Ivo Illuminati

Ivo Illuminati (11 June 1882 – 6 September 1963) was an Italian film director, actor and screenwriter and a pioneer of the Italian silent movie.

Life and career In 1887 he moved with his parents and two brothers from his native Ripatransone to Rome, where his father worked as a state civil servant. He became a pupil of Gaston Velle, director of the production company Cines and learned how to use the movie camera.

Between 1902 and 1913 he made many short films of 2 to 5 minutes duration, in which many Italian actors made their debut, e.g., Hesperia, Leda Gys, Diomira Jacobini, Maria Jacobini, Fulvia Perini, and Elvira Radaelli. In 1917 Illuminati changed his production company from Medusa Film to Silentium Film of Milan, with whom he made La nemica (1917) and Automartirio (1917). However, Illuminati ran into conflicts with a film critic who preferred American imported movies and with the Italian government, which cut 600 meters from his film La vita è fumo (1918).

Filmography

La fiamma rossa (1914) La viandante (1914) Per mia figlia! (1914) Tragica confessione (1914) La torre dei fantasmi (1914) La fanciulla di Capri (1914) Una donna (1914) Tragico convegno (1915) Per salvarlo! (1915) Mamma... Perdono! (1915) L'oro maledetto (1915) Sotto l'ala della morte (1915) Per non-morire (1915) Leda innamorat (1915) I cavalieri moderni (1915) Quando la primavera ritornò (1916) La maschera dell'amore (1916) Dopo la raffica (1916) Automartirio (1917) Il re, le torri, gli alfieri (1917) Emir cavallo da circo (1917) La nemica (1917) La vita è fumo (1918) Margheritella (1918) Tombola (1918) La stirpe (1918) Giflée (1918) Eva (1919) Miracolo d'amore (1919) Papà eccellenza (1919) Bruscolo (1919) Un segreto nel chiosco (1919) Alba rossa (1920) Il mistero dell'americano (1920) La nemesi danzante (1920) Il filtro di Circe (1920) Selika (1921) La maschera (1921) Giovanna la pallida (1921) Venite, io vi amo (1921) Favilla (1921) Come io vi amo (1921) La locanda delle ombre (1923) L'aria del continente (1935) Screenwriter Leggenda azzurra (1940) Screenwriter Il vetturale del San Gottardo (1941) Co-director