Before the Jury (1931)
During a reception in a villa, wealthy banker Calandri is killed in the park with a gunshot. The gamekeeper Barra is immediately arrested, but he declares himself innocent. During the trial it turns out that the defendant had threatened the victim, guilty of courting his sister-in-law. But the deposition of a journalist present at the party soon leads to discover the existence of a dense network of equivocal relations between the victim, the guests and the servants. This judicial setting drama is allegedly the second Italian sound film after "The Song of Love", made using the RCA Photophone recording technique, and is also considered to be the first Italian detective film, a precursor to the later genre of Giallo films.
Director: Guido Brignone
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Renzo Ricci as Aroldo Cramoli |
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Marcella Albani as Leda Astorri |
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Carlo Ninchi as Marcello Barra |
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Lia Franca as Dora Bardi |
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Elio Steiner as Giulio Alberti |
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Elvira Marchionni as Cognata di Marcello |
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Giovanni Cimara as Carlo Astorri |
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Camillo De Rossi as Adolfo Calandri |
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Vasco Creti as Giovanni, il cameriere di casa Astorri |
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Franco Coop as Carlo Lirossi, il portiere di casa Calandri |
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Giorgio Bianchi as Lo sconosciuto |
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Luigi Carini as Presidente del tribunale |
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Raimondo Van Riel as Procuratore generale |
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Oreste Fares as Avvocato difensore |
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Umberto Sacripante as Cancelliere |
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Mercedes Brignone as Un'invitata al ricevimento |
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Gino Sabbatini as Un invitato al ricevimento |
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Giuseppe Pierozzi as Un giurato |
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Franz Sala as |
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Augusto Bandini as |
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Alfredo Martinelli as |
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Rosetta Calavetta as |
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Clara Di Marignano as |
| Directing | Guido Brignone | Director |
| Writing | Guido Brignone | Writer |
| Writing | Giuseppe Romualdi | Story |
| Writing | Mario Serandrei | Writer |