Weekly Movie Challenge

Franco Cristaldi

Biography

Franco Cristaldi (Turin, 3 October 1924 – Montecarlo, 1 July 1992) was an Italian film producer, credited with producing (or co-producing) feature films from the 1950s to the 1990s.

In 1946 Cristaldi founded Vides Cinematografica in Turin. This production company initially produced short and documentary films, and would later be renamed to Cristaldifilm in the 1980s.

In the 1950s, Cristaldi changed his attention to feature films and moved to Rome. During his long career, he worked with directors and screenwriters such as Francesco Rosi, Pietro Germi, Mario Monicelli, Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti, and Giuseppe Tornatore. A noted film producer from some years in his native Italy, some of Cristaldi's most successful films internationally included The Name of the Rose and Nuovo cinema Paradiso. (The former winning a César and two BAFTAs, and the latter winning several BAFTAs, the Grand Prix at Cannes, and Best Foreign Language Film at the 62nd Academy Awards).

In 1977 Cristaldi was elected president of the International Federation of Film Producers Associations, and was a member of the jury at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival.

Cristaldi was born in Turin, Italy in 1924, and studied at university for a time before focusing his interests on cinema.

He was first married to Carla Simonetti with whom he had a son, Massimo. He applied to the Vatican to have this marriage annulled, and from 1966 lived with actress Claudia Cardinale. Cristaldi claimed to have married Cardinale, but she refuted this, saying he threw a marriage party, without ever officially marrying her. He mentored Cardinale through her own film career, producing many of her films, until their separation in 1975. In 1983, he married Eritrean actress Zeudi Araya, who starred in several Cristaldi-produced films.

Franco Cristaldi died in Montecarlo in 1992, survived by his wife Zeudi, son Massimo, and adopted son Patrick, the son of Claudia Cardinale.

Source: Article "Franco Cristaldi" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Actor

Franco Cristaldi e il suo cinema Paradiso

2009

Production

Flight of the Innocent

1992

Producer

Cinema Paradiso

1988

Producer

Last Summer in Tangiers

1987

Producer

Control

1987

Producer

The Name of the Rose

1986

Producer

And the Ship Sails On

1983

Producer

Hearts and Armour

1983

Producer

Arrivano i miei

1983

Producer

Tomorrow We Dance

1982

Producer

Ho fatto splash

1980

Producer

The Persian Lamb Coat

1980

Producer

Cafè Express

1980

Producer

Tesoromio

1979

Producer

Operation Ogre

1979

Associate Producer

Christ Stopped at Eboli

1979

Producer

Ratataplan

1979

Producer

My Loves

1978

Producer

Wifemistress

1977

Producer

Mr. Robinson

1976

Producer

Movie Rush

1976

Producer

Di che segno sei?

1975

Producer

Blonde in Black Leather

1975

Producer

Amarcord

1973

Producer

Lucky Luciano

1973

Producer

Lady Caroline Lamb

1972

Executive Producer

The Audience

1972

Producer

Winged Devils

1972

Producer

The Mattei Affair

1972

Producer

In the Name of the Father

1971

Producer

Open Letter to the Evening News

1970

Producer

The Red Tent

1969

Producer

Il giovane normale

1969

Producer

Oh, Grandmother's Dead

1969

Producer

Coup D'Etat

1969

Producer

Alibi

1969

Producer

A Fine Pair

1968

Producer

China Is Near

1967

Producer

Kill Me Quick, I'm Cold

1967

Producer

Per amore... per magia...

1967

Producer

Sandra

1965

Producer

Time of Indifference

1964

Producer

Seduced and Abandoned

1964

Producer

Bebo's Girl

1964

Producer

The Organizer

1963

Producer

Crazy Sea

1963

Producer

Omicron

1963

Producer

My Son, the Hero

1962

Producer

Salvatore Giuliano

1962

Producer

Divorce Italian Style

1961

Producer

Day by Day, Desperately

1961

Producer

A Day for Lionhearts

1961

Producer

Ghosts of Rome

1961

Producer

The Assassin

1961

Producer

The Dolphins

1960

Producer

Fiasco in Milan

1959

Producer

Come Dance with Me!

1959

Producer

The Swindlers

1959

Producer

Rascel Marine

1958

Producer

The Law Is the Law

1958

Producer

The Challenge

1958

Producer

Piece of the Sky

1958

Producer

Big Deal on Madonna Street

1958

Producer

Man of Straw

1958

Producer

Le Notti Bianche

1957

Producer

Rascel-Fifì

1957

Producer

Kean: Genius or Scoundrel

1957

Producer

Nero's Mistress

1956

Producer

A Hero of Our Times

1955

Producer

The Seducer

1954

Producer

Camilla

1954

Producer

La pattuglia sperduta

1954

Producer

Once Upon A Time...

Producer

Franco Cristaldi

Actor

Documentaries

Production

Writing