Francesco Maselli (9 December 1930 – 21 March 2023), also known as Citto Maselli , was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Born into a well educated family (his father was an art critic) originally from the Molise region, Maselli graduated from the Italian National Film School in 1949 and began his career as an assistant and assistant director for Luigi Chiarini , Michelangelo Antonioni , and Luchino Visconti. After directing several short documentary and fiction films, he gave his feature film debut with the World War II drama Abandoned (1955), which premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Following a series of minor films, Maselli had greater success with Silver Spoon Set (1960, also titled The Dolphins ) and Time of Indifference (1964), an adaptation of a novel by Alberto Moravia. In the 1970s, Maselli turned to openly left-wing political films, notably Open Letter to a newspaper of the evening (1970) and The Suspect (1975), before shifting to more intimate films centered on female protagonists in the 1980s such as A Tale of Love (1986) and The Secret (1990). In 2021, Maselli was honored with a retrospective at the Venice Film Festival, where many of his films had seen their premiere. Maselli died in Rome on 21 March 2023, at the age of 92.
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Biography from TMDB.
- December 9, 1930
- March 21, 2023 (aged 92)
- Rome, Italy
- Director and writer
- 6 on MovieCove · 42 credits in all
What are Francesco Maselli's films like?
Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 3
A split, not a type: Light 1 · Serious 1 · Dark 2
Grounded 2 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0
Gentle 1 · Charged 2 · Intense 1
Steady 1 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
Casual 1 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0
A split, not a type: Easy watch 1 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 2
A split, not a type: Resolved 2 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Francesco Maselli's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 2 of their 6 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on The Criterion Channel (2).
Subscription and free streaming for Francesco Maselli's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
42 credits, 6 with a MovieCove page; 8 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Scossa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Franco Cristaldi e il suo cinema Paradiso (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
The Red Shadows (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
All Human Rights for All (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Civico zero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Fragments of the Twentieth Century (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
The Spring of 2002 - Italy Protests, Italy Stops (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Il compagno (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Intolerance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Cronache del terzo millennio (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Rome, November 12, 1994 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Dawn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Il segreto(1990)
Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Codice privato (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
Storia d'amore (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
Farewell to Enrico Berlinguer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
Sabatoventiquattromarzo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
The Ship Sails On(1983)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all filmsAvventura di un fotografo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
The Terrace (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
The Suspect (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
Amarcord(1973)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Open Letter to the Evening News (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
A Fine Pair(1968)
Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films
Kill Me Quick, I'm Cold (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Time of Indifference (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Latin Lovers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
The Dolphins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
Children in the Cinema (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
The Doll that Took the Town (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Abandoned (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Love in the City(1953)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
We, the Women (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
The Lady Without Camelias (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
Fioraie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
Three Girls from Rome (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
Sport minore (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
Bambini (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Story of a Love Affair(1950)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Pact with the Devil (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Lies of Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)
Bagnaia paese italiano (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)
Career shape
A full career of 42 titles from 1949 to 2012.
Biggest box office
Story of a Love Affair (1950)
Highest rated
Story of a Love Affair (1950)
Most popular right now
Il segreto (1990)
Film career
- 1980Screen debut· The Terrace
How do Francesco Maselli's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 71st percentile, the median of all 6; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 44th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up3
- 50th to 74th1
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
2 of their 6 titles are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved2
- Crowd Pleaser2
- Mixed2
Reviewers score the atmosphere 63/100 and the pacing 32/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Francesco Maselli work with?
People who share at least 2 of Francesco Maselli's MovieCove titles; Michelangelo Antonioni shares the most, 2.
- Michelangelo AntonioniShared titles: Love in the City (1953), Story of a Love Affair (1950)See all 2 shared titles with Michelangelo Antonioni
