Vincenzo Cerami Movies
A love-struck poet travels into the heart of wartime Iraq in hopes of rescuing the woman he loves in Academy award-winning director Roberto Benigni's affecting tale of love and devotion. A kind poet and father to his daughters, a respected lecturer and literary figure to his students, and a complete nuisance in the eyes of his beloved Vittoria (Nicoletta Braschi), Attilio (Benigni) finds his life suddenly turned upside down when he learns that the object of his undying affections has been critically injured in a Baghdad bombing. Now, despite the chaos sweeping through Iraq, Attilio vows to risk everything in order to travel into the heart of Baghdad and deliver the medicine that will awaken the woman of his dreams from a potentially eternal slumber. Jean Reno and Tom Waits co-star in this heartfelt, seriocomic romance, which pits the uplifting power of love against the destructive force of bombs. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, (more)
Academy Award-winner Roberto Benigni adapts the classic children's tale by Carlo Collodi for the big-budget family-oriented comedy Pinocchio. In his usual fashion, Benigni directs and stars, this time as the little puppet boy made out of wood. The familiar story begins as a log of pinewood falls out of a cart and lands in front of woodcarver, Geppetto (Carlo Giuffré), who carves the puppet out of longing for a son. When the puppet begins to come alive and cause trouble, Geppetto is arrested and Pinocchio is left to his own naïve worldview. After getting a stern warning from the Blue Fairy (Benigni's wife and producer Nicoletta Braschi), Pinocchio sets out to reunite with his father, become a real boy, and succumb to some desire for adventure. Along the way, he meets a number of characters played by mostly Italian stage actors, including Franco Javarone, Peppe Barra, and Kim Rossi Stuart. The popular Italian comedy team Fichi d'India plays the roles of the Cat and Fox. Released by Miramax in the U.S., the film received an English-dubbed soundtrack with the voice talents of Glenn Close, David Suchet, and Breckin Meyer as Pinocchio. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, (more)
- 1999
- NR
Comedian Antonio Albanese directed this comedy about the strained relationship between three brothers -- and also played all three of the siblings himself. A funeral in Sicily reunites three brothers who have not seen each other in years -- Alex, an arrogant photographer; Salvatore, a businessman who has forsaken his Sicilian heritage and become a chauvinist of Northern Italy; and Pacifico, a teacher who is so mild-mannered his family didn't even remember he existed until he showed up for the memorial service. Albanese also co-wrote the screenplay for La Fame e la Sete with Vincenzo Cerami, who received notice for his script for Roberto Benigni's Life Is Beautiful. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonio Albanese, Lorenza Indovina, (more)
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)
- 1997
A loving young husband (popular Italian comedian Antonio Albanese) goes out one night to get his pregnant wife Beatrice (Valeria Milillo) the jar of mushrooms she craves and does not return for five years. Unbeknownst to either of them, Antonio was about to buy the mushrooms when a large package fell and conked him on the head. He regained consciousness with no memory whatsoever and simply wandered away. Five years later, he returns home with his wife's mushrooms with no idea that he had lost his memory. Unfortunately, by this time Beatrice has taken up with Gotffredo (Antonio Petrocelli), an experimental musician. He is the only father, her daughter Tonina (Sara Anticoli) knows. Undeterred, Antonio launches a determined, comical campaign to win back the naturally reticent Beatrice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1994
- R
Grossly mistaken identity provides the impetus in this Italian farce. Loris is an anti-social fellow with a high sex drive. During a party he is pointed towards an "easy mark." Unfortunately he approaches the wrong woman. When he discovers his mistakes, he nervously apologizes for the attempted liberties. A run-away chain-saw becomes involved and the frightened woman ends up filing a police report. Her report leads police boss Frustalupi that he has finally found the crazed sex killer the "Mozart of vice" whom Frustalupi has hunted for the last 12 years. Situations go from bad to worse as the police begin surveillance upon Loris whose every action becomes misconstrued by them. Things get even stickier when they put policewoman Jessica on the case as undercover bait. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, (more)
- 1993
Benito Mussolini (1883-1945) has received short shrift in the history books, and his pitiful later career and the disastrous alliance he made with Hitler certainly qualify him to be vilified as a sinister buffoon. However, earlier in his life, many feel that his virtues far outweighed his flaws; he was responsible for what was at the time an internationally recognized era of good, stable government in Italy. This biographical drama (in which the future dictator is played by Antonio Banderas) covers a period in his life when he was a schoolteacher and a budding figure in Italy's Socialist Party. A romantic debacle sent him into exile in Switzerland, where he took a job in a stone quarry and learned first-hand how workers can be oppressed. Later, he comes back to Italy, and gets better acquainted with the woman who was to become his wife. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonio Banderas, Susanne Lothar, (more)
Antonio Banderas steps into the shoes of Italian Fascist dictator and prime minister Benito Mussolini in director Gian Luigi Calderone's epic biopic. From his stratospheric rise through the ranks of the socialist party to his youthful turn as the local chief of the Italian Socialist Party and his keen ability to turned leftist factions against one and other, Mussolini's treacherous rise to power is documented in vivid and illuminating detail. A one-time anti-war campaigner whose opportunistic nature led him to become one of history's most notorious tyrants, Mussolini would ultimately find himself on the brink of collapse as he turned his back on the pacifists who pressed for neutrality and sold his soul to the unflinchingly conservative government. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonio Banderas, Claudia Koll, (more)
Originally titled La Corsa Dell'Innocente, this Italian drama focuses on that country's ongoing wave of kidnappings. The early scenes focus on a large, outwardly normal Italian family who happen to make their living by abducting wealthy children and holding them for ransom. When the family is wiped out by a rival gang, only 10-year-old Vito (Manuel Coalo) survives. Any other child would go to the police at this point, but Vito has been raised never to trust the police -- or anyone else, for that matter. There is an abundance of dramatic irony in store for the audience when the fleeing Vito is sheltered by the affluent Rienzi family, whose own child has recently been kidnapped. It soon becomes clear that Vito is simply not cut from his family's criminal cloth, and the decisions he makes show a clear sense of ethics and a determination to set right the vicious actions of his family. This marvelously multitextured film represented the directorial debut of Carlo Carlei. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Manuel Colao, Federico Pacifici, (more)
- 1991
- R
Comedian Roberto Benigni wrote and directed this Italian farce, in which he stars as Dante, a bus driver who is the exact double of the infamous gangster Johnny Toothpick (Benigni again). After Dante meets Johnny's girlfriend Maria (Nicoletta Braschi), he travels to her Palermo villa, where it quickly becomes apparent that Maria is setting up Dante to take the fall for Johnny's illicit behavior. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, (more)
Franco Zeffirelli directs his third Shakespeare adaptation (after Romeo and Juliet and Otello) with this film version of the tragedy Hamlet. The titular prince of Denmark (Mel Gibson), returns home to his family's castle of Elsinore after years of attending school in Germany to find out his father has died and his uncle Claudius (Alan Bates) is the new king. To make matters worse, Claudius has married Hamlet's mother, Queen Gertrude (Glenn Close), whom he has unusually strong feelings for. Hamlet is visited by his father's ghost (Paul Scofield), who asks him to seek revenge for his murder. In order to find out who the real killer is, Hamlet stages a theatrical scene resembling his father's death. Claudius is upset by the production and leaves to arrange for Hamlet's murder. In the ensuing confusion, Hamlet accidentally kills Polonious (Ian Holm) instead of Claudius; Hamlet's lover, Ophelia (Helena Bonham Carter), goes mad and commits suicide; and eventually Hamlet and Claudius both meet their fate. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mel Gibson, Glenn Close, (more)
Leviathan, a sci-fi thriller directed by George Pan Cosmatos, is the story of a group of scientists who discover a sunken Russian submarine which contains a monster that is the product of a genetic experiment. This film, a hybrid of both The Abyss and Alien, has a decent cast, including Peter Weller as Beck, the lead oceanographer. Working with a good budget, action director Cosmatos, should have been able to put together better action sequences and a more frightening monster, but he gives this derivative, silly film below-par special effects and no particular visual style. Leviathan, while it may entertain a less-sophisticated viewer, has little to offer fans of the genre who are looking for thrilling special effects. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Weller, Richard Crenna, (more)
- 1989
- R
Set during the Mussolini years, Open Doors stars Gian Maria Volonte as an old-line judge. Volonte tries to remain faithful to the letter of the law, despite the "improvements" made by the Fascists. His insistence upon justice over dogma results in government reprimands, and ultimately poses a threat to Volonte's well-being. The honesty vs. corruption theme transcends the film's period settings, resulting in an allegorical masterpiece that has significance in any country, any time. Open Doors was a nominee for the "best foreign picture" Academy Award. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gian Maria Volontè, Renato Carpentieri, (more)
- 1988
- R
Ferroccio Ferri (Paolo Rossi) is a quiz-show champion who is an expert on camels in this offbeat comedy. He is eligible for the upcoming show that will award a sizeable sum of money to the grand-prize winner. Camillo (Diego Abatantuono) is the manager of a second-rate traveling troupe who recruits Ferri to ride a camel for a promotional tour of the Po Valley. Sabina Guzzanti plays a notoriously bad singer in Camillo's troupe with comedic flair. Ferri loses on the quiz show and meets the beautiful Anna (Giulio Boschi) on the train ride back home. Anna talks Ferri into posing as her lover so she can dump her fiancee in front of her mother (Laura Betti) and father (Giancarno Sbragia). ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paolo Rossi, Diego Abatantuono, (more)
- 1988
Father Maurice (Walter Matthau) is called on to perform an exorcism of a demon from a fat lady in this offbeat comedy. What emerges is Giuditta (Roberto Benigni) a narcissistic, fun-loving devil with a penchant for nonsensical sayings, and the devil attaches himself to Father Maurice for a series of comedy gags. Giuditta falls for the gambler Nina (Nicoletta Braschi) and impedes the priest's romantic progress with the beautiful Patrizia (Stefania Sandrelli). Maurice discovers that Nina and the expressionless Cusatelli (John Lurie) are two demons sent to retrieve the wayward Giuditta. Matthau and Benigni provide the majority of the laughs with Benigni doubling as director and devil. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roberto Benigni, Walter Matthau, (more)
- 1988
- PG
A ham radio operator hears more than he wants to when he tunes into a satellite relay station and listens in on the murder of a woman in this suspenseful Italian thriller. The other witness is Peter, who helms the station and accidentally taps into a spy station. Unfortunately, he doesn't know where the murder occurred. He and the amateur radio operator then team up to warn the woman they believe will be the next victim of the murderer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Spano, Oliver Benny, (more)
- 1987
Lorenzo (Francesco Nuti) is a local playboy who satisfies the carnally curious women of Genoa in this often somber comedy drama. He makes the mistake of falling in love with a woman who is to be married the following day. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Francesco Nuti, Ornella Muti, (more)
- 1986
Physician Robert Briand (Robin Renucci) runs a leper colony in the 15th century that takes in new residents who suffer from the ravages of syphilis. When the beautiful Marie-Blanche (Isabelle Pasco) is brought to the grim, prison-like facility, Robert finds she displays no apparent signs of disease. He risks everything when he falls in love with the woman and makes plans to run away with her. Erland Josephson plays Robert's father, with Piera Degli Esposti as Robert's faithful assistant Terese. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robin Renucci, Isabelle Pasco, (more)
- 1985
Giuseppe Bertolucci (younger brother of Bernardo Bertolucci) has created a movie unusual for its all-female cast of well-known Italian actresses and for a script that gives them latitude to develop their individual characters. The story is about Laura (Lina Sastri) a young terrorist who commits a rash act of cold-blooded murder which introduces the other women in this story. Laura is in Venice when she kills a judge and a gang member who was vacillating in his commitment. The dead terrorist's mother (Rosanna Podesta) and sister (Giulia Boschi) attend his funeral in Avellino, an area devastated after a severe earthquake -- a particularly dramatic backdrop for a funeral. Back home, Laura's former nanny (Alida Valli) still lives with the family and is as astute as ever -- she figures out what Laura has done and leaves for good. Laura's mother (Lea Massari) is not as perceptive about her own daughter and can hardly believe Laura has done anything wrong, even after the police come to take her away. The effect this has on the devoted mother is totally devastating. Meanwhile, Laura is brought before a judge (Mariangela Melato) for questioning, made all the more difficult because of her critical emotional state and the judge's own personal problems. The wisdom of Laura's confession and the many "secrets" she reveals is another matter entirely. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lina Sastri, Lea Massari, (more)
- 1985
In a routine drama about teen drug addiction, Antonio Morelli (Ben Gazzara) is a lawyer with good community standing who is overwhelmed when he discovers that his son has a heroin habit. Antonio lets his law practice slide, and he does everything he can to get his son off drugs -- but nothing works. Finally, in desperation he intentionally starts taking heroin himself in a risky effort to show his son what it looks and feels like from the other side of the fence. He can only hope this last-ditch effort achieves what nothing else could up to now. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Gazzara, Sergio Rubini, (more)
- 1985
In a well-rounded tale of fatherly love and its sacrifices, (Francesco Nuti) stars as Romeo Casamonica, a thief just released from a five-year prison sentence who returns to his old haunts to look for his wife and son. The neighborhood has changed beyond recognition, his wife is nowhere to be seen, and only after outsmarting a cold-blooded social worker does he find out the truth about his son. The boy has been adopted by a couple living in the mountains. In order to get closer to the eight-year-old Lorenzo, Romeo anonymously insinuates himself into the household and promptly falls for his son's adoptive mother (Ornella Muti). Matters become even more complicated when he sees how happy his son is with his new parents. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Francesco Nuti, Ornella Muti, (more)
- 1984
In director Anna Maria Tato's shallow depiction of an equally shallow dalliance, Lucia (Fanny Ardant) is unavoidably delayed in meeting her husband in Greece and so decides to take a detour (both geographically and emotionally) to visit her hometown in the south of Italy. Once there, she enters into a brief, afternoon fling with a local man of smoldering looks -- and overcome by what she has done, she hits him on the head with an ashtray and escapes while he is out cold. Soon she is joined by a young girl also running away (from her First Communion celebrations), and the two proceed to hide out from the understandably vexed young man who has regained consciousness and is piqued about his post-coital experience. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fanny Ardant, Leonardo Treviglio, (more)
- 1984
Enhanced by a good musical score and good cinematography, this first-time directorial effort by Francesca Comencini is an engrossing, partially autobiographical story of a drug-addicted couple who heroically try to break their destructive habit. Maria (Giulia Boschi) and Paolo (François Siener) agree to live apart and not reunite until they are heroin-free. Their scheme works, and to celebrate they take a vacation in Sri Lanka together -- but it was ill-timed. The two lapse in their resolve and soon they are shooting up as before. Paolo despairs of being normal again, and Maria devotes herself to playing her grand piano as a consolation and inspiration in her fight against her drug habit. The couple's differing attitudes toward their addiction soon reach dramatic and tragic proportions, as the film nears the closing credits. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Giulia Boschi, Giovannella Grifea, (more)
