The Walls of Malapaga
The Walls of Malapaga (Italian: Le mura di Malapaga, French: Au-delà des grilles (Beyond the Gates)), is a 1949 French-Italian drama film directed by René Clément and starring Jean Gabin, Isa Miranda and Andrea Checchi. It was a co-production made by Francinex and Italia Produzione, produced by Alfredo Guarini from a screenplay by Cesare Zavattini, Suso Cecchi d'Amico and Alfredo Guarini adapted by Jean Aurenche and Pierre Bost. The music score was by Roman Vlad and the cinematography by Louis Page. It was made at the Titanus Studios in Rome with sets designed by the art director Piero Filippone and Luigi Gervasi.
| The Walls of Malapaga | |
|---|---|
 Original French film poster | |
| Directed by | René Clément |
| Produced by | Alfredo Guarini |
| Written by | Jean Aurenche Pierre Bost (adaptation and dialogue) Cesare Zavattini Suso Cecchi d'Amico Alfredo Guarini (screenplay) |
| Starring | Jean Gabin Isa Miranda |
| Music by | Roman Vlad |
| Cinematography | Louis Page |
| Edited by | Mario Serandrei |
Production company | Italia Produzione Francinex |
| Distributed by | MGM (1949 Italian release) Films International (1950 US release) |
Release date | France: 16 November 1949 United States: 26 March 1950 |
Running time | France: 95 mins Italy: 104 minutes United States: 89 minutes |
| Country | France Italy |
| Language | French Italian |
| Box office | 2,018,745 admissions (France)[1] |
Plot summary
Gabin is Pierre Arrignon, a French criminal, on the run who finds himself in Genoa, Italy, and falls in love with Marta Manfredini (Isa Miranda), a local woman. The film is set in Italy, and the dialogue is primarily in French.
Cast
- Jean Gabin as Pierre Arrignon
- Isa Miranda as Marta Manfredini
- Vera Talchi as Cecchina, Marta's daughter
- Andrea Checchi as Giuseppe, Marta's husband
- Robert Dalban as the mariner
- Ave Ninchi as Maria, the neighbour
- Checco Rissone as the forger
- Renato Malavasi as the dentist
- Carlo Tamberlani as the inspector
- Vittorio Duse as the agent
Awards
The Walls of Malapaga was highly regarded in its day: It won an honorary Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and both Clément and Miranda won awards at the 1949 Cannes Film Festival.[2]
References
- "Walls of Malapaga". Box Office Story.
- "Festival de Cannes: The Walls of Malapaga". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
