For a long time, Gin Mart, who starred in Il mostro di Venezia, was assumed to be Italian character actor Gino Marturano (veteran from numerous spaghetti westerns… he almost always wears black has had a rather stiff, straight backed walk). Apparently, this is incorrect (I guess this must have been sent to DVD Savant or something?)…
Letter of correction from Michele Martocci, 9/30/2005: Dear Glenn Erickson, My name is Michele Martocci, I’m the son of GIN MART. Just a couple of lines to let you know that the real name of GIN MART, main actor in “Il Mostro di Venezia”, aka “The Embalmer”, directed by Dino Tavella in 1964, is not Gino Marturano, but LUIGI LEONE MARTOCCI, my father. As undisputable evidence I can show his contract signed for Gondola Film (see attachment). I don’t know why, but the Italian “DIZIONARIO DEL CINEMA ITALIANO”: I FILM vol. 3, quotes: GIN MART= Gino Marturano. In March 2004 I contacted the publisher Gremese who ignored many letters of mine. Having spoken later to the authors of the book, they informed me that Gremese could have corrected the information on the book at the time I contacted him. … (deletion) …. So, Gremese is the major culprit in the perpetuation of this error. ….(deletion).
GIN MART was LUIGI LEONE MARTOCCI (Bari, Italy 26th of feb. 1932 – Brest, France 3rd of jan. 1988).
Curiously, I don’t think Gin Mart / Luigi Martocci was ever in anything else (apart from an uncredited part in Cleopatra, which employed just about everybody in Rome at some point)
Dear Michele Martocci…
I have been trying to work out which uncredited part your father played in Cleopatra (1963)…is he the centurian called Marcellus, who stands just behind Caesar as the Roman ship docks at Alexandria? And one of the two soldiers who takes Pothinus away to be executed and then returns a few minutes later and passes a bloody knife to Agrippa?
I’m just interested to know…
Many thanks
Steve
Dear Steve,
I’ve just come across your question in this forum…
I remember (at the time I was 5) my dad at home (we lived in Rome just in front of the Pantheon, the most beautiful square in the world…) having a few pages with plenty of lines to learn by heart. In the first place his role was that of Marcellus and I still have in my eyes -in some way- him talking to somebody (I mean in the movie). Later on, having changed director, Rouben Mamoulian was fired and replaced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, everything changed. So, my dad played 3 or 4 times in the movie an anonymous Pretorian (or Centurion) and the last DVD version of the movie confirms such thing. The entire movie itself was ultimately distorted. I need to watch again the movie (but I have a sort of time code written down for my dad’s apparitions) and if you give me some time I’ll let you know exactly when and where he appears.
Now I’d like to answer the gentleman who wrote: “Curiously, I don’t think Gin Mart / Luigi Martocci was ever in anything else (apart from an uncredited part in Cleopatra, which employed just about everybody in Rome at some point)”.
My dad was contacted so many times by many directors (especially after “Il mostro di Venezia”) who wanted him into so called “Spaghetti westerns” and many other movies. He never liked completely that kind of world, he was very happy with his profession. He was a very requested, I’d say the most requested, fashion model in Italy at that time. Always traveling everywhere for Litrico, Valentino, Pierre Cardin and many more. That’s why he didn’t fancy to make movies anymore…
I hope this answer is helpful. My english is a bit “rusty”, but my memories still vivid. I miss my dad, such an elegant and moderate man.
Thank you for your interest and all the best to you.
Michele Martocci
Hi Michele,
Thank you very much for the information, that’s absolutely fascinating!
Best,
Matt