Mastroianni, Ruggero

(1929-1996)

   Editor. Younger brother of Marcello Mastroianni, Ruggero was as widely respected as a film editor as his brother was an actor. Beginning with Giuseppe De Santis's Giorni d'amore (Days of Love, 1954), Mastroianni served as assistant editor on a number of films before graduating to editor on Enzo Provenzale's Vento del sud (South Wind, 1959). He subsequently worked extensively with both established and up-and-com-ing directors, including Luchino Visconti, Francesco Maselli, Nanni Loy, Lina WertmiiHer, and Mario Monicelli, and he formed a special relationship with Elio Petri, all of whose major films he edited. In 1965 with Giulietta degli spiriti (Juliet of the Spirits) he also initiated a long and fruitful collaboration with Federico Fellini, for whom he would edit all the films from the Toby Dammit episode in Tre passi nel delirio (Spirits of the Dead, 1968) to Ginger e Fred (Ginger and Fred, 1986). At the same time, beginning with Uomini contro (Many Wars Ago, 1970), he also worked extensively with Francesco Rosi and in fact died while preparing to edit Rosi's La tregua (The Truce, 1996). In a long career that saw him edit over 150 films, he received many honors and awards, including the David di Donatello five times and a Nastro d'argento for his editing of Monicelli's Speriamo che sia femina (Let's Hope It's a Girl, 1986).