Armando Trovajoli Movies

The bulk of this amusing crime film consists of a plan to steal a fortune in gold from the supposedly impregnable vaults of Geneva's Credit Suisse Bank. A criminal genius (Philippe Leroy) watches from across the street as his six henchmen -- whose names all begin with the letter "A" -- carry out the caper. Among the burglars are such familiar actors as Gabriele Tinti and Gaston Moschin, while Rosanna Podesta appears as Leroy's mistress, the scheming Giorgia. After the heist itself, which consumes nearly an hour of screen time, the group becomes fraught with mistrust and suspicion, only to lose out on their wealth when the stolen gold ends up scattered in a public square. Leroy and the rest returned in director Marco Vicario's Il Grande Colpo dei Sette Uomini d'Oro the following year. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

In this comedy anthology, the sex-capades of several Italian couples are chronicled. In "The Scandal," a dull and insensitive husband is unaware that his lonely wife has been flirting with a young buck at a vacation resort. When the husband finally finds out, he gets jealous and the marriage is renewed. In "Sin in the Afternoon," a movie producer is frustrated because his wife refuses to touch him, and so he winds up picking up a comely woman off the street and taking her to a motel. "The Victim" chronicles the relationship between an insanely jealousy woman and her beleaguered husband, whom she drives away. She, seeking revenge, begins an affair with his best friend. In the final episode, "Modern People," a deeply indebted cheese maker is given the option of paying the debt in cash or allowing the debtor an evening of lovemaking with his gorgeous wife. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This gang-directed comedy combines the talents of Dino Risi, Franco Rossi, and Luigi Filippo Sonego. In "A Decisive Day," Nino Manfredi plays a shy company employee who wins the heart of a longtime flame only to discover she is married. Franco Rossi directs "Complex Of The Nubian Slave" starring Ugo Tognazzi and Claudie Lange. An Italian bigwig faces social ruin when he discovers his wife once appeared nude in a sword-and-sandal epic. Luigi Filippo directs "Toothsome Guglielmo" starring Alberto Sordi in the final episode. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Marcello Mastroianni portrays the handsome lover Casanova pitted against a thoroughly modern woman. This is a legendary hero often depicted in movies, but this time he is portrayed with a slightly different problem - the only time he's "in the mood" is when he feels that he is in danger. His job as NATO officer offers plenty of opportunity for his sexual arousal problems to be assuaged. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide

Vittorio Gassman stars as different characters in each of the nine episodes of this unusual Italian comedy. Playing everything from a practical joker to a prisoner, he comments upon romance, love and women in general, as referred to by the title. Prior to this feature, Gassman had worked with both screenwriter Ruggero Maccari and Ettore Scola (who also co-wrote rather than directed) in the 1962 feature Il Sorpasso from director Dino Risi. It was Risi and Maccari's teamwork which helped Gassman win a "Best Actor" award at Cannes Film Festival in 1974 for Profumo di Donna/Scent of a Woman. Gassman would later work with Maccari and Ettore again in episodic fashion with Signore e Signori Buonanotte/Goodnight, Ladies and Gentlemen (1976) and yet again in the drama Famiglia (1987). ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

In this caper comedy designed for international distribution, Jane (Joan Collins) and Don Giuliano (Vittorio Gassman) are part of a group of currency smugglers who are trying to get their gang's money over the border into Swiss banks. They are following a plan designed by their crafty mastermind Sandro (Jacques Bergerac), but one thing after another goes wrong. When it does, count on the conceited Don Giuliano to make it worse by trying to maintain his inflated sense of himself while he attempts to woo Jane. As is often the case in (Collins) vehicles, she looks glamorous, but viewers are advised that this feature contains an "overacting alert." ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This two hour film contains no less than twenty different vignettes. Traffic jams, a father passing on to his son the deceitful ways to survive everyday life, punch drunk ex-fighters, exploitation of a blind man are among the many stories. Vittorio Gassmann and Ugo Tognazzi lead the cast of actors in this film directed by Dino Risi. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

This somewhat stilted sword-and-sandal adventure based on Gastad Green's novel The Gladiator deals with the conquest of Antigonea by the 13th Roman Legion. Silla (Philippe Leroy), the corrupt temporary governor, takes a local concubine, Fabiola (Rosanna Podesta), who is really in love with a bound gladiator named Brenno (Lang Jeffries). Following the completion of his training, Brenno defeats the evil Silla in the arena, and is freed to claim the beautiful Fabiola. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

In this WW II actioner, an American paratrooper lands behind enemy lines and begins an espionage assignment. He ends up captured and imprisoned. With four Italian POWs, he manages to escape. He then talks them into helping him blow up a strategically important bridge. Mayhem ensues until the only people left are the hero and a lovely Italian hooker. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In the year 20,000 B.C., the continent of Atlantis is ruled by King Yotar (Roldano Lupi), who has set his people on a course of fantastic scientific development. The Atlanteans have dominated the Earth from their capitol city of Metropolis with their powers and technology, but they have also inflicted terrible cruelties on humanity. Yotar has begun experimenting with the powers of life and death on his young son, hoping to grant him immortality. The hero Obro (Gordon Mitchell) appears at the outskirts of Metropolis, leading a quest to stop the Atlanteans and their bloody reign over the Earth. Obro's brothers and allies are killed by the powerful rays dispatched by the Atlanteans, but he is strong enough to survive them -- he is captured, but rather than kill him, Yotar decides to see if Obro's super-strong physique would make him a better subject than his son for his experiments. Obro is put through various tortures, and set upon by menaces including a murderous giant and a horde of blood-thirsty dwarves, and is finally liberated by rebels against Yotar's rule, including Yotar's own daughter, Mesede (Bella Cortez). With their help, Obro begins killing the king's guards and retainers, terrorizing his underlings and eluding capture as he isolates Yotar; meanwhile, Yotar is becoming increasingly concerned not only with his experiment, which is about to reach its conclusion and which may kill his son in the process, but with the volcanic forces that seem to be building up beneath Metropolis. Finally, as if in rebellion against the king's profane use of science, an eruption ensues -- earthquakes rend the city and tidal waves threaten to engulf Atlantis, and amid the conflagration, Yotar is moved to pity by the pleadings of his son. He turns to Obro and Mesede to help save the boy from the doom that he has brought upon Atlantis, its people, and himself. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Hercules (Reg Park) and King Androcles (Ettore Manni) are on an ocean expedition when Androcles is washed overboard during a storm near a mysterious island. Making landfall, Hercules finds that the island is the kingdom of Atlantis, ruled by a beautiful, cruel, and ambitious queen, Antinea (Fay Spain), who controls a mysterious source of power. She has transformed her personal guard into super-strong warriors -- each nearly a match for Hercules, put Androcles under her spell, and inflicted terrible wounds on her people, all in preparation for her plan to conquer the world. Hercules finds that her power stems from a source older than the gods on Olympus, one over which he has virtually no power. He must save his friend, release Antinea's people, and prevent her from carrying out her plans. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

A school for wayward girls is plagued by mysterious attacks by a strange beast. This low budget, melodramatic horror film has several shadowy characters who are suspected of being werewolves. The girls really are wayward as they wander off into the nearby forest every time the moon is full. A wolf, a girl, and three men meet their demise at the claws of the unknown throat ripper. Terror grips the campus as the search continues for the murderous monster. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Long before the Olympics became tarnished by the questionable way in which sites for the games were selected, this excellent sports documentary by director Romolo Marcellini and his crew reminds viewers of the games' ideals, true spirit, and emotional impact. Rome is the site of the 1960s summer games filmed here, and an introduction to the city and its history, as well as the history of the games opens the documentary. Stirring scenes of village crowds cheering on the Olympic torch bearer as the flame is carried to the stadium are quickly followed by the spectacular opening celebrations. Then Marcellini logically segues into the highlights of most competitions, from the javelin toss to the decathalon, and swimming to cycling and track. Capturing the emotions of the competitors as well as providing scenic shots of the environment, the documentary easily sustains interest throughout its more than two-hour running time. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide