NEGRONI, BALDASSARE

(1877-1948)

Director. Descended from a noble Roman family and bearing the title of count, Negroni studied law and worked in finance until 1911 when he joined theCines, first as cameraman and then as a scriptwriter. In 1912, together with Gioacchino Mecheri, he founded the Celio Film Company, for which he directed a series of elegant melodramas featuringFrancesca Bertini, Alberto Collo, andEmilio Ghione. After making four films starring Hesperia, a diva with whom he would work extensively and then marry in 1923, he codirected (withGustavo Serena) the much-acclaimed musical pantomimeHistoire d'un Pierrot(Pierrot, the Prodigal, 1913). He subsequently transferred toMilano Film, where he directed Hesperia in another dozen films, including a version ofLa signora delle camelie(The Lady of the Camelias, 1915). After being part of the ill-fated trust theUnione Cinematografica Italiana(UCI) in the early 1920s, Negroni joined theStefano Pittalugacompany, for which he directed, among others,Il vetturale di Moncenisio(The Courier of Moncenisio, 1927) andGiuditta e Oloferne(Judith and Holofernes, 1928), both of which starredBartolomeo Pagano(Maciste) in two of his last roles. From the early 1930s Negroni worked mostly as production manager, the last film he produced beingMario Mattoli'sLa vita ricomincia(Life Begins Anew, 1945).