The Countess of Parma (Italian: La contessa di Parma) is a 1937 Italian "white-telephones" comedy film directed by Alessandro Blasetti and starring Elisa Cegani, Antonio Centa and María Denis. Marcella, a mannequin working in a fashion store in Turin, falls in love with an Italian International football player whose aunt has just acquired the store intending to replace its reliance on French fashions with Italian designs. Blasetti later described it as his only "white telephone" film, although his 1939 comedy Backstage has also been noted for its similar characteristics.
It was shot at the Fert Studios in Turin and on location around the city including at the Stadio Municipale and the Mirafiori district where the racetrack scenes were staged. Exterior shots were also taken at the Avigliana Lakes and the resort town of Sestriere to the west of the city on the French border. Filming began in November 1936 and lasted through the winter, with the final shots being taken at Sestriere's ski resort.
Cast
Elisa Cegani as Marcella
Antonio Centa as Gino Vanni
María Denis as Adriana
Umberto Melnati as Carrani
Osvaldo Valenti as Duca di Fadda
Nunzio Filogamo as Conte di Sebasta
Ugo Ceseri as Marco
Pina Gallini as Marta Rossi
Marichetta Stoppa as Una Guardarobiera
Giannina Chiantoni as La sarta della casa di mode
Mario Lembo as Il tassista
Pina Valli as Un'indossatrice
Mirica Albis as Un'altra indossatrice
References
Bibliography
Liehm, Mira. Passion and Defiance: Film in Italy from 1942 to the Present. University of California Press, 1984. Moliterno, Gino. Historical Dictionary of Italian Cinema. Scarecrow Press, 2008. Paulicelli, Eugenia. Fashion Under Fascism: Beyond the Black Shirt. Berg, 2004.