work,De Sica employed non- professional actors and filmed not in studios but on the streets of Rome, all to flesh out of the work-ing- class   drama of Zavattini,s script.The war prevented De Sica from directing another film for four years,but finally in 1946 he resurfaced with the brilliant Sciucia . His greatest film ,Ladri De Biciclette, followed in 1948; a vertual textbook of neo realism in ation,it featured all of the aesthetic,s key tenets--gritty production, almost improvisational acting, and a lean emotional compression--and it even added authentic documentary footage in to the narrative to establish a greater sense of truth. Like Sciuscia Ladri De Biciclette won a special Academy Award several years leter, after the Oscar category for best Foreign Language Film was officially established. Three years later,De Sica returned with miracolo a Milano which secured the Grand prix at the 1951 Cannes Festival,sharing it with Alf Sjoberg,s Miss Julie.Its followup, 1952,s Umberto D clearly ranked among his finest work,but when it proved to be a box-office disaster,he returned to the lighter meterial of his formative years with it happened in the park.The 1956 II Tetto marked something of a return to neorealist form, but when it to failed commercially, De Sica,s career as a film maker was critically damaged.Unable to secure financing for subsequent projects, he returned his full focus to acting, starring in a string of picture including 1957,s A Farewell to Arms, for which he earned an Osar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and 1956,s It happened in Rome. Over the course of his lonf career,he appeared in over150 features.Finally in 1960, De Sica returned to directing with La Ciociara,leading his star Sofia Loren to an Academy Award.The 1963 Ieri, Oggi,Domani also won an Oscar.De Sica died in Paris on November 13,1974 following complications from a surgery.