Biography
Carlo Montuori was an Italian cinematographer and cameraman. Born in Casacalenda, Molise, he moved to Milan as a child and trained at the Polytechnic University and Brera Academy before entering cinema around 1907 with Luca Comerio’s production company. He worked as an operator on early documentaries and developed lighting techniques that he applied to film from 1911.
Montuori collaborated with leading silent-era directors including Carmine Gallone and Augusto Genina, and contributed to the 1925 Hollywood production Ben-Hur. From 1929 he formed a long partnership with Alessandro Blasetti. After the Second World War he played a significant role in neorealist cinematography, working frequently with Luigi Zampa and Vittorio De Sica. He shot Bicycle Thieves (1948), for which he received the Nastro d’Argento for best cinematography, as well as The Roof (1956) and The Gold of Naples (1954). His son Mario Montuori also became a cinematographer. Montuori died in Rome in 1968.
