Manuela Arcuri Movies
A heartless killer receives an ominous message after killing his old partner with a car bomb in director José Miguel Juárez's mysterious thriller. Unbeknownst to Miguel Gironza, Remedios and Nemesio have witnessed the violent murder. When the elderly witnesses appear at the funeral with a young girl and tell Gironza that all of his dreams will come true when he sees a black cat with a full moon on its forehead, the confused Gironza ponders the price he will have to pay for such an extravagant fantasy. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jose Sancho, Manuela Arcuri, (more)
This lavish historical drama was inspired by the true story of Juana the Mad, who became Queen of Spain before her willfulness and jealousy robbed her of her power. During the late 15th century, Juana (Pilar Lopez de Ayala) was born to the Spanish royal family, and as a teenager her mother, Queen Isabella (Susy Sanchez), arranged for her to marry Archduke Philip (Daniele Liotti) of Brussels. The marriage is a matter of politics more than anything else, and Juana is upset that she must leave behind Alvaro de Estuniga (Eloy Azorin), the boy she loves, but from the first time she sees Felipe, she's passionately attracted to him, and he soon awakens her to the joys of lovemaking. While Juana is happy with her new husband, Philip soon reveals himself to be an incorrigible womanizer (and rapidly loses sexual interest in her), leading to much tension between
Philip and Juana. To complicate matters further, her sexual appetite and desire to possess her husband only build, and soon, she is completely out of control on an emotional level - throwing tantrums in the rain, lapsing into arousal while she breast feeds and evincing a spectrum of equally questionable behavior that leads others (including Philip) to dub her "Juana the Mad."In time, Juana becomes the Queen of Spain, but her rise to power is tempered by Felipe' s behind-the-scenes machinations to have her dethroned once and for all. Lo and behold, she falls into the trap of missing this - as she's too distracted by Philip's continued infidelity. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Pilar López de Ayala, Daniele Liotti, (more)
- 2000
Post-operative paralysis gets played for laughs in this broad comedy starring popular Italian comic Vincenzo Salemme (who also directed and wrote the screenplay). Active and fun-loving Pericle (Salemme) finds himself confined to a wheelchair when an operation on his spine is botched by a careless doctor from France. An angry Pericle decides to sue, but to make his case he knows he'll need the help of his friend Mario (Carlo Buccirosso), a respected surgeon. Mario is not inclined to talk, however, as a major promotion is being dangled before him by the hospital where the surgery was performed as an inducement to keep quiet. Pericle decides to pay Mario an unexpected visit while he's on vacation in the hope he can be persuaded to help, but before long he finds himself travelling with a sizable entourage, including a beautiful physical therapist (Sabrina Ferilli), her close friend (Manuela Arcuri), Pericle's attorney (Maurizio Casagrande), and a pair of maiden aunts (Massimo Ceccherini and Nando Paone). Co-stars Sabrina Ferilli and Manuela Arcuri are best known in Italy as models, appearing in a series of top-selling pin-up calendars. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Vincenzo Salemme, Sabrina Ferilli, (more)
- 1995
A funky, more than slightly askew love affair between a hooker and a homosexual provides the core of this erotic Italian romantic comedy. Angela is the hooker who, along with a few cronies, provides customers with outdoor love. Adamo, is a platinum blonde Adonis who has just dumped his latest lover. Adamo has returned to his hometown to attend his mother's funeral. Deciding to stay for a while, he gets a menial job dumping rotten bananas. He is driving his truck one day when he sees Angela doing her job in some roadside business. He feels an instant rapport with her and soon regularly attends her al fresco trysts as a surreptitious spectator. Angela is happy to know that Adamo watches and goes about servicing her johns with extra vigor. Though the two never become physically involved, a genuine love develops between them. For Angela, who is surrounded by emotionally damaged people, Adamo represents a new-found hope that she will someday find true happiness. But it all changes when Adamo accidentally kills someone and gets arrested. Though she could save him, Angela stays away. Still she is grateful for their brief time together and her new vision of the great possibilities around her create far-reaching, positive effects for her and the other girls. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Vincenzo Peluso, Iaia Forte, (more)
- 1995
Italian filmmaker Carlo Verdone both directed and starred in this lightweight comedy comprised of three segments, each dealing with the experiences of three grooms embarking upon disastrous honeymoons. In the first a very proper, fastidious and socially conscious doctor marries a nervous wreck of a girl who only married him because she was expected to; soon after their ceremony, he takes her to the tomb of his first wife where he proceeds to compare them. In the second, a vulgar boor and his tawdry wife embark upon their wedding night with the intent of breaking records for marathon and inventive lovemaking. In the third, an innocent, meek fellow does his best to please his bride who is disappointed by her new husband. Things go awry from the start when the cleric stretches out their ceremony to a nearly unbearable length. Later during their first night together, his gravely ill father's nurse quits and her sister tries to kill herself. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
