Marc Porel Movies

Luca (Carl Diemunch) was born into a Venice household of pro-fascists yet carries out clandestine night excursions to support the Italian partisans in the midst of WW II's heavy fighting. His mother and father are too busy with their own slightly decadent lives to pay much attention to Luca's whereabouts. Meanwhile, a beguiling English governess (Theresa Ann Savoy) has come to live in the house, and enters into an affair with the father. Once the war is over, she is joined in the house by a nurse (Stefania Sandrelli) who comes to take care of Luca during a period of illness. Both the governess and the nurse vie for Luca's amorous favors, although he shows no particular enthusiasm at first. When the governess dies and the nurse is sent packing, Luca wakes up from his indifference and decides to take some action after all. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In this Italian thriller, a woman is tormented by morbid premonitions heralding the deaths of people she knows. As she tries to understand the terrifying phenomenon, she remembers her childhood when her mother jumped off a cliff and seemingly died. As the visions continue, she not only sees her own upcoming death, she also gains insight into the truth about her mother's demise. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Nothing remains the same in the love lives of those associated in any way with the case of the shooting death of Valeria (Carole Chauvet) by her husband Fabrizio (Marc Porel) during a hunting trip. Was it an accident or murder? Slowly, the police magistrate (Stefano Satta Flores) sifts through the evidence from the lives of those around the couple to determine the truth. This psychological detective story is based on an award-winning novel by Michele Prisco. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Based on a novel by Gabriele d'Annunzio, The Innocent (L'Innocente) is set amongst the aristocracy of 19th-century Italy. Wealthy Tullio (Giancarlo Giannini) thinks nothing of squiring his mistress (Jennifer O'Neill) in full view of his friends and the public. But when Giannini's cast-off wife (Laura Antonelli) begins an affair with a young novelist (based, it is said, on author d'Annunzio), it is too much for the philandering aristocrat. Outside of Erich von Stroheim, few directors were as masterful at combining lavishness with depravity as Luchino Visconti. The Innocent turned out to be Visconti's last film; he died in 1976, shortly before the picture's premiere. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A secret agent goes undercover as a flight attendant to crack a drug ring. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

Luchino Visconti (Count don Luchino Visconti di Modrone) was a film director, true, but he was also a nobleman and a grand patron of traditional European culture: opera, art, music, crafts and literature. These interests enliven many of his films, but few have been so inspired as the four-hour epic, Ludwig, about the castle-building "mad king" of Bavaria. This long film, made very near the end of Visconti's life, suffers greatly when shortened, as every moment is essential to the story. There are at least four different versions of the film (from just under three hours to over four hours in length); the uncut four-hour version is the most coherent, even though many might find it rather long. The disintegration of aristocratic individuals is a continuing theme of Visconti's, though Ludwig's is the most thorough decay he filmed. The last ruling king of Bavaria (1845-1886) is noted for many things besides his eccentricities: he sold Bavaria to Germany, ending the rule of the Bavarian monarchy; he built amazing castles all over his country (with the proceeds from the sale); and he was Richard Wagner's main sponsor. He was also a notorious recluse, conducting a lifelong platonic love affair with Empress Elizabeth of Austria, and finally succumbing to his adoration of handsome men in a series of outrageous affairs and orgies. His excesses eventually led to his being declared mentally incompetent and being held prisoner in his own castle. The film depicts this incredible life from his coronation at age 19 to his (unproved) assassination well over 20 years later. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

A Mafia hitman's decision to leave his profession results in bloodshed and tragedy. The violence begins when his bosses, to help him change his mind, have the assassin's wife and child brutally murdered, causing the hitman to launch a vendetta against his bosses. The film is also titled Big Guns. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This drama is based on a 1953 one-act play by Georges Amaudi. It details the confrontation between a determined young criminal and two brutal policemen who are bent on exacting a confession from him. The young criminal and his partner were caught after they attempted to rob a circus ticket booth. Even though they all know his partner killed the ticket clerk, the two policemen conducting the boy's interview have decided they want him to confess to the killing. During the interview, the policemen use every inducement they can think of to get the man to confess. Carrots failing, they then beat him almost to death. The town mayor, however, has overheard the whole affair, and is indignant. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Mara (Rita Hayworth) is the lonely owner of a gas station on a remote road leading to Salina, Mexico in this psychodrama. A young hippie (Robert Walker Jr.) is mistaken for her son who had left four years earlier. He is encouraged to stay and develops an amorous relationship with his supposed sister Billie (Mimsey Farmer). He looks into the family history and discovers Billie may have killed her own brother and Mara could very well be covering up the crime. Warren (Ed Begley) and Mara dance the frug in this feature, the last for Begley who died in April, 1970 and the second to last film for legendary screen siren Hayworth. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Wendy (Jacqueline Bisset) is the British guest of a French couple and the daughter of the man who saved the host's life during World War II. Living with the couple is their 20-year-old son and a 12-year-old nephew whose parents were killed in an automobile accident. The father and son both try to seduce the attractive guest. The young boy retreats into his own world and dreams of being taken back to Britain by Wendy in this romantic drama. The mother spends her time bleaching her hair and is seemingly uninterested in anything that goes on with her family at the beachfront villa. Meanwhile, Wendy and the younger boy develop a fondness for each other, while his aunt and uncle fail to understand his needs. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi