Julian Ugarte Movies
Spaghetti meets chop-suey in the Italian/Spanish/Hong Kong production Blood Money. Lee VanCleef plays an adventurer in search of a treasure buried somewhere in the orient. The clues are tattooed on the backs of four lovely young ladies. This translates to lots of exposed epidermis, not to mention a surplus of blood-and-gore. VanCleef emerges from the confusion with his reputation intact, but most of the supporting actors were never heard from again. Blood Money was produced by Sir Run Run Shaw, Hong Kong's leading purveyor of box-office bonanzas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Van Cleef, Lo Lieh, (more)
- 1972
A beautiful young gold digger enters into a deadly game of deception when she marries a blind millionaire, and quickly discovers that she's not the only one after his money. As the unscrupulous new bride enters into a torrid affair with her husband's handsome valet, it's soon revealed that the household servants have their own murderous plan for striking it rich. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1972
- R
The Man Called Noon is a western about a man who is called "Noon" (Richard Crenna) because he has amnesia and has no other name. As he searches for his identity, it becomes clear that he is on a mission to avenge the deaths of his wife and child. His quest is furthered by the outlaw Rimes (Stephen Boyd) and he receives comfort from a lady named Fan (Rosanna Schiaffino). The villain proves to be Judge Niland (Farley Granger), and the trio go to extraordinary lengths to put him out of action. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Crenna, Stephen Boyd, (more)
- 1970
This uneven story finds Ristel (Lex Barker) as an actor bored with life who breathes his soul into a doll. The doll is taken by a dim-witted servant, and Ristel's lover Ana (Teresa Gimpera) hires a detective to investigate his death and find the missing doll. When the doll begins to talk, the frightened servant smashes it on a beach, and Ristel's soul enters the body of a strangled woman. She comes to life and confronts Ana, but the woman is strangled again by her original killer. Ristel's restless soul tries to take refuge in a stone. Color process is not credited. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lex Barker, Teresa Gimpera, (more)
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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anita Ekberg, Julian Ugarte, (more)
Distraught werewolf Waldemar Daninski (played by Spain's most popular horror movie star Paul Naschy) becomes so desperate to find a cure for his lunar-influenced affliction that he visits occult shopkeepers to find a cure. Unfortunately, those who seem anxious to help him turn out to be ruthless bloodsuckers. Originally filmed in 3-D, this film was a major hit in Spain. Before getting US released it had 45 minutes hacked away and was transferred to regular two-dimensional films. Naschy, using his birth name Jacinto Molina, wrote the script. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
As was his custom, producer/director Stanley Kramer made some iconoclastic casting decisions when mounting his $5 million production The Pride and the Passion. Adapted from The Gun, a novel by C. S. Forester, the film is set in Spain during the Napoleonic wars. Captain Anthony Trumbull (Cary Grant), a British military officer, is ordered to retrieve a large and unwieldly abandoned cannon, then transport the weapon to the British lines, where it will be used to attack the French garrison at Avila. Hotheaded guerilla leader Miguel (Frank Sinatra) agrees to help Trumball move the cannon over hill and dale, even though he hates the Englishman's guts. Tagging along on the arduous odysseys is Miguel's fiery mistress Juana (Sophia Loren), who develops a yearning for the stolid Trundall (then-lovers Loren and Grant would later be teamed in Houseboat). Pride and the Passion made a mint at the box-office for both Kramer and United Artists. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, (more)
