Pirani Maggi, Amina

Post by **Johan Melle** » 24/08/2020, 1:19

Amina Pirani Maggi in Il cavaliere dalla spada nera (1956)

Amina Pirani Maggi was born in Verona, Italy on 15 January 1892 and was a frequent presence on Italian movie screens during the 1930s, 40s and 50s. Her acting career began in the theater, however, and she worked extensively on stage from as early as at least the 1910s and appeared in many leading roles.

Already close to 40 when she began appearing in films, Amina was never able to achieve the same kind of success in films as she'd had on the stage. Her roles were nearly always small and very often uncredited, but as a consummate professional, she always made the most of her limited screen-time and managed to make an impression. Due to her heavily build and large nose, Amina was often cast in comedic roles, but also appeared in dramatic parts, playing many diverse characters such as mothers, maids, prison guards, nuns or nosy gossips. From the late 1950s and onwards, she started to be credited more frequently, even though her roles still remained small.

Amina Pirani Maggi disappeared from the movie screens in the mid 1960s, and she died in Rome in 1979. Unfortunately, a lot of her films from the 1930s and 40s are currently unavailable, but will hopefully be unearthed in the future. There are surely also quite a few undocumented roles for her to be discovered.

Source for biographical informations: "Luci sulla città: Verona e il cinema" (2002) by Paolo Romano and Giancarlo Beltrame.
Filmorgraphy

1935

Come le foglie .... Elena (uncredited)
Darò un milione .... Patroness (uncredited)
Vecchia guardia .... The mayor's wife (uncredited)

1936
La damigella di Bard .... The countess (uncredited)

1938
Giuseppe Verdi .... Chestnut vendor (uncredited)

1939
I grandi magazzini .... Department store customer (uncredited)
Montevergine .... Maria (credited)
Un'avventura di Salvator Rosa .... Duchess Isabella's companion (uncredited)

1940
Cuori nella tormenta .... Gilda, Teresa's mother (credited)
Lucrezia Borgia .... Beatrice (uncredited)
Oltre l'amore .... Elisa (poster credit - role unconfirmed)

1941
Il bravo di Venezia .... Gossiping woman by the well (uncredited)
Il cavaliere senza nome .... Elena, the nurse-maid (poster credit - role unconfirmed)
Il re si diverte .... Berarda, Gilda's maid (credited?)
Teresa Venerdì .... Impatient woman in line at the post office (uncredited)

1942
La mecca dei desideri (Short) .... The wife (credited)
Una signora dell'Ovest .... Mama Alvarez (uncredited)
Una storia d'amore .... Boarding house landlady (credited as "A. Pirani Maggi")

1943
La Fornarina .... Mamma Rosa (uncredited)
Rita da Cascia .... Nun (uncredited)

1945
L'innocente Casimiro .... Casimiro's mother (uncredited)

1949
Napoli eterna canzone .... Mario's mother (credited as "Amina Pirani Maggio")

1950
Amori e veleni .... Marta, the housekeeper (credited)
Il monello della strada .... Agnese (credited as "Anna Pirani Maggi")
Vita da cani .... Landlady (uncredited)

1951
Amo un assassino .... Giovanna, the cleaning lady (credited)
Bellezze in bicicletta .... Bus passenger (credited as "Annina Pirani Maggi")

1952
Altri tempi - segment "Il processo di Frine" .... Spectator at the trial (uncredited)
Chi è senza peccato .... Prison matron (uncredited)
When in Rome .... Dove Silesto (credited)

1953
La lupa .... Midwife (uncredited)
Stazione Termini .... Woman at telegram office (uncredited)
Vortice .... Prison matron (uncredited)

1954
La campana di San Giusto .... role? (poster credit)
Questa è la vita - segment "Marsina stretta" .... Nosy woman chatting with the doorman (uncredited)
Se vincessi cento milioni - segment "Il pensionato" .... Signora Anastasi (uncredited)

1955
Buonanotte... avvocato! .... Countess Pirani (credited as "Pirani Maggi")
L'angelo bianco .... Prison matron (credited)
La donna più bella del mondo .... Nora (uncredited)
Porta un bacione a Firenze .... Agnese (credited)
Torna piccina mia! .... Teresa, the maid (uncredited)

1956
Ci sposeremo a Capri .... Aunt Agnese (credited)
Il cavaliere dalla spada nera .... Marco's mother (credited)
Totò lascia o raddoppia? .... Television viewer (uncredited)

1957
Ascoltami .... Giulia's colleague (credited as "Amina Pierani Maggi")
Il corsaro della Mezza Luna .... Gertrude, the nurse-maid (credited)
L'ultima violenza .... Cleaning lady (credited)

1958
Amore e guai... .... Nun on the train (uncredited)
L'amore nasce a Roma .... Silvia's mother (uncredited)
La Maja desnuda .... Maid (uncredited)
Le dritte .... Rina's mother (uncredited)

1959
Il mondo dei miracoli .... Member of the acting troupe (credited)
Simpatico mascalzone .... Signora Assunta (credited as "A. Pirani-Maggi")

1960
Fontana di Trevi .... Woman in record store (uncredited)
La banda del buco .... Signorina Brambilla, the secretary (credited)

1961
Gli scontenti .... Ersilia (credited)
Rosmunda e Alboino .... Woman taking care of Rosmunda's baby (credited)

1963
Zorro e i tre moschettieri .... Disapproving woman at the ball (credited)

1964
Soldati e caporali .... Signora Olga (credited as Anna Maria Pirani Maggi)

More Amina!

Here's a long list of further titles that Amina is supposed to appear in, but for which I've not been able to find copies...

Televisione (1931) - Cinematografo.it as Signora Ridon
Il treno delle 21.15 (1933) - ANICA
Luci sommerse (1934) - ANICA
Seconda B (1934) - ANICA as Signora Renzi
Mille lire al mese (1938) - ANICA as Magda's mother
Bionda sottochiave (1939) - ANICA
L'ospite di una notte (1939) - ANICA as Caterina
Leggenda azzurra (1940) - ANICA
Manon Lescaut (1940) - ANICA as Gossiping noblewoman at the ball
Mare (1940) - ANICA as Fisherman's wife
L'amore canta (1941) - ANICA
Caravaggio, il pittore maledetto (1941) - ANICA
Ridi pagliaccio! (1941) - ANICA as Prison nun
Villa da vendere (1941) - ANICA as Concierge
La pantera nera (1942) - ANICA as Signora Simmons
Perdizione (1942) - ANICA
Soltanto un bacio (1942) ANICA as Anna's aunt
Ultimo addio (1942) ANICA
Una volta alla settimana (1942) ANICA as Signora Maria
Il ponte sull'infinito (1942) Cinematografo.it as Marta
La statua vivente (1943) ANICA
La storia di una capinera (1945) ANICA
Vietato ai minorenni (1945) ANICA
Felicità perduta (1946) ANICA
Il marito povero (1946) ANICA
Arrivederci papà! (1948) ANICA as Nanna, the housekeeper
La figlia del mendicante (1950) ANICA
Sambo (1950) ANICA as Fortune-teller
Vogliamoci bene! (1950) ANICA as Signora Silvestri
Abracadabra (1952) ANICA
Tormento di anime (1953) ANICA as Sora Peppina
La prigioniera di Amalfi (1954) ANICA
I calunniatori (1956) ANICA
Mamma sconosciuta (1956) ANICA as Landlady

No Amina!

Like always with little-known actors with large online filmographies, there are some titles that various sources list them as appearing in, but in which they are actually nowhere to be found. I couldn't find Amina in the following films, but maybe others will have more luck...

L'argine (1938) - Listed by ANICA as playing A woman of the people. There is one woman that resembles Amina, but she's too fat for it to be her in my opinion.
Il canto della vita (1945) - Listed by ANICA with no role given.
La carrozza d'oro (1952) - Listed by ANICA with no role given.
Menzogna (1952) - Listed by ANICA as playing Nunziata, the maid. There is a maid that resembles Amina in build and hairstyle, but the face looks different to me.
Guai ai vinti (1954) - Listed by ANICA as playing Woman in mourning but I couldn't find her in the admittedly poor version I watched.
Torna! (1954) - Listed by ANICA with no role given.

Post by **Johan Melle** » 24/08/2020, 1:22

Unfortunately, very little information is available on Amina theater work, but she was active in this field since at least the 1910s and played many leading roles. She also did quite a lot of dialectal theater. This rare photo of her from 1921 is the only one I've managed to find of her from her pre-movie years