Italian director and screenwriter Dino Risi first worked as a psychiatrist before entering cinema as a film critic and screenwriter. In the early '40s, he briefly worked as an assistant director; toward the end of WWII, Risi was detained in Switzerland where he studied under filmmaker Jacques Feyder. When he returned to Italy, he began making short #92;documentaries, and by the early '50s had completely abandoned psychiatry to direct feature films, where he was noted for his ability to use Neapolitan-style humor to comment upon social situations in Italy, most particularly the plight of the poor. In addition to directing, Risi co-authored the stories and screenplays for most of his films. He died at age 91 in 2008. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide