Italian names: From La Dolce Vita and beyond

Last week we perused the character names in classic French New Wave films and today, as promised, we do the same for the Italian cinema produced (mostly) in Rome’s Cinecittà, from the gritty neorealist works of Vittorio De Sica and Roberto Rossellini to the fantasies of Fellini, the surreal films of Antonioni, et alia.

Italian names, almost universally, end in vowels, so here’s an opportunity to explore a fresh source of feminissima girls’ names ending in ‘a,’ ranging from the simple Lia to the elaborate Elisabetta, and boys’ names with the popular ‘o’ ending—some of which will be more familiar than others.

This time—as prompted by one of you berries– I’m including the  names of the films the characters appear in.  The movie titles are in Italian or English (sometimes both), depending on how they are best known in the US.

Adelina – de Sica, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Adreina —Antonioni, The Cry/Il grido

Amalia— Rossellini, Dov’é la libertà?

Annarella – de Sica, Bread, Love and Dreams

Bruna – Bertolucci, La commare secca; Pasolini, La Mamma Roma

Cabiria—Fellini, Nights of Cabiria

Clelia — Bertolucci, Before the Revolution; Antonioni, The Girlfriends/Le amiche; Rossellini, Vanina Vanini

Clementina –de Sica, The Voyage/ Il Viaggio

Dorotea –Fellini, And the Ship Sails On

Elisabetta – Fellini, Juliet of the Spirits

Elvia –Antonioni, The Cry/ Il grido

Filumena – De Sica, Marriage, Italian Style

Giuditta—Zeffirelli, Sparrow

Giuliana –Antonioni, Red Desert

Lauretta – Rossellini, Open City

Lia – Rossellini, Desire

Lidia – Antonioni, La notte

Lietta – Visconti, Conversation Piece

Maddalena  —Fellini, La Dolce Vita; Pasolini, Accattone!;Visconti, Bellissima

Mariella – Bertolucci, La commare secca; Antonioni, The Girlfriends/Le amiche

Marilena – Fellini, The White Sheik

Mimosa—Rossellini, Anima Nera

Paolina –de Sica, The Children Are Watching Us

Patrizia – Fellini, The Swindle/Il bidone; Antonioni, l’avventura

Rosetta – Antonioni, The Girlfriends/ Le amiche

Rosina – Antonioni, The Cry/Il grido

Rossella – Fellini, 8 ½

Serenella – Bertolucci, La Commare Secca

Simonetta –Antonioni, The Lady Without Camelias

Tecia—Zeffirelli, Sparrow

Valeria – Rossellini, General della Rovere

Vavina—Rossellini, Vanina Vanini

Vittoria—Antonioni, L’Eclipse

BOYS

Agostino – Bertolucci, Before the Revolution; Rossellini, Open City

Alfio – Visconti, La Terra Trema

Amedeo – de Sica, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Augusto – Fellini, The Swindle/Il bidone; Pasolini, La Mamma Roma

Aurelio – Fellini, Amarcord

Ciro – Pasolini –The Hawks and the Sparrows; Visconti, Rocco and His Brothers

Corrado – Antonioni, The Red Desert, l’avventura

Ettore – Pasolini, La Mamma Roma

Fabrizio –Bertolucci, Before the Revolution

Federico — de Sica, The Gold of Naples

Filippo –de Sica, Two Women; Visconti, L’innocente

Gaetano – de Sica, Miracle in Milan

Ivo —  Fellini, La voce della luna/ Visconti, Rocco and His Brothers

Lino – Pasolini, La Mamma Roma

Livio – Rossellini –Vanina Vanini

Lorenzo – Antonioni, The Girlfriends, Le amiche

Massimo – Rossellini, Paisan

Nandino —  de Sica, The Voyage/Il Viaggio

Nino – Zeffirelli, Sparrow

Olmo – Bertolucci, 1900

Otello— Rossellini, Dov’é la libertà?

Ottavio – Bertolucci, 1900

Piero – Antonioni, Eclipse; Pasolini, La Mamma Roma

Raffaele –de Sica, Shoe-shine/Sciuscià

Raimondo – Antonioni, l’avventura

Remo – Fellini, Variety Lights

Renato –Pasolini, Accattone!; Rossellini, Escape By Night

Romolo – Rossellini, Dov’é la libertà?

Sandro – Antonioni, l’avventura

Teo – Fellini, Amarcord

Teodoro —Bertolucci, La commare secca

Torquato – Rossellini, Dov’é la libertà?

Tullio — Visconti, L’innocenti

Ugo – Antonioni, The Red Desert

Umberto—de Sica, Umberto D.