Goffredo Alessandrini

Goffredo Alessandrini (Cairo, 9 September 1904 – Rome, 16 May 1978) was an Italian script writer and film director. He also acted, edited, and produced some films.

He practiced athletics in his youth, winning a title of Italian champion on 110 meters hurdles in 1925.

Biography

He started in films collaborating with Alessandro Blasetti. He was one of the most important film directors in Italian fascism. His films received several awards at the Venice Film Festival during the Fascist era: the Mussolini Cup for Best Italian film in 1938 for Luciano Serra pilota, and in 1939 for Abuna Messias. He received the Biennale Award in 1942 for Noi Vivi and Addio Kira!

His most remembered and important works are two anti-Communist films (combined to make up 4 hours), both based on Ayn Rand’s We the Living. Without Rand’s permission, We the Living was made into a pair of films, Noi vivi and Addio, Kira in 1942 by Scalara Films, Rome. This was despite resistance from the Italian government under Mussolini. These films were eventually pulled from theatres as the Italianand German governments, who abhorred Communism, discovered that the stories also contained an anti-Fascist message. These films were re-edited into a new version which was approved by Rand and re-released as We the Living in 1986. The original two films of more than four hours in length were cut into one single film, running for 3 hours.

He made two films in Argentina in the early 1960s.

He was married to Anna Magnani from 1935 until 1950.