Diana Lorys Movies
Sometimes its okay to judge a book by its cover and a film by its title. This blood-soaked cheapo Spanish horror film is a good example. Starring popular creepshow star Paul Naschy, it is the grim tale of three twisted sisters, a one-handed brunette, a wheel-chair bound blonde and a nymphomaniacal redhead who bedevil a handsome but hapless handyman whom they hire to fix up their decaying old house. Doffing his shirt to flash his muscular, hairy chest at every opportunity, Naschy soon finds himself encountering a bevy of beautiful, dead, eyeless (they were torn out by the killer) women laying about. When not sleeping with the redhead, Naschy attempts to solve the mystery and save his life. Actually, the literal translation of the Spanish title Los Ojos Azules de la Muñeca Rota, "The Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll" is far more intriguing. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jacinto Molina
- 1973
- PG
The US title of this Italian-Spanish-French coproduction is Chino, in deference to the character played by star Charles Bronson. Having long suffered the stigma of being part-Indian, New Mexico horse breeder Chino Valdez (Bronson) wants nothing more than to be left alone with his beloved horses. Even so, Chino opens his heart and his home to teenaged runaway Jamie Wagner (Vincent Van Patten), who becomes his protégé. But things take an unpleasant turn when the formerly taciturn Chino falls in love with Louise (Jill Ireland, the half-sister of antagonistic rancher Maral (Marcel Bozzuffi, replacing the original choice for the role, Lino Ventura). This film was based on The Valdez Horses, a novel by Lee Hoffman. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Charles Bronson, Marcel Bozzuffi, (more)
A Mexican revolutionary offers four marauding outlaws a million bucks to destroy an arsenal owned by the Mexican army. The arsenal gets blasted, but the million bucks doesn't get delivered in this "outsmart the outsmarters" and "double-cross the double-crossers" western saga. ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- Lee Van Cleef, Gina Lollobrigida, (more)
Director Jesus Franco remade his 1965 thriller Miss Muerte as a pure exploitation piece in this Liechtenstein-produced film starring Diana Lorys. The film concerns Anne, a dancer at a Yugoslavian nightclub who moves in with a conniving lesbian named Cincia. Cincia is scheming with Anne's doctor to eliminate witnesses from a jewel robbery they committed, and she hypnotizes Anne to carry out the murders. Meanwhile, Anne has the sensation of going insane, as she is unsure whether the murders are nightmares or reality. In an increasingly frantic state, Anne commits suicide, forcing a showdown between Cincia and the doctor. This film features plentiful nudity involving cult favorites Soledad Miranda and Maria Rohm. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- Starring:
- Diana Lorys
- 1969
In this exciting war drama, a hard-nosed army colonel helps to prepare French beaches for D-day using a band of convicted criminals. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1968
Hot Diamonds in Cold Blood is one of 13 obscure European actioners distributed to American television in the late 1980s. The stars are Richard Harrison (of sword and sorcery fame) and Adolfo Celi (he was the bad guy in Thunderball). Neither of these actors saw fit to include Hot Diamonds in Cold Blood in their official resumes, but that's their problem. The plot is simple in the extreme: Italian cops declare war against a gang of jewel thieves. Luis Davila and Diana Lorys also appear. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
This low-budget Spanish-Italian co-production was the handiwork of cult filmmaker Amando De Ossorio, best known for his series of Knights Templar zombie films which began with La Noche del Terror Ciego (1971). Faded '50s bombshell Anita Ekberg stars as Silvia, a young woman who travels to the family castle which she will soon inherit. When she arrives, she meets her uncle (Julian Ugarte), who gives her some rather disheartening news. Many years before, a nun named Malenka was burned as a witch in the town square and swore to return for revenge. Silvia looks just like Malenka, and the villagers are terrified that the witch's spirit has been reincarnated in her. Soon, villagers start dying, and Silvia is so sure that she is possessed that she breaks off her engagement, convinced that she is destined to kill her beloved (Gianni Medici). Naturally, as the title already gives away, the blood-drinking attacks are part of a plot by Ugarte to drive Silvia mad and steal her inheritance. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- Starring:
- Anita Ekberg, Julian Ugarte, (more)
Yul Brynner stars as the legendary Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa in this 1968 epic that was originally written by Sam Peckinpah, who hoped to direct it. But studio bosses instead hired Buzz Kulik and cut the script. Villa is commanded by General Huerta (Herbert Lom) and assisted by the sadistic Fierro (Charles Bronson). Captain Francisco Ramirez (Frank Wolff) is a counter-revolutionary leader for whom an American pilot, Lee Arnold (Robert Mitchum), is smuggling guns from Texas. While Arnold is in a small village waiting for his place to be fixed, he sees Ramirez's troops attack the village and get routed by Villa. The rebels arrest Arnold for gun-running and sentence him to face a firing squad. He works a deal to save his skin by agreeing to fly missions for the revolutionaries. While Villa's men attack a train, Arnold bombs government troops with grenades. Arnold's aerial support saves Villa when he is sent on a doomed mission by Huerta, who is vying with Villa for power. Arnold escapes to Texas and Villa is arrested for disobeying Huerta's orders. Villa eventually escapes, finds Arnold in Texas, and convinces him to fight again for the revolution, which is now targeting Huerta, who has assassinated the Mexican president and taken power. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi
- Starring:
- Yul Brynner, Robert Mitchum, (more)
- 1967
A prominent professor is abducted by a demented devil of a man who forces the scientist to place a superior brain into his head in this Italian sci-fi outing. Fortunately for the scientist, his daughter has enlisted the aid of a handsome hero to help her find him before it is too late. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1967
In this campy actioner an American operative is assigned to find the identity of those who have been monkeying with the moon rockets at Cape Kennedy. Eventually he discovers that the mastermind behind the mayhem is an insane villain with a powerful, world-wrecking laser cannon. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Anthony Eisley, Diana Lorys, (more)
In this western, a former lawman forces a corrupt outlaw to relinquish his hold upon an innocent town. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Audie Murphy, Broderick Crawford, (more)
- 1965
In this western, a gambler wins a big Mexican ranch and decides to herd all of the cattle upon it into Texas. The crook enlists the aide of a few Mexicans, but they don't realize he plans to cheat them. En route, the cattle drivers are ambushed by banditos. They survive, but during the course of the struggle, the cattle hands learn the truth and ensure that justice gets served. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Alex Nicol, Dick Bentley, (more)
- 1965
This drama is based on the true story of a Mexican immigrant and his wife, who travel to California during the Gold Rush of 1849. Their only friend in the area is an army captain. They are taunted by a group of racist miners, and the wife is raped and murdered. The husband swears revenge, rounds up a group of men, and conducts raids on mining camps in search of the murderers, becoming a successful gambler along the way. The army captain is forced to kill him when the raids get too wild. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jeffrey Hunter, Arthur Kennedy, (more)
- 1964
A greedy gold smuggler hires a handsome hero to transport a stolen fortune to a new hideout in this thrilling adventure. The smuggler sends his moll to accompany (and spy on) the hero. The two set out for Beirut to get instructions as to where the gold is located. They travel throughout exotic southeastern Europe and the Middle East seeking further instructions, never realizing that they have had it all along. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg, (more)
Cult director Jesus Franco had his greatest popular success with this horrific variation on George Franju's classic Les Yeux sans Visage. Set in 1912, the film concerns the efforts of mad surgeon Dr. Orloff (Howard Vernon) to reconstruct the face of his disfigured daughter Melissa (Diana Lorys). Helped by a freakish assistant named Morpho (Ricardo Valle), Orlof kidnaps several women including Dany (Maria Silva), a cabaret singer whose forgotten necklace is the clue which leads dedicated Inspector Edgar Tanner (Conrado San Martin) onto Orlof's trail. Using girlfriend Wanda Bronsky (also played by Lorys) as an undercover spy, Tanner lures Orlof into a trap, but the risks are greater than he imagines. Stock performers Perla Cristal, Mara Lasso, Venancio Muro, Felix Dafauce, and Juan Riquelme fill out the cast, while Franco himself appears as a pianist. Several versions exist, differing primarily in the amount of sex and violence depicted. One nude murder scene was later used in Pierre Chevalier's Caroline Mannequin Nue. Franco made the first of several sequels, El Secreto del Dr. Orloff in 1964. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
