Italy says goodbye to the last legend of its Golden Age of Cinema today. Director Mario Monicelli committed suicide last night, jumping out of the window of a room in a hospital where he was receiving treatment for prostate cancer. He was 95.

Active since the 1930's, Monicelli, together with Dino Risi and Luigi Comencini, was the greatest author of the “commedia all’italiana”, a genre that rose to prominence in the ‘50s, giving notoriety to a long string of highly talented actors like Totò, Alberto Sordi, Vittorio Gassman, and Ugo Tognazzi to name a few.

Monicelli’s output comprised of more than 60 films, including masterpieces like Guardie E Ladri (Cops And Robbers), La Grande Guerra (The Great War), and I Soliti Ignoti (Persons Unknown, aka Big Deal On Madonna Street, 1959 Oscar nominee for best foreign language film).

Until the last months of his life, the director was a lucid and controversial figure. His insightful commentary on Italy’s current political and social situationrenewed his appreciation with the younger generations. The news of his suicide has left the public in shock. Italy, and the world of cinema in general, have lost one of their most sardonic yet beloved icons. He will be greatly missed.


　　意大利著名導(dǎo)演馬里奧莫尼切利（Mario Monicelli）于當(dāng)?shù)貢r間本周一，在羅馬的圣喬凡尼醫(yī)院跳樓自殺，享年95歲。

　　據(jù)報(bào)道，95歲的馬里奧莫尼切利，長期患有前列腺癌，并于近日前往圣喬凡尼醫(yī)院接受治療，不過，他在本周一卻從醫(yī)院五樓跳窗，墜樓身亡。

　　據(jù)透露，馬里奧莫尼切利的前列腺癌已經(jīng)進(jìn)入晚期，他此次輕生，可能是預(yù)感自己病情加劇，時日無多，忍受不了身體遭受病魔折磨的痛苦，從而以這種方式為自己解脫，告別人世。不過，當(dāng)?shù)鼐饺匀唤槿耄瑢⒄{(diào)查這位意大利影壇泰斗的死因。

　　馬里奧莫尼切利于1915年5月15日生于意大利托斯卡納區(qū)，早期從事電視和戲劇，1935年，馬里奧莫尼切利與阿爾貝托蒙達(dá)多利（Alberto Mondadori）執(zhí)導(dǎo)一部名為《Ragazzi della via Paal, I》的16毫米電影短片，榮獲威尼斯電影節(jié)獎。

　　此后，馬里奧莫尼切利從事電影的制作工作，1963年和1965年執(zhí)導(dǎo)的《卡薩諾瓦 70》（Casanova'70）和《同流者》（Compagni, I）兩部電影，獲得奧斯卡最佳外語片的提名。

　　1957年，馬里奧莫尼切利的《父與子》、1976年的《Caro Michele》和1982年的《Marchese del Grillo, Il》三次摘得柏林電影節(jié)最佳導(dǎo)演獎。

　　馬里奧莫尼切利畢生一共執(zhí)導(dǎo)拍攝了65部作品，被譽(yù)為意大利的喜劇大師，最著名的作品是《圣母街上的大人物》（I Soliti ignoti）和《大戰(zhàn)爭》（The Great War）。