Italian postcard by Ed. A. Traldi, Milano, no. 665. Photo: publicity still for Quo Vadis? (Gabriellino D'Annunzio, Georg Jacoby, 1924), produced by the Unione Cinematografica Italiana.
Spanish postcard for Amatller Marca Luna chocolate, series 8, no. 11. Photo: Palatino Film. Livio Pavanelli, Bruto Castellani and signora Poletti in Fabiola (Enrico Guazzoni, 1918).
Good giant
Bruto Castellani was born in Rome in 1881.
He started with small parts in silent films for the Cines company like the historical drama Santa Cecilia/Saint Cecilia (Enrique Santos, 1911).
He had his breakthrough as the noble strong man Ursus in the historical drama Quo Vadis? (Enrico Guazzoni, 1913). This story of the persecution of the Christians by Emperor Nero was based on the novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz. At the London gala premiere in the Albert Hall, the king and queen congratulated Castellani on his performance.
He next performed as the good giant in such epic films as Cajus Julius Caesar/Julius Caesar (Enrico Guazzoni, 1914) starring Amleto Novelli, and Fabiola (Enrico Guazzoni, 1918) with Elena Sangro.
During the 1920s, he played in Messalina/The Fall of an Empress (1923, Enrico Guazzoni), the 1924 version of Quo Vadis? (Gabriellino D'Annunzio, Georg Jacoby, 1924) with Emil Jannings as Nero, and the 1926 version of Gli ultimi giorni di Pompei/The Last Days of Pompeii (Carmine Gallone, Amleto Palermi, 1926).
Italian postcard by Uff. Rev. St. Terni. Photo: Film Cines, Roma. Publicity still for Quo vadis? (Enrico Guazzoni, 1913). Helped by Acte, Nero's former mistress, Ursus (Bruto Castellani) subtracts Lygia (Lea Giunchi) from the orgy of the imperial banquet, where the drunken Roman Vinicius tried to rape her.
Italian postcard by Uff. Rev. St. Terni. Photo: Film Cines, Roma. Publicity still for Quo vadis? (Enrico Guazzoni, 1913). Christian strong man Ursus (Bruto Castellani) orders the treacherous Greek philosopher Chilon (Augusto Mastripietri) to come along.
Italian postcard by Uff. Rev. St. Terni. Photo: Film Cines, Roma. Publicity still for Quo vadis? (Enrico Guazzoni, 1913). Vinicius (Amleto Novelli) finds Lygia in the catacombs of Ostriano. Left of Lygia is St. Peter (Giovanni Gizzi), and right of her protector Ursus. Vinicius plots to abduct Lygia, with the help of the Greek Chilo (Augusto Mastripietri) and a gladiator.
Italian postcard by Uff. Rev. St. Terni. Photo: Film Cines, Roma. Publicity still for Quo vadis? (Enrico Guazzoni, 1913). Lygia saves Vinicius from the hands of Ursus (Bruto Castellani). Ursus, the protector of Lygia, has just killed a gladiator who had been charged by Vinicius to kill Ursus while he himself planned to abduct Licia.
Italian postcard by Uff. Rev. St. Terni. Photo: Film Cines, Roma. Publicity still for Quo vadis? (Enrico Guazzoni, 1913). The Giant Ursus awaits the bull in the circus. After his long captivity, Ursus is almost blinded when he enters the arena. Then a wild bull enters the arena on which back Lygia is bound. Ursus kills the bull with his bare hands, much to the delight of the audience and the emperor.
Italian postcard by Uff. Rev. St. Terni. Photo: Film Cines, Roma. Publicity still for Quo vadis? (Enrico Guazzoni, 1913). Ursus and Vinicius implore the audience and emperor Nero to grace the Christian Lygia after Ursus has killed the bull on which back Lygia had been bound. The audience raves because of Ursus' tour de force. Vinicius has stripped his clothes to show his scars from the wars, while Ursus holds up Lygia. All around Nero hold their thumbs up for grace, even if this sign seems to have been a 19th-century invention and historically incorrect.
Bad pirate
Bruto Castellani performed as well in adventure films set in modern times. His rival strong man Bartolomeo Pagano had done the same after his success as Maciste in Cabiria (Giovanni Pastrone, 1914).
Catellani appeared in 'modern' films like Una tragedia al cinematografo/Cinema Tragedy at Carnival Time (Enrico Guazzoni, 1913) and Il misteri del castello di Monroe/The Secret of Monroe Castle (Augusto Genina, 1914), both starring diva Pina Menichelli.
Next to good guys, Castellani played one memorable baddy: the pirate Gothar in the naval battle scene in Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (Fred Niblo, 1925), shot near Livorno in 1924.
His last film was La bella corsara/The Beautiful Corsair (Wladimiro De Liguoro, 1928) featuring Rina De Liguoro.
In 1928, Castellani withdrew from the cinema and became a civil servant. Bruto Castellani died in 1933 in Rome.
Italian postcard by G.B. Falci, Milano / La Fotominio, no. 163. Photo: Unione Cinematografica Italiana. Publicity still for Quo Vadis? (Gabriellino D'Annunzio, Georg Jacoby, 1924). Caption: While the Christians were awaiting their turn. In the foreground, Ursus (Bruto Castellani) is guarding Licia (Lilian Hall-Davis). In the background, the light falls on the family of Plautus, Domitilla (Elga Brink) and their son (Marcella Sabbatini).
Italian postcard by G.G. Falci, Milano / La Fotominio, no. 165. Photo: Unione Cinematografica Italiana. Publicity still for Quo Vadis? (Gabriellino D'Annunzio, Georg Jacoby, 1924). Caption: Acte and Licia meet again in the catacombs. Actually, the caption is wrong. Lycia meets again Domitilla (Elga Brink), her husband Plautus (name unknown) and their son. On the right Ursus (Bruto Castellani).
Italian postcard by Ed. L'Argentografica, Turin, no. 3048. Photo: Unione Cinematografia Italiana (UCI). Scene from Quo Vadis? (Gabriellino D'Annunzio, Georg Jacoby, 1924). Ursus and Liica/Lygia in prison.
Italian postcard by Ed. L'Argentografica, Turin, no. 3056. Photo: Unione Cinematografia Italiana (UCI). Scene from Quo Vadis? (Gabriellino D'Annunzio, Georg Jacoby, 1924). Ursus (Bruto Castellani) has killed the gladiator Croton, who instead had been paid to kill Ursus, in order to abduct Lygia again. The traitor Chilo (Gino Viotti) watches on.
Emil Jannings as Nero in Quo Vadis? (1924). Italian postcard Ed. A. Traldi, Milano, no. 668. Photo: Unione Cinematografica Italiana. On the backside is an ink stamp for the Politeama Cesare Rossi, Fano.
Elena Sangro as Empress Poppea in Quo Vadis? (1924). Italian postcard by Ed. A. Traldi, Milano, no. 663. Photo: Unione Cinematografica Italiana.
Sources: Vittorio Martinelli (Maciste & Co. I giganti buoni del muto italiano) and IMDb
This post was last updated on 11 September 2023.
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