Mario Mattoli

The Profile

Mario Mattoli (1898–1980) was an Italian film director and screenwriter, a key figure in popular Italian comedy and a frequent collaborator of Totò across the 1930s–1960s.

Italian director active from 1934 to 1966, central to Italian comedy; directed numerous films starring Totò, including Totò Sceicco, Tototarzan, Miseria e nobiltà, and Totò, Fabrizi e i giovani d’oggi.

Three reviews celebrate Mario Mattoli’s comic craft with Totò: one hails Totò, Fabrizi e i giovani d’oggi as a standout duel of comic titans; another cheers Totò Sceicco’s riotous double parody and iconic gags; a third finds Tototarzan lighter but enjoyable, with a sly jab at consumerism.