Raffaello Matarazzo

Largely misunderstood at best considered a little master of an Italian cinema in full revival after the war thanks to neorealism Raffaello Matarazzo is nevertheless the author of some sumptuous melodramas whose success was spectacular in postfascist Italy Matarazzo started writing film reviews for the Roman newspaper Il Tevere before reediting scripts for the Italian film company Cines His first films were comedies until he shifted to making melodramas With Catene produced by Titanus in 1949 he became the most successful director in Italy Audience loved his melodramas Critics however have tended to disparage his work saying that Matarazzo films were Neorealismo dappendice Since the 1970s some film critics have tried to restore Matarazzos reputation French magazine Positif loved his erotichistorical peplum The Ship of Lost Women