Teresa Venerdì (1941)

Director:

Vittorio De Sica

Writers:

Vittorio De Sica (screenplay)
Gherardo Gherardi (screenplay)

Release Date:

29 April 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

A comedy of errors in which the sweetly incompetent Dr. Pietro Vignali (de Sica) has been run deep into debt by his girlfriend...

Plot Keywords:

Debt | Doctor | Orphanage | Engagement | Singer

Cast

Vittorio De Sica	...	Il dottore Pietro Vignali
Adriana Benetti	...	Teresa Venerdì
Irasema Dilián	...	Lilli Passalacqua (as Irasema Dilian)
Guglielmo Barnabò	...	Agostino Passalacqua
Olga Vittoria Gentilli	...	Rosa Passalacqua
Anna Magnani	...	Maddalena Tentini / Loretta Prima
Elvira Betrone	...	La direttrice dell'orfanotrofio
Giuditta Rissone	...	L'istutrice Anna
Virgilio Riento	...	Antonio
Annibale Betrone	...	Umberto Vignali
Nico Pepe	...	Il dottore Pasquale Grosso
Clara Auteri Pepe	...	Giuseppina
Zaira La Fratta	...	Alice
Alessandra Adari	...	L'istutrice Caterina
Lina Marengo	...	La maestra Ricci

Also Known As:

Do You Like Women (USA)
Doctor Beware
Gallo della checca, Il (Italy) (reissue title)

Runtime:

Italy:92 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Alleanza Cinematografica Italiana (A.C.I.)

Movie Connections:

Version of Péntek Rézi (1938)

Blurb

This minor but winning little filmic treasure from the Italian fascist era was directed by Vittorio De Sica before he made all the films that brought him international fame like SHOE SHINE, BICYCLE THIEF, MIRACLE IN MILAN, and UMBERTO D. De Sica himself plays a young physician in an orphanage for girls where a young girl named Teresa "Venerdi'" or "Teresa Friday" (because that was the day she arrived) becomes infatuated with him. The doctor is carrying on a romance at the same time with a flirtatious singer, Loletta, played by a feisty Anna Magnani in a short but fabulous supporting role. The expressions of boredom on her face as she goes through a tiresome and tacky dance number are a wonder to behold. Teresa, the love-struck heroine, is played by the lovely Adriana Benetti, whom Italian film buffs remember from Blasetti's landmark QUATTRO PASSI FRA LE NUVOLE, made a year later.