Lux Film
Encyclopedia
Lux Film was an Italian film distributuion (and later production) company founded by Riccardo Gualino in 1934.
Gualino was an anti-fascist businessman who had clashed with the regime of Mussolini
in 1931 and had been forced into internal exile on the island of Lipari
. Founded in 1934, the Turin based company specialised in distributing non-Italian films during its first few years. Relocating in Rome in 1940, Lux began making its own films at around this time, with the aim of its output being "low risk and low budget by packaging high-quality art films with cultural content". Unlike the Studio system
current in Hollywood at the time, the company did not have its own studios, but financed, distributed, and exhibited projects which others brought to it with 'fixed price contracts
' where co-producers were liable for any budget overruns. Gualino did employ executive producers, among whom were Dino De Laurentiis
and Carlo Ponti
.
Ponti joined the firm in 1940 and was allocated an adaptation of an Italian classic novel Piccolo mondo antico
(Small Old-fashioned World, 1941) directed by Mario Soldati
and films starring the Italian comedian Totò
. De Laurentiis, who became an executive producer for Lux in 1942, oversaw such successful films as Alberto Lattuada
's Il bandito
(1946) and Mario Camerini's La figlia del capitano
(The Captain's Daughter, 1947) and Riso Amaro (Bitter Rice
, 1949). Bitter Rice, a neorealist
film whose plot includes "abortion, crime, illicit sex, a gruesome murder, suicide, nudity, and a realistic childbirth scene", was deliberately not submitted by Lux for PCA
approval when it reached the United States. The Catholic Legion of Decency
rated it 'C' (Condemned) before the distributor agreed to cuts, and the controversy abated. De Laurentiis and Ponti remained with Lux until they formed a partnership in 1950, though Ulysses
(1954) and some of their other later productions benefited from the support of Lux.
Lux suffered from a run of loss making productions during the 1950s, which led to a gradual reduction its production schedule. One of these films, Luchino Visconti
's Senso
(1954), led to conflict with both the Italian Army and the censors who progressively extended their demand for cuts, before the company protested and the authorities largely relented.
Gualino died in 1961 and Lux was acquired by Rovelli SIR, a chemicals conglomerate, in 1964.
Gualino was an anti-fascist businessman who had clashed with the regime of Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
in 1931 and had been forced into internal exile on the island of Lipari
Lipari
Lipari is the largest of the Aeolian Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the north coast of Sicily, and the name of the island's main town. It has a permanent population of 11,231; during the May–September tourist season, its population may reach up to 20,000....
. Founded in 1934, the Turin based company specialised in distributing non-Italian films during its first few years. Relocating in Rome in 1940, Lux began making its own films at around this time, with the aim of its output being "low risk and low budget by packaging high-quality art films with cultural content". Unlike the Studio system
Studio system
The studio system was a means of film production and distribution dominant in Hollywood from the early 1920s through the early 1960s. The term studio system refers to the practice of large motion picture studios producing movies primarily on their own filmmaking lots with creative personnel under...
current in Hollywood at the time, the company did not have its own studios, but financed, distributed, and exhibited projects which others brought to it with 'fixed price contracts
Fixed price
The term "fixed price" is a phrase used in the English language to mean that no bargaining is allowed over the price of a good or, less commonly, a service...
' where co-producers were liable for any budget overruns. Gualino did employ executive producers, among whom were Dino De Laurentiis
Dino De Laurentiis
Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis was an Italian film producer.-Early life:He was born at Torre Annunziata in the province of Naples, and grew up selling spaghetti produced by his father...
and Carlo Ponti
Carlo Ponti
Carlo Ponti was an Italian film producer with over 140 production credits, and the husband of Italian movie star Sophia Loren.-Career:...
.
Ponti joined the firm in 1940 and was allocated an adaptation of an Italian classic novel Piccolo mondo antico
Piccolo mondo antico
Piccolo mondo antico , also known as Old-Fashioned World , is a 1941 Italian drama film directed by Mario Soldati and based on the 1895 novel by Antonio Fogazzaro...
(Small Old-fashioned World, 1941) directed by Mario Soldati
Mario Soldati
Mario Soldati was an Italian writer and film director.-Biography:Soldati studied Humanities in his native city, Turin, and History of Art in Rome. He started publishing novels in 1929 although his fame came with America primo amore, published in 1935, a diary about the time he spent teaching at...
and films starring the Italian comedian Totò
Totò
Prince Antonio Focas Flavio Angelo Ducas Comneno De Curtis di Bisanzio Gagliardi, best known by his stage name Totò and nicknamed il principe della risata was an Italian comedian, film and theatre actor, writer, singer and songwriter...
. De Laurentiis, who became an executive producer for Lux in 1942, oversaw such successful films as Alberto Lattuada
Alberto Lattuada
Alberto Lattuada was an Italian film director.Lattuada was born in Milan, the son of composer Felice Lattuada...
's Il bandito
The Bandit (1946 film)
The Bandit is a 1946 Italian drama film directed by Alberto Lattuada and starred by Anna Magnani, Amedeo Nazzari and Carla Del Poggio. Amedeo Nazzarri won the Nastro d'Argento as Best Actor. The film was entered into the 1946 Cannes Film Festival.-Plot:...
(1946) and Mario Camerini's La figlia del capitano
La figlia del capitano
La figlia del capitano is a 1947 Italian adventure film directed by Mario Camerini. It was entered into the 1947 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Irasema Dilián - Maria Ivanovna "Mascia" Mironova...
(The Captain's Daughter, 1947) and Riso Amaro (Bitter Rice
Bitter Rice
Bitter Rice is a 1949 Italian film made by Lux Film, written and directed by Giuseppe De Santis. Produced by Dino De Laurentiis, starring Silvana Mangano, Raf Vallone, Doris Dowling and Vittorio Gassman, Bitter Rice was a commercial success in Europe and America. It was a product of the Italian...
, 1949). Bitter Rice, a neorealist
Neorealism
Neorealism or structural realism is a theory of international relations, outlined by Kenneth Waltz in his 1979 book Theory of International Politics. Waltz argues in favor of a systemic approach: the international structure acts as a constraint on state behavior, so that only states whose outcomes...
film whose plot includes "abortion, crime, illicit sex, a gruesome murder, suicide, nudity, and a realistic childbirth scene", was deliberately not submitted by Lux for PCA
Production Code Administration
The Production Code Administration was established by the Motion Picture Association of America in 1934. The PCA required all filmmakers to submit their films for approval before release.-See also:* Pre-Code* Joseph Breen* Will H. Hays...
approval when it reached the United States. The Catholic Legion of Decency
National Legion of Decency
The National Legion of Decency was an organization dedicated to identifying and combating objectionable content, from the point of view of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, in motion pictures...
rated it 'C' (Condemned) before the distributor agreed to cuts, and the controversy abated. De Laurentiis and Ponti remained with Lux until they formed a partnership in 1950, though Ulysses
Ulysses (1955 film)
Ulysses is a 1955 adventure film based on Homer's poem Odyssey. The movie was made by director Mario Camerini, who co-wrote the screenplay with writer Franco Brusati, aided by Mario Bava ....
(1954) and some of their other later productions benefited from the support of Lux.
Lux suffered from a run of loss making productions during the 1950s, which led to a gradual reduction its production schedule. One of these films, Luchino Visconti
Luchino Visconti
Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo was an Italian theatre, opera and cinema director, as well as a screenwriter. He is best known for his films The Leopard and Death in Venice .-Life:...
's Senso
Senso (film)
Senso is a 1954 melodrama film, an adaptation of Camillo Boito's Italian novella Senso by the Italian director Luchino Visconti, with Alida Valli as Livia and Farley Granger as Lieutenant Franz Mahler....
(1954), led to conflict with both the Italian Army and the censors who progressively extended their demand for cuts, before the company protested and the authorities largely relented.
Gualino died in 1961 and Lux was acquired by Rovelli SIR, a chemicals conglomerate, in 1964.
External links
- Lux Film (Rome) Filmography, BFI Film & TV Database