Antonio "Tonino" Delli Colli (20 November 1923 – 16 August 2005) was an Italian cinematographer.
Life and career Born in Rome, Delli Colli began work at the Cinecittà studio at the age of sixteen.
By the mid-1940s he was working as a cinematographer and shot the first Italian film in colour, Totò a colori. He went on to work with a number of acclaimed and diverse directors including, Sergio Leone, Roman Polanski, Louis Malle, Jean-Jacques Annaud, and Federico Fellini, but it was his collaboration with Pier Paolo Pasolini that proved to be the most fruitful, making together a total of 12 films.
Although Delli Colli did not work regularly with Lina Wertmuller, his cinematography for Seven Beauties (1975) was a major career highlight.
Death In 2005 he was awarded the American Society of Cinematographers' International Achievement Award.
In August of the same year, he died from a heart attack at the age of 81 in his home in Rome.
In the same year, Delli Colli was posthumously awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 13th annual Camerimage Film Festival in Łódź, Poland.
Filmography Film Year Title Director Notes 1944 Ladislao Kish1946 O sole mio Giacomo Gentilomo With Anchise Brizzi Leo MenardiCarlo Lodovici Filippo Walter Ratti With Romolo Garroni Trepidazione Toni Frenguelli 1947 Nada Edgar Neville Uncredited 1948 Mario Sequi1949 City of Pain Mario Bonnard A Night of Fame Mario MonicelliSteno With Leonida Barboni Hand of Death Carlo Campogalliani1950 Fugitive Lady Marino GirolamiSidney Salkow Alina Giorgio Pastina The Vow Mario Bonnard1951 The Rival of the Empress Jacopo CominSidney Salkow With Erwin Hillier I'm the Capataz Giorgio Simonelli Milano miliardaria Marino GirolamiMarcello MarchesiVittorio Metz Accidents to the Taxes!!Mario Mattoli Toto the Third Man Era lui... sì! sì! Marino GirolamiMarcello MarchesiVittorio Metz With Vincenzo Seratrice The Steamship Owner Mario Mattoli1952 Toto in Color Steno The Three Pirates Mario Soldati Toto and the Women Mario MonicelliSteno Brothers of Italy Fausto Saraceni1953 Jolanda, the Daughter of the Black Corsair Mario Soldati Gioventù alla sbarra Ferruccio Cerio Nero and the Burning of Rome Primo Zeglio With Mario Albertelli The Pagans Ferruccio Cerio I Always Loved You Mario Costa1954 Mid-Century Loves Glauco PellegriniPietro GermiMario ChiariRoberto RosselliniAntonio Pietrangeli Where Is Freedom? Roberto Rossellini With Aldo Tonti Concert of Intrigue Mario Bonnard The Shadow Giorgio Bianchi Red and Black Domenico Paolella1955 Le signorine dello 04 Gianni Franciolini The White Angel Raffaello Matarazzo Giorgio Bianchi The Letters Page Steno1956 The Intruder Raffaello Matarazzo Donatella Mario Monicelli Giacomo Gentilomo1957 Poor, But HandsomeDino Risi Oh! Sabella Susanna Whipped CreamSteno With Marco Scarpelli Seven Hills of Rome Roy Rowland Pretty But Poor Dino Risi1958 Adorabili e bugiarde Nunzio Malasomma Venice, the Moon and You Dino Risi1959 First Love Mario Camerini Giorgio Simonelli With The Friend of the Jaguar Giuseppe Bennati Poor Millionaires Dino Risi Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia 1960 Morgan the Pirate Andre de TothPrimo Zeglio1961 The Thief of Baghdad Arthur Lubin Accattone Pier Paolo Pasolini The Wonders of Aladdin Henry LevinMario Bava1962 Ugo Gregoretti La monaca di Monza Carmine Gallone Mamma Roma Pier Paolo Pasolini Swordsman of Siena Étienne PérierBaccio Bandini1963 La bella di Lodi Mario Missiroli The Executioner Luis García Berlanga1964 Liolà Alessandro Blasetti With Leonida Barboni and Carlo Di Palma The Gospel According to St. Matthew Pier Paolo Pasolini1965 The Camp Followers Valerio Zurlini The Mandrake Alberto Lattuada1966 The Hawks and the Sparrows Pier Paolo Pasolini With Mario Bernardo The Sultans Jean Delannoy Andremo in città Nelo Risi Target for Killing Manfred R. Köhler With Siegfried Hold The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Sergio Leone1967 China Is Near Marco Bellocchio Ghosts – Italian Style Renato Castellani1968 The Day of the Owl Damiano Damiani OSS 117 – Double Agent Jean-Pierre DesagnatRenzo CerratoAndré Hunebelle Once Upon a Time in the West Sergio Leone1969 Metti, una sera a cena Giuseppe Patroni Griffi Pigsty Pier Paolo Pasolini With Armando Nannuzzi and Giuseppe Ruzzolini1970 Rosolino Paternò, soldato... Nanni Loy With Riccardo Pallottini Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love You Rod Amateau1971 The Decameron Pier Paolo Pasolini Man of the Year Marco Vicario Come Together Saul Swimmer1972 Pilgrimage Beni Montresor The Canterbury Tales Pier Paolo Pasolini The Master Touch Michele Lupo1973 Deaf Smith & Johnny Ears Paolo Cavara Bawdy Tales Sergio Citti The Sensual Man Marco Vicario1974 Lovers and Other Relatives Salvatore Samperi Lacombe, Lucien Louis Malle Till Marriage Do Us Part Luigi Comencini1975 Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom Pier Paolo Pasolini Seven Beauties Lina Wertmüller 1976 Caro Michele Mario Monicelli1977 The Forbidden Room Dino Risi The Purple Taxi Yves Boisset Beach House Sergio Citti I nuovi mostri Dino RisiEttore ScolaMario Monicelli1978 First Love Dino Risi Blood Feud Lina Wertmüller1979 Lovers and Liars Mario Monicelli Dear Father Dino Risi1980 Hurricane Rosy Mario Monicelli I'm Photogenic Dino Risi1981 Camera d'albergo Mario Monicelli Fantasma d'amore Dino Risi Tales of Ordinary Madness Marco Ferreri 1983 Trenchcoat Michael Tuchner1984 Once Upon a Time in America Sergio Leone The Future Is Woman Marco Ferreri Marco Tullio Giordana TV movie1986 Ginger and Fred Federico Fellini With Ennio Guarnieri The Name of the Rose Jean-Jacques Annaud 1987 Intervista Federico Fellini 1988 Stradivari Giacomo Battiato1990 The Voice of the Moon Federico Fellini The African Woman Margarethe von Trotta 1991 A Simple Story Emidio Greco 1992 Bitter Moon Roman Polanski 1993 La Soif de l'or Gérard Oury 1994 Death and the Maiden Roman Polanski 1995 Facciamo paradiso Mario Monicelli1997 Marianna Ucrìa Roberto Faenza Life Is Beautiful Roberto Benigni
Short film Year Title Director Notes 1963 La ricotta Pier Paolo Pasolini Segment of Ro.Go.Pa.G.1964 Amore e arte Gianni PucciniSegments of Amore e morte Mino Guerrini La Feuille de route Ugo Gregoretti Segment of The World's Most Beautiful Swindlers Il generale Alfredo Giannetti Segment of Amori pericolosi La doccia Massimo Franciosa Segment of 1968 Che cosa sono le nuvole? Pier Paolo Pasolini Segment of Caprice Italian Style William Wilson Louis Malle Segment of Spirits of the Dead 1980 Armando's Notebook Dino Risi Segment of Sunday Lovers 1991 Il cane blu Giuseppe Bertolucci Segment of Especially on Sunday 1996 Sanpellegrino Calze Giuseppe Tornatore
Documentary film Year Title Director Notes 1952 Gli undici moschettieri Ennio De ConciniFausto Saraceni 1957 Questo nostro mondo Ugo LazzariniEros MacchiAngelo Negri With Massimo Dallamano, Paolo Gregori, Alvaro Mancori and Gian Maria Rimoldi 1960 Luigi Vanzi 1964 Love Meetings Pier Paolo Pasolini With Mario Bernardo
Documentary short Year Title Director Notes 1971 Pier Paolo Pasolini 1994 Corrado Farina 2024 Der rabe unheimlich Erik Mariñelarena With Boyd Estus
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Title Result 1984 BAFTA Awards Best Cinematography Once Upon a Time in America 2005 American Society of CinematographersInternational Award CamerimageLifetime Achievement Award 1980David di DonatelloBest Cinematography Camera d'albergo 1981 The Canterbury Tales 1986 Ginger and Fred 1987 The Name of the Rose 1988 Intervista 1990 The Voice of the Moon 1997 Marianna Ucrìa 1998 Life Is Beautiful
References
External links "A Lifetime Through the Lens": article from American Cinematographer