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The Gates of Heaven (Italian: La porta del cielo) is a 1945 Italian drama film directed by Vittorio De Sica.
The film was made during the German occupation of Rome, with support from the Vatican. This and another film The Ten Commandments allowed a number of actors, under pressure to go north and work in Venice for the film industry of Mussolini's puppet Italian Social Republic, to remain in Rome.
The film's sets were designed by Salvo D'Angelo who also worked as co-producer. Vittorio de Sica hired approximately 300 extras, who were Jewish or simply being persecuted by the Nazi regime, because of their physical oddity. To avoid their deportation and later execution, he prolonged the shooting of the film as long as he could, awaiting the arrival of the allied armies.
The film won the OCIC Special Award at the 53rd Venice International Film Festival in 1996 for efforts to restore the film.
Original Release
02/15/1945
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Marina Berti | The nurse / La crocerossina |
Elettra Druscovich | Filomena, the housekeeper / Filomena, la governante |
Giuseppe Forcina | The engineer / L'ingegnere |
Massimo Girotti | The blind youth / Il giovane cieco |
Giovanni Grasso | The paralyzed salesman / Il commerciante paralitico |
Roldano Lupi | Giovanni Brandacci, the pianist / Giovanni Brandacci, il pianista |
María Mercader | Maria (as Maria Mercader) / Maria |
Carlo Ninchi | The blind youth's companion / L'accompagnatore del cieco |
Elli Parvo | The provocative lady / La signora provocante |
Gildo Bocci |
Directors
Writers
Enrico Ribulsi, Vittorio De Sica, Cesare Zavattini, Diego Fabbri, Adolfo Franci, Carlo Musso, Piero Bargellini
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Marina Berti | The nurse / La crocerossina |
Elettra Druscovich | Filomena, the housekeeper / Filomena, la governante |
Giuseppe Forcina | The engineer / L'ingegnere |
Massimo Girotti | The blind youth / Il giovane cieco |
Giovanni Grasso | The paralyzed salesman / Il commerciante paralitico |
Roldano Lupi | Giovanni Brandacci, the pianist / Giovanni Brandacci, il pianista |
María Mercader | Maria (as Maria Mercader) / Maria |
Carlo Ninchi | The blind youth's companion / L'accompagnatore del cieco |
Elli Parvo | The provocative lady / La signora provocante |
Gildo Bocci | |
Giulio Alfieri | An elderly gentleman / Un signore anziano |
Annibale Betrone | The doctor from the white train / Il medico del treno bianco |
Amelia Bissi | Mrs. Enrichetta / La signora Enrichetta |
Giulio Calì | The curious Neapolitan / Il napoletano curioso |
Cristiano Cristiani | Claudio Gorini, the paralyzed child / Claudio Gorini, il bambino paralizzato |
Pina Piovani | The aunt of little Claudio / La zia del piccolo Claudio |
Enrico Ribulsi | One of the salseman's grandchildren / Uno dei nepoti del commerciante |
Tilde Teldi | The countess nurse / La contessa crocerossina |
Vittorio Cottafavi | |
Teresa Mariani |
Producers
Name | Role |
---|
Corrado Conti di Senigallia | Producer |
Gino Peccerini | Producer |
Salvo D'Angelo | Producer |