Luigi Barbini Movies
- 1970
Put in the coldest possible terms, Medea is the story of a woman who gets sore at her husband and kills her children to get even. Greek opera diva Maria Callas is certainly in her element as Medea in this 1970 film version of the venerable theatrical piece, with Giuseppe Gentili as her husband Jason and Massimo Girotti as her father, King Creon. When Jason announces that he's prepared to bigamously marry princess Glauce (Margareth Clementi), she exacts her bloody revenge. Despite the excess verbiage and his notoriously loquacious leading lady, director Pier Paolo Pasolini conveys most of Medea's plotline visually. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Maria Callas, Guiseppe Gentili, (more)
Terence Stamp is known only as "The Visitor" in Pier Paolo Pasolini's Teorema. The mysterious stranger insinuates himself into the home of a wealthy Italian family, where he exerts a curious, sensual spirituality over everyone in the household. He then proceeds to seduce everyone in the family (male and female) including the maid, which gives each person some sort of unique epiphany. Because he reveals so little about his innermost thoughts, "The Visitor" becomes all things to all people. What it boils down to is this: Is the enigmatic visitor Christ, or is he the Devil? Matching Terence Stamp's multi-textured performance every step of the way is Laura Betti as the family's maid; Betti, in fact, won the "Best Actress Award" at the 1968 Venice Film Festival. Director Pasolini adapted the screenplay of Teorema from his own novel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Silvana Mangano, Terence Stamp, (more)
- 1964
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Relating his facts in straight-on documentary fashion, Pier Paolo Pasolini's 1964 Biblical film stars Enrique Irazoqui as Jesus. In it, Christ and his followers are depicted as gentle radicals working against the grain of the unjust Roman power structure. Typically offbeat Pasolini touches include having Satan disguise himself as a Catholic priest and the casting of the director's own mother as the Virgin Mary. The music is selected from a variety of sources, from Bach to American spirituals. Il Vangelo Secondo Matteo was released in the U.S. as The Gospel According to St. Matthew -- much to the discomfort of Pasolini, who didn't want Matthew designated as a saint. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Enrique Irazoqui, Margherita Caruso, (more)
