Leopoldo Trieste Movies
Garnering an impressive 160 film credits over the course of his enduring career, actor/writer Leopoldo Trieste worked with such noted directors as Federico Fellini (The White Sheik [1952]) and Roberto Rossellini (The Young and the Passionate [1952]) before coming to the attention of the international film community with such efforts as Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather Part II (1974) and Jean-Jacques Annaud's The Name of the Rose (1986). Born in Reggio Calabria, Italy, in 1917, Trieste began his career as a stage performer. Co-writing (as well as acting in) his first film following World War II, Love Prelude, proved a moderate success, though it wasn't until Fellini cast him in The White Sheik that his career truly took off. Subsequently scripting films and gaining a reputation as a respected playwright, Trieste continued to alternate between stage and screen in the following years, even attempting a stint at directing 1950's Città di Notte (City at Night) and 1960's Il Peccato Degli Anni Verdi. Though both films proved disappointing failures, Trieste pushed on and continued to find success in front of the camera. The veteran actor was the recipient of a Nastro d'Argento award for his role in The Star Maker (1995). In January of 2003, Leopoldo Trieste died of cardiac arrest in Rome, Italy. He was 85. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide- 1967
Paolo Giana Maria Volonte is a lonely teacher who learns that two of his friends have been murdered in this twisting crime drama. He discovers that the victims were the recipients of threatening, anonymous letters. Paolo falls for Louisa Irene Papas, the widow of one of the dead men. He finds out too late that she may have been an accomplice to the murder when he learns she may be having an affair with a local man of importance. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gian Maria Volontè, Irene Papas, (more)
- 1965
Courtroom tomfoolery provides the basis for this four-episode Italian anthology comedy. In the first segment "Adultery in 16mm," an angry wife attempts to sue her neglectful husband by charging him with abandonment. Meanwhile, he charges her with adultery and claims to have a few reels of home-movie footage to prove it. The films are shown and the courtroom gasps when they learn the identity of the woman's lover. The second "The Priest and the Prostitute," centers on a self-righteous clergyman who pursues the streetwalker who picked his pocket. The hunted and hunter end up in a pool hall. When she attempts to give her ill-gotten loot to her pimp, the priest pounces and a melee erupts. The police end up taking all of them to jail where more fun follows. In the third episode, "Indecent Exposure," an overly health-conscious fellow religiously swims naked in a Roman ditch every day. The trouble begins on the day in which his clothes are stolen. In the final episode, "The Lustful Lieutenant," an old hooker is charged with soliciting. The attending judge is struck by her resemblance to his old wartime love, but he isn't sure whether it is really her or not. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Farewell to Arms is the second film version of Ernest Hemingway's World War One novel--and also the last film produced by David O. Selznick (Gone with the Wind). Rock Hudson plays an American serving in the Italian Army during the "War to End All Wars". Jennifer Jones is his lover, a Red cross nurse. They have a torrid affair, which results in Jones' pregnancy. As the months pass, Hudson and Jones lose contact with one another, and Jones believes that Hudson has forgotten her. But a battle-weary Hudson finally makes it to Switzerland, where Jones is hospitalized. The baby is stillborn, and Jones dies shortly afterward, murmuring that her death is "a dirty trick." Filmed on a simpler scale in 1932 (with Gary Cooper and Helen Hayes starring), A Farewell to Arms was blown all out of proportion to "epic" stature for the 1957 remake--so much so that its original director, John Huston, quit the film in disgust. Still, the basic love story is touchingly enacted by Rock Hudson and Jennifer Jones. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rock Hudson, Jennifer Jones, (more)
- 1967
In this Italian comedy set in the 16th-century, a prince and a princess marry. Trouble ensues when a rumor that they have not consummated their marriage is circulated. The prince's father is most concerned, as a virgin marriage means he will have no heirs. He insists that the marriage be annulled. He then requires his son to marry another, but his current wife's family will not agree to the annulment until the prince proves he is a capable lover. The prince refuses to cooperate until his father threatens to cut him off financially. The prince then is paired with a virgin, and eventually passes his test. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1971
A family's murderous battle over some bayfront property is the subject of director Mario Bava's bloody horror-thriller, which many have cited as the grandfather of the modern slasher film. Claudine Auger is the scheming daughter of a murdered Countess; her staged suicide forms the basis of the film's plot. In a seemingly unrelated subplot, four hippies arrive in a dune buggy led by Brigitte Skay, who dances the Shake and swims naked before having her throat hacked open with a machete. Skay's boyfriend has his face chopped with the same machete and the other couple has a spear thrust through their bodies as they make love. All of these murder scenes were imitated in Steve Miner's Friday the 13th, Part 2, and the film's style influenced countless American slasher films of the 1970s and '80s. Bava also includes a strangulation by telephone cord, a gory axe decapitation, a man speared to a wall, and five other murders. Antefatto was a trendsetting film, and paved the way for literally hundreds of graphically violent imitations. The film exists in several versions, differing mainly in the extent of the bloodshed. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- 1956
Cittadi Notte (City at Night) is an existentialist-eye-view of Rome. The story concerns a quartet of "lost souls," played by Patrizia Bini, Henri Vilbert, Antonio De Teffe and Rina Morelli. Practically nothing happens plotwise, though the four protagonists are lovingly photographed (by Mario Bava) as they muse and pontificate on the state of the world. The appeal of Cittadi Notte was rather limited to other existentialists, who weren't much of a sales force in 1957. The film earned its biggest audience when it was shown out of competition at the 1957 Venice Film Festival. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henri Vilbert
To fully appreciate the international box-office bonanza Divorce, Italian Style (Divorzio All'Italiana), one must remember that back in 1962, divorce was illegal in Italy. Ferdinando Cefalú(Marcello Mastroianni) would love to unload his demanding, sex-starved, monumentally unappealing wife, Rosalia (Daniela Rocca), but he can't take the legal means open to his American counterparts. Ferdinando can, however, kill off his wife and receive a light sentence...provided he catches the lady committing adultery. The trick now is to make his plate-of-potatoes spouse attractive enough so that some other man will accommodate Ferdinando by cuckolding him. Divorce, Italian Style not only cleaned up financially, but also won several international film awards, as well as an Oscar nomination for Marcello Mastroianni. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marcello Mastroianni, Daniela Rocca, (more)
- 1953
Leopoldo Trieste's stage play Cronaca was the basis for the Italian drama Febbre di Vivere (Eager to Live). Though virtually every character in the film is tenuously connected with Italian high society, many of them can be classified as "low lifes." And none is lower than two-bit bookie Massico (Massimo Serato) who breaks at least three female hearts in the course of events. Coasting by on his charm, Massico manages to secure undying loyalty from all his women, even after casting them aside. But when he adds murder to his repertoire, his luck runs out. Marcello Mastrioanni is seen in a surprisingly passive role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Massimo Serato, Marcello Mastroianni, (more)
This Italian version of Henry IV is based on the Luigi Pirandello play rather than Shakespeare's historical work. Moreover, the Henry depicted herein is not the English king, but the 11th-century Holy Roman emperor. In addition, central character Marcello Mastroianni doesn't play emperor Henry, but instead a contemporary man of wealth who thinks he's Henry. Also, Mastroianni's delusion is not a delusion, but a subterfuge. Well, we told you it was based on a Pirandello play, so enter ye and leave all sanity behind. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marcello Mastroianni, Claudia Cardinale, (more)
Italian maestro Federico Fellini's first international success is a nakedly autobiographical film that bears many of the formal and thematic concerns that recur throughout his work. Set in the director's hometown of Rimini, I Vitelloni follows the lives of five young vitelloni, or layabouts, who while away their listless days in their small seaside village. Fausto (Franco Fabrizi), the leader of the pack, marries his sweetheart, but finds himself constantly distracted by other women. Meanwhile, would-be playwright Leopoldo (Leopoldo Trieste) continues work on his dreary plays, dreaming of staging them one day. Clownish Alberto (Alberto Sordi) still lives at home with his mother and sister, Olga (Claude Farell), while boasting of preserving the family honor by watching over her. While the movie seems to pay little attention to Riccardo (Riccardo Fellini) and Moraldo (Franco Interlenghi), the latter eventually emerges as its key character, plainly serving as Fellini's alter ego. Stuck in adolescence, the five friends stumble into various misadventures, as they seek to spice up their uneventful provincial lives. Ultimately, one of them breaks free from their self-imposed paralysis and moves on, leading to one of the most poignant farewell sequences in film history. A hit in Italy upon its release, I Vitelloni secured Fellini's reputation as an up-and-coming talent, while also introducing its title into Italian vernacular. ~ Elbert Ventura, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alberto Sordi, Franco Interlenghi, (more)
- 1949
The Italian The Sky is Red (Il Cielo e Rosso) details the romantic adventures of two postwar couples. Despite being confined to a quarantined zone (quarantined for political, rather than health reasons), love finds a way. The neorealistic elements are passable, but what really "sold" this film abroad was its graphic-for-its-times sexual content. The cast is headed by Jacques Sernas and Marina Berti, another step in the right direction box office-wise. One of the young romeos is played by Mischa Auer Jr., son of the famed Russian comic actor. Among the many screenwriters of The Sky is Red is frequent De Sica and Fellini collaborator Cesare Zavattini. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marina Berti, Jacques Sernas, (more)
- 1994
This Italian thriller is based on the true story of a young Sicilian public prosecutor murdered in 1990. The young magistrate Rosario is considered a revolutionary in his hometown of Canicatti, which is largely run by the Mafia. He is a serious young man, deeply religious and devoted to his parents with whom he still lives. He firmly believes that justice must prevail no matter what the cost. He does not hesitate to defy public opinion in his quest for justice. His parents fear for him. His boss is irritated by him. Fearing an early death, he dumps his fiance, Angela. So rigid a straight arrow is he, that even the other young prosecutors avoid him. Rosario is eventually gunned down by Mafioso Renato Carpentieri's henchmen. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Giulio Scarpati, Leopoldo Trieste, (more)
- 1959
Prolific director Giorgio Bianchi comes off with another good comedy in Il Moralista, due in no small part to the talents of Alberto Sordi as Agostino, the de facto head of a censorship board whose double life as a nightclub owner might raise some questions as to his censorial judgment. The titular head of the organization (Vittorio De Sica) is not that interested in running it himself, being more interested in women. The censors must review everything from posters for a show to the costumes in a show, as well as a production's language and content. Given their predilections, Agostino and his boss are unlikely candidates for making others walk the straight and narrow path of socially acceptable fare. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alberto Sordi, Vittorio De Sica, (more)
- 1966
The Franco-Italian L'Ombrellone stars Enrico Maria Salerno as a vacationing Roman engineer. He'd prefer a little peace and quiet, but his frisky wife (Sandra Milo) insists upon dragging him to party after party. At one of these Felliniesque get-togethers, Salerno notices that his wife is enjoying the attentions of a charming playboy (Jean Sorel). It's all quite innocent, but the usual complications and misunderstandings ensue. Also known as El Parasol, L'Ombrellone was released in the U.S. as Weekend Wives and Weekend Italian Style. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Enrico Maria Salerno, Sandra Milo, (more)
- 1968
This romantic and sometimes ribald historical farce finds nobleman Guerrando (Tony Curtis) knighted in the days before the Crusades. He inherits a castle, tax-collecting rights, first choice of all the fair young maidens of the region, and a draft notice from the King. Boccadoro (Monica Vitti) is the liberal-minded forest woman who catches the eye of the young nobleman. Courtship, love and marriage follows, but the wedding night is interrupted by a call to arms. Guerrando and Boccadoro are unable to consummate the marriage, and a chastity belt is used to insure her virginal status. The young bride follows her husband's troop at a distance hoping to get her hand on the coveted key to the lock. Comedy ensues as the key changes hands several times before Guerrando ultimately regains possession and is able to unlock the passions of his love-starved wife. This overlong film can best described as a punchline in search of a joke. One gets the feeling that the producers had wanted to title the film A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Crusades. As it stood, On My Way to the Crusades, I Met a Girl Who... was too unwieldy for most theater marquees, necessitating the film's title-change to The Chastity Belt. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Curtis, Monica Vitti, (more)
- 1971
Before the Allied invasion of North Africa in World War II, there was still plenty of confusion, and wartime national alliances often conflicted with personal friendships. Valentin (Michel Piccoli), a French black marketer, rescues Basil (Michael York), an English fighter pilot, off the coast of Italian-occupied Libya. The pilot is discovered by the police when Valentin leaves him with friends in order to visit with his Italian girlfriend. As a result, both Valentin and Basil are held in custody. They escape together and flee to the (neutral) Swiss Embassy, where they get help in the form of a car driven by the ambassador's wife. This French-language wartime comedy recounts their adventures on the journey out of Libya. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marlène Jobert, Michel Piccoli, (more)
- 1969
Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero headline this off-beat medieval drama in which Redgrave plays an allegedly insane woman who is allowed to finally leave the madhouse to see if she is capable of functioning normally. Her parents pay no attention to her and eventually sell her to a creditor. En route she escapes and runs into a poacher. She explains her terrible situation via flashback. He feels sympathetic and so the two head off for many free-flowing adventures. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1965
"White Voices" is a vernacular term referring to Italian Castrati of the 18th century Vatican Choir. The Castrati were male children who were castrated so that they could retain their beautiful soprano singing voices into maturity. Paolo Ferrari plays a Roman youth who isn't keen on being gelded and bribes his way out of it. Even so, he trains with the choir and becomes an habitue of the houses of the rich and famous, using his supposed lack of male essentials to his advantage--especially in bed. Ferrari comes a-cropper when he impregnates a girl and is forced to go under the knife to establish an alibi! It is very, very hard to write about White Voices without making a wisecrack, so we'll cut this short (oops!). The film, a French/Italian coproduction, was originally released in France as Le Sex Des Anges and in Italy as I Castrati. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paolo Ferrari, Sandra Milo, (more)
- 1969
After returning from a spiritual quest in India, a photographer (Giancarlo Giannini) is haunted by thoughts of death. He goes off the deep end when his younger sister kills herself in this tragic story of obsession and mortality. Valeria Morriconi is the moody sibling who eventually finds she cannot cope with life. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Giancarlo Giannini
- 1997
Based on an acclaimed, popular historical novel by Dacia Maraini, this 18th-century set costumer follows the adventures of a deaf-mute noblewoman who strives to escape her dark past and the social conventions that force her to remain married to a man she detests. The story begins when the already speechless title duchess is 12 years old. In hopes of shocking her back into speaking, her grandfather takes her to a hanging. The causes of Marianna's affliction are revealed slowly as the story progresses, but the whole truth is not revealed until the end. Though she is much loved by her family, they still force her to marry her ancient uncle when she is only 13. Her wedding night is horrific as is the birth of her first daughter. Her husband is desperate for an heir so she is forced to endure his unwanted attentions until she is finally able to bear him a son. Despite her oppressive life, Marianna is able to find freedom in subtle ways. She also has time to save a peasant girl from a terrible situation. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emmanuelle Laborit, Roberto Herlitzka, (more)
- 1986
Momo (Radost Bokel) is a ten-year-old orphan girl who tries to save her village from the evil clutches of the Grey Men in this uneven children's story. Led by Chief Grey Man (Armin Muller-Stahl), the Grey Men have managed to make the villagers give up all their leisure time. Momo must get to the rococo palace where the time guardian Hora (John Huston) stands in her way. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Radost Bokel, John Huston, (more)
- 1975
Banned in Italy, this movie tells the story of a teenage virgin who has somehow become pregnant. Mary is an epileptic and the town's witch (many rural Italian regions have women who practice folk-magic and medicine and whom they call witches or stregoni). When she appears to die after a seizure, she is given funeral rites but then recovers and walks home. Three months later, she is discovered to be pregnant. A furor gathers as the local people believe they are witnessing a virgin birth. The village priest is encouraged by his Cardinal to find the father of the baby...or else. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Turi Ferro, Andréa Ferréol, (more)
