Question 1

True or false: De Sica acted in over 150 films, far more than he directed.

Accepted Answer

True. He was a prolific character actor, appearing in comedies and dramas for decades, with directing credits numbering only about 35.

Question 2

True or false: His film 'Umberto D.' is about a retired professor struggling with poverty in postwar Rome.

Accepted Answer

True. The 1952 film follows an elderly pensioner and his dog, a stark portrait of isolation and economic hardship.

Question 3

True or false: Vittorio De Sica won an Oscar for Best Director for 'Bicycle Thieves'.

Accepted Answer

False. The film won a special Oscar for most outstanding foreign film, and De Sica himself never won a competitive directing Oscar.

Question 4

True or false: De Sica co-wrote the screenplay for 'Shoeshine' alongside Cesare Zavattini.

Accepted Answer

True. Zavattini was De Sica's frequent collaborator, and they shared the screenplay credit for this 1946 neorealist classic.

Question 5

True or false: He directed only Italian-language films throughout his entire career.

Accepted Answer

False. De Sico directed the English-language film 'The Condemned of Altona' (1962) starring Sophia Loren and Maximilian Schell.

Question 6

True or false: De Sica's first film as a director was a silent movie in 1920.

Accepted Answer

False. He began directing in 1940 with the sound film 'Rose Scarlatte' (Red Roses), having started his career as an actor in the 1920s.

Question 7

True or false: De Sica was a successful singer and pop star in Italy before becoming a filmmaker.

Accepted Answer

True. In the 1930s, De Sica was a crooner and matinee idol, recording popular songs and starring in light comedies before his neorealist turn.

Question 8

True or false: He was a lifelong friend of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.

Accepted Answer

False. De Sica avoided political ties, and his neorealist films often criticized the social conditions that fascism had ignored or exacerbated.

Vittorio De Sica Trivia Questions