From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Giorgio Mangiamele
Giorgio Mangiamele
Giorgio Mangiamele and was based on the stories that Mangiamele had heard
from the Melbourne Italian community around him. The
Born August 13, 1926(1926-08-13) film was shot without sound on 16mm stock with the in-
Catania, Sicily
tention of adding an Italian-language soundtrack later.
Died May 13, 2001(2001-05-13) But Il Contratto was never completed and the version that
survives is a mute rough cut.
Occupation Film director, screenwriter,
cinematographer, actor and photographer Subsequent films included The Brothers (1958) and two
versions of The Spag (1962). The released version of The
Years 1953–2001 Spag won an Honourable Mention in the 1962 AFI Awards,
active
the judges calling it ‘a remarkable attempt at creative
filmmaking’.[3]
Giorgio Mangiamele (13 August 1926 – 13 May 2001) was
The 47-minute Ninety Nine Per Cent[4] (1963) was Man-
an Italian/Australian photographer and filmmaker who
giamele’s only comedy and the last of his films to deal
made a unique contribution to the production of Aus-
with migrant themes. Ninety Nine Per Cent blends the in-
tralian art cinema in the 1950s and 60s. His films included
fluences of Italian stage farce and the knockabout come-
Il Contratto (or The Contract) (1953), The Spag (1962), Ninety
dy of silent era and silent-influenced films including the
Nine Per Cent (1963) and Clay (1965). Clay was selected for
1940s–’60s features of French director-actor Jacques Tati.
competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 1965.
Next came the feature-length Clay[5] (1965). Costing
In 2011 the National Film and Sound Archive of Aus-
₤10,750, it was shot over a seven-week period at the
tralia restored four of his most notable films and Ronin
Montsalvat artists’ colony in the Melbourne suburb of
Films released them on DVD. Three of the films also
Eltham. Clay employed a mixture of Australian and
screened at the 2011 Melbourne International Film Festi-
European-born actors in a story of a man on the run
val.
from police who falls in love with the woman who shel-
ters him. Mangiamele mortgaged his home and studio
Early life to make the film, and eight of its actors and technicians
Mangiamele, born in Catania, Sicily on 13 August 1926, contributed to the budget by agreeing to accept payment
was the son of a toymaker. He enjoyed drawing and when the film moved into profit.
painting as a child but bought his first still camera after In 1965 Clay was chosen for competition at the Cannes
he decided that ‘painting was too slow’ and that cameras Film Festival, where it was acclaimed for its visual po-
were able to catch ‘that fraction of a second’. After leav- tency. The film won the Silver Award, the Silver Medalli-
ing school he studied fine arts in Catania and joined the on and Kodak Silver Trophy at the 1965 AFI Awards. Fol-
State Police in Rome. As a police stills photographer for lowing Clay’s commercial disappointment, Giorgio Man-
the Polizia Scientifica (Police Forensics), he captured im- giamele didn’t make another film until Beyond Reason
ages of crime scenes including fingerprints. He also (1970).
learned the essentials of filmmaking by shooting 16mm Mangiamele continued to earn a living as a portrait
surveillance footage of demonstrations and riots intend- and event photographer, and worked as a cinecamera-
ed for screening to magistrates in court. During his fifth man for Tim Burstall, shooting 13 episodes of the Sebas-
year with the police, Mangiamele studied journalism at tian the Fox (1963) TV series, and documentaries on the
Rome University, ‘learning to see the essentials, to use artworks of Gil Jamieson and Matcham Skipper. He trav-
the minimum of words’, a principle he was to apply to his elled to New Guinea in June 1979 and until 1982 made
Australian filmmaking.[1] five documentaries on contract to the Papua New Guinea
In 1952 Mangiamele boarded the Castel Felice to mi- Office of Information. These films were promotional as
grate to Australia. well as educational, with one, Sapos (1982), being made in
PNG pidgin language. During this time Mangiamele also
trained a PNG crew in all aspects of filmmaking, forming
Career the basis of an ongoing PNG government film unit.
Influenced by Bicycle Thieves (1948), Mangiamele directed Mangiamele always planned to make more films and
and appeared in his first feature film, Il Contratto,[2] on he worked as a stills photographer and screenwriter, do-
a ₤500 budget. The story tells of the challenges faced ing occasional lectures for film courses until he was diag-
by four Italian migrants after their arrival to Australia,
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Giorgio Mangiamele
nosed with motor neurone disease in 2000. He died on 13
May 2001.
External links
• Giorgio Mangiamele Screenography.
• ’Rediscovering Mangiamele’, National Film and
Personal life Sound Archive of Australia
Mangiamele met his first wife, Dorotea Hofmann (born • Graham Shirley’s Portrait of Giorgio Mangiamele on
20 May 1922, in Leipzig, Germany), at the Rushworth Mi- australianscreen online
grant Camp in Victoria after migrating to Australia in • ’Giorgio’, Senses of Cinema, Quentin Turnour, Issue
1952. They had two daughters, Suzanne and Claudia. No. 14, June 2001
They couple divorced in 1977. • ’A Profile of Giorgio Mangiamele’, Senses of Cinema,
Mangiamele married occupational therapist (and lat- Alex Castro, Issue No. 4, March 2000
er, abstract painter) Rosemary Cuming (born 19 October • ’Giorgio Mangiamele – Passionate filmmaker’, Scott
1943, in Melbourne) in New Guinea in 1979, a year after Murray, Senses of Cinema, Issue No.14, June 2001
they first met in Carlton. • ’Il Contratto’ on australianscreen online
• ’Ninety Nine Percent’ on australianscreen online
References • ’Clay’ on australianscreen online
[1] National Film and Sound Archive: A Portrait of Persondata
Giorgio Mangiamele by Graham Shirley on
Name
australianscreen online
[2] National Film and Sound Archive: ’Il Contratto’ on Alternative names
australianscreen online Short description
[3] National Film and Sound Archive: A Portrait of
Date of birth 13 August 1926
Giorgio Mangiamele by Graham Shirley on
australianscreen online Place of birth Catania, Sicily
[4] National Film and Sound Archive: ’Ninety Nine Per Date of death 13 May 2001
Cent’ on australianscreen online Place of death
[5] National Film and Sound Archive: ’Clay’ on
australianscreen online
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Giorgio_Mangiamele&oldid=468326044"
Categories:
• 1926 births
• 2001 deaths
• People from Catania
• Italian emigrants to Australia
• Australian people of Italian descent
• Australian film directors
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