Giustino Durano Movies
In this WW II tragicomedy, famed Italian funnyman Roberto Benigni (The Monster) portrays Guido, who moves during the '30s from the country to a Tuscan town, where he is entranced by schoolteacher Dora (Nicoletta Braschi, Benigni's real-life wife). Dora likes Guido, but she remains faithful to her pompous fiancé, so Guido has an uphill struggle. Meanwhile, anti-Semitic attitudes lead to attacks against Guido's Jewish uncle (Giustino Durano). Leaping ahead to five years later, during WW II, Guido and Dora are married and have a son Giosue (Giorgio Cantarini). After they are imprisoned in a concentration camp, Guido goes to elaborate lengths to keep his son from understanding the truth of their situation. He tells the boy that they are competing with others to win an armored tank -- so everything from food shortages to tattoos is explained as necessary for participation in the contest. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, (more)
- 1967
Peter Sellers stars, as the tagline states, "as that cunning matador who flees from the bulls so that he may chase the chicks!" Juan Bautista (Peter Sellers) is an inept matador who wants to be a singer. Francisco Carbonell (Adolfo Celi), the owner of a local Barcelona night spot, offers Juan a singing contract for a week --the only stipulation being that he has three days to seduce Olimpia Segura (Britt Ekland), the "most desirable woman in Barcelona." The bumbling matador tries a series of half-baked lovemaking techniques that, amazingly, get Olimpia to come around. But when Olimpia discovers that Juan wanted to seduce her merely to get a singing job, Juan finds that avoiding charging bulls is a much safer vocation than dealing with an irate Olimpia. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Sellers, Britt Ekland, (more)
- 1967
Guy Madison has a high old time as a would-be feudal baron in the Wild West. No one is willing to stand up to Madison and his henchmen-no one, that is, except mild-mannered inventor Tom Bosley. It seems that Bosley has welded together a robot gunslinger, whom he calls "The Bang Bang Kid". Only trouble is, the "Kid" breaks down at the darnedest times. The film goes off in too many directions, but generally delivers the goods laugh-wise. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Guy Madison, Sandra Milo, (more)
With Peter Sellers as star, Neil Simon as screenwriter, and Vittorio DeSica as director, how could After the Fox miss? Miss it did, however--though the film, patchy and inconsistent though it might be, definitely has its moments. Sellers plays an Italian master thief who can't seem to stay out of jail. His latest scheme involves moving $3 million worth of stolen gold bullion from Cairo to Rome. To cover his tracks, Sellers pretends to be a "nouvelle vague" movie director, filming a crime picture. Britt Ekland, Mrs. Sellers at the time, plays his movie-struck sister. The film is effortlessly stolen by Victor Mature, who is unbearably funny as a vainglorious hasbeen Hollywood star. Director DeSica shows up in the film as "himself"-at least until all his camera equipment is stolen by Sellers and his partner-in-crime Akim Tamiroff. Never as hilarious as it should have been, After the Fox nonetheless manages a few isolated belly laughs. Outside of Mature's performance, our favorite bit in the film is the final gag: "Ze wrong man has escaped!" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Sellers, Britt Ekland, (more)
- 1965
Following up 1964's Academy Award nominated L'Homme de Rio, French filmmaker Philippe de Broca wrote and directed this big-screen adaptation of André Couteaux's novel Un monsieur de compagnie. Jean-Pierre Cassel stars as Antoine, a young man who holds the philosophy "Laziness is the mother of all virtue" close to his heart and spends many dreamy days fishing with his wealthy grandfather. But when he has a prophetic dream that the old man will die impoverished, Antoine is motivated to change his life and try to earn his own money. Also starring Catherine Deneuve and Jean-Pierre Marielle, Un monsieur de compagnie was released in the United States in 1966 under the title Male Companion. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean-Pierre Cassel, Jean-Claude Brialy, (more)
- 1962
Filmed in Egypt, The Golden Arrow stars yesteryear's beefcake Tab Hunter as a bold Arabian Nights bandit. He discovers that he's actually the son of a Sultan, and that his kingdom is in danger. In order to save his people and restore his throne, the Tabmeister must locate a magic golden arrow. Or, if you prefer, he must locate "la fraccia d'oro", which was the original Italian title of this film. The Golden Arrow lets us know halfway through that it's not to be taken seriously (as if we had up till then) by offering us two comic genies: One skinny, one lazy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tab Hunter, Rossana Podestà, (more)
- 1961
In this 16th-century swashbuckler, the trouble begins when a sea captain is unjustly sentenced to hang by the evil ruler of the Duchy of Doruzzo and his daughter. Meanwhile, the comely lass who believes herself the doomed captain's daughter is about to be sold to a harem when they are freed by a handsome hero whom the captain hopes will marry his daughter. Father and daughter then become pirates, and the hero is obligated to catch them, but when he falls in love with the girl, he switches allegiance and helps her attack the ruler's palace. The two then lead the other pirates, and the angry peasants in a revolt, resulting in the eventual death of the ruler, who confesses on his deathbed that the female pirate (the captain's supposed daughter) is his real daughter and heir to the Duchy; he then goes on to tell her that years before he had ordered the captain to kill her, but he refused and raised her instead. This confession so angers the other daughter that she goes into a convent; meanwhile the pirate lovers prepare for their wedding. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
