Tonino Delli Colli
Encyclopedia
Tonino Delli Colli was an Italian cinematographer
.
Antonio (Tonino) Delli Colli was born in Rome, and he began work at Rome's Cinecittà
studio in 1938
, at the age of sixteen. By the mid-1940s he was working as a cinematographer and in 1952
shot the first Italian film in colour, Totò a colori
. He went on to work with a number of acclaimed, and diverse, directors, including Sergio Leone
(The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
, Once Upon a Time in the West
and Once Upon a Time in America
), Roman Polanski
(Death and the Maiden and Bitter Moon
), Louis Malle
(Lacombe, Lucien), Jean-Jacques Annaud
(The Name of the Rose
), and Federico Fellini
, whose last three films he photographed.
His collaboration with Pier Paolo Pasolini
was especially fruitful: they made twelve films together, including Pasolini's debut Accattone
(1961), Mamma Roma
(1962), The Gospel According to St. Matthew
(1964), The Decameron (1971), The Canterbury Tales (1972) and Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma
(1976).
His last film was Roberto Benigni
's Life Is Beautiful
(1997), for which he won his fourth David di Donatello for Best Cinematography
. In 2005 he was awarded the American Society of Cinematographers
' International Achievement Award. In August of the same year, he died at home in Rome.
Tonino Delli Colli died from a heart attack
in 2005 at the age of 83.
He is due to win the Lifetime Achievement Award (now posthumously) from the Camerimage
Film Festival (a cinematography-focused film fest) in Łódź, Poland.
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
.
Antonio (Tonino) Delli Colli was born in Rome, and he began work at Rome's Cinecittà
Cinecittà
Cinecittà is a large film studio in Rome that is considered the hub of Italian cinema.-History:The studios were founded in 1937 by Benito Mussolini and his head of cinema Luigi Freddi for propaganda purposes, under the slogan "Il cinema è l'arma più forte"...
studio in 1938
1938 in film
The year 1938 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*January — MGM announces that Judy Garland would be cast in the role of "Dorothy" in the upcoming Wizard of Oz motion picture. Ray Bolger is cast as the "Tinman" and Buddy Ebsen is cast as the "Scarecrow". At Bolger's insistence,...
, at the age of sixteen. By the mid-1940s he was working as a cinematographer and in 1952
1952 in film
The year 1952 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 10 - Cecil B. DeMille's circus epic, The Greatest Show on Earth, premieres at Radio City Music Hall in New York City....
shot the first Italian film in colour, Totò a colori
Totò a colori
Totò a colori is a 1952 Italian film, and was the first Italian color film shot with the Ferraniacolor system. The film was directed by Steno and starred the comic actor Totò . Totò a colori is widely regarded as Totò's masterpiece...
. He went on to work with a number of acclaimed, and diverse, directors, including Sergio Leone
Sergio Leone
Sergio Leone was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter most associated with the "Spaghetti Western" genre.Leone's film-making style includes juxtaposing extreme close-up shots with lengthy long shots...
(The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a 1966 Italian epic spaghetti western film directed by Sergio Leone, starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach in the title roles. The screenplay was written by Age & Scarpelli, Luciano Vincenzoni and Leone, based on a story by Vincenzoni and Leone...
, Once Upon a Time in the West
Once Upon a Time in the West
Once Upon a Time in the West is a 1968 Italian epic spaghetti western film directed by Sergio Leone for Paramount Pictures. It stars Henry Fonda cast against type as the villain, Charles Bronson as his nemesis, Jason Robards as a bandit, and Claudia Cardinale as a newly widowed homesteader with a...
and Once Upon a Time in America
Once Upon a Time in America
Once Upon a Time in America is a 1984 Italian epic crime film co-written and directed by Sergio Leone and starring Robert De Niro and James Woods. The story chronicles the lives of Jewish ghetto youths who rise to prominence in New York City's world of organized crime...
), Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski is a French-Polish film director, producer, writer and actor. Having made films in Poland, Britain, France and the USA, he is considered one of the few "truly international filmmakers."...
(Death and the Maiden and Bitter Moon
Bitter Moon
Bitter Moon is a 1992 film starring Hugh Grant, Kristin Scott Thomas, Emmanuelle Seigner and Peter Coyote and directed by Roman Polanski. The film is known as in France. The script is inspired by a book with the same name, written by the French author Pascal Bruckner. The score was composed by...
), Louis Malle
Louis Malle
Louis Malle was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer. He worked in both French cinema and Hollywood. His films include Ascenseur pour l'échafaud , Atlantic City , and Au revoir, les enfants .- Early years in France :Malle was born into a wealthy industrialist family in Thumeries,...
(Lacombe, Lucien), Jean-Jacques Annaud
Jean-Jacques Annaud
Jean-Jacques Annaud is a French film director, film producer and screenwriter.- Biography :Annaud was born in Juvisy-sur-Orge, Essonne...
(The Name of the Rose
The Name of the Rose
The Name of the Rose is the first novel by Italian author Umberto Eco. It is a historical murder mystery set in an Italian monastery in the year 1327, an intellectual mystery combining semiotics in fiction, biblical analysis, medieval studies and literary theory...
), and Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI , was an Italian film director and scriptwriter. Known for a distinct style that blends fantasy and baroque images, he is considered one of the most influential and widely revered filmmakers of the 20th century...
, whose last three films he photographed.
His collaboration with Pier Paolo Pasolini
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Pier Paolo Pasolini was an Italian film director, poet, writer, and intellectual. Pasolini distinguished himself as a poet, journalist, philosopher, linguist, novelist, playwright, filmmaker, newspaper and magazine columnist, actor, painter and political figure...
was especially fruitful: they made twelve films together, including Pasolini's debut Accattone
Accattone
Accattone is a 1961 Italian drama film written and directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini. Despite being filmed from an original screenplay, academics perceive Accattone as a cinematic rendition of Pasolini's earlier novels, particularly Boys of Life and A Violent Life...
(1961), Mamma Roma
Mamma Roma
Mamma Roma is a 1962 film directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini.- Story :An ex-prostitute, Mamma Roma , tries to start a new life selling vegetables with her 16-year-old son Ettore...
(1962), The Gospel According to St. Matthew
The Gospel According to St. Matthew (film)
The Gospel According to St. Matthew is a 1964 Italian film directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini. It is a retelling of the story of Jesus Christ, from the Nativity through the Resurrection....
(1964), The Decameron (1971), The Canterbury Tales (1972) and Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma
Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma
Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom , commonly referred to as Salò, is a controversial 1975 Italian drama film written and directed by Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini with uncredited writing contributions by Pupi Avati. It is based on the book The 120 Days of Sodom by the Marquis de Sade...
(1976).
His last film was Roberto Benigni
Roberto Benigni
Roberto Remigio Benigni, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI is an Italian actor, comedian, screenwriter and director of film, theatre and television.- Early years :...
's Life Is Beautiful
Life Is Beautiful
Life Is Beautiful is a 1997 Italian film which tells the story of a Jewish Italian, Guido Orefice , who must employ his fertile imagination to help his family during their internment in a Nazi concentration camp.At the 71st Academy Awards in 1999, Benigni won the Academy Award for Best Actor and...
(1997), for which he won his fourth David di Donatello for Best Cinematography
David di Donatello for Best Cinematography
-1982:*Tonino Delli Colli - Storie di ordinaria follia-1983:*Franco Di Giacomo - La notte di San Lorenzo-1985:*Pasqualino De Santis - Carmen-1986:*Giuseppe Lanci - Un complicato intrigo di donne, vicoli e delitti...
. In 2005 he was awarded the American Society of Cinematographers
American Society of Cinematographers
The American Society of Cinematographers is an educational, cultural, and professional organization. It is not a labor union, and it is not a guild. Membership is by invitation and is extended only to directors of photography and special effects experts with distinguished credits in the film...
' International Achievement Award. In August of the same year, he died at home in Rome.
Tonino Delli Colli died from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in 2005 at the age of 83.
He is due to win the Lifetime Achievement Award (now posthumously) from the Camerimage
Camerimage
The International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography CAMERIMAGE is a festival dedicated to cinematography and its creators cinematographers.The first seven events were held in Toruń, Poland. The next ten events were held in Łódź...
Film Festival (a cinematography-focused film fest) in Łódź, Poland.