Lionello de Felice Movies
- 1964
In this sword-and-sandal fantasy, Goliath must rescue twenty-four virgins who are being sent as a tribute to an evil conqueror. First the hero liberates one of the women. He then teams up with two other titans to save the rest. Action, adventure, and romance ensue. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
One of the many Italian sword-and-sandal adventure stories roughly depicting historical events -- sometimes too graphically -- this drama by director Lionello de Felice has its merits. The action moves along at a good clip, as Constantine's (Cornel Wilde) rise to power is depicted, amidst battling armies and political intrigue. All the well-publicized, old Roman entertainments such as feeding Christians to the lions are shown in more detail than might be necessary, leading to one of the main points of featuring Constantine at all -- he was the emperor who gave Christians the freedom to worship as they pleased. His cronies and his enemies, his loves and his successes all have their moment in the sun. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cornel Wilde, Christine Kaufmann, (more)
- 1962
Roger Browne was the latest entry in the Steve Reeves/Gordon Scott beefsteaks--er, sweepstakes--in 1962's Revenge of the Gladiators. Utilizing standing Cinecitta sets and well-worn costumes, the film has the husky Browne rescuing a princess from marauding barbarians. The damsel in distress is played by sword 'n' sandal "regular" Scilla Gabel. The director is Michel Lupo, he of the "Shout 'action', close your eyes and hope for the best" school of filmmaking. If you don't like the action highlights, you'll get a thrill out of watching the actors flap their mouths in a Babel of foreign languages while the English soundtrack tries to keep pace. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roger Browne, Scilla Gabel, (more)
- 1954
This romantic Italian anthology film is comprised of six episodes that deal with a century of love. The first vignette, "Garibaldin," set in 1854, follows a rebellious priest who attempts to sway others to his beliefs. "Pendolin" examines a philandering wife's affair with a hotel porter who really only wanted to give her her lost earrings. "Purification" follows an honorable soldier who refuses to convey his commanding officer's last words to his unworthy girlfriend. In the fourth episode, "Golden Wedding," an elderly couple celebrate their wedding anniversary and discover mutual disillusionment. "The Last Ten Minutes" examines the efforts of a priest and a condemned man to conceal the truth about the man's crime from his wife. Finally, in "Amore," which is set in 1954, a father tries to persuade his daughter's husband to stay married to her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1953
A pair of teenagers (Marina Vlady, Pierre-Michel Beck) face the trials of parenthood when the girl becomes pregnant. This melodramatic coming-of-age story features a lackluster screenplay by Franco Brusati, Vittorio Novarese, and director Lionello de Felice which paints most of the adults as judgmental and uncaring. Silvio Amadio's later Oltraggio al Pudore (1965) managed a more entertaining and even-handed treatment of similar subject matter. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marina Vlady, Fernand Gravey, (more)
- 1951
The title of this Italian wartime drama translates to Without a Flag. Set during WW I, the story concentrates on a group of Austrian saboteurs, who wreak havoc on Italian military installations. A secret agent manages to infiltrate the saboteur's headquarters in Vienna, where he appropriates a list of secret plans. The trick now is to get out of the building and back to Italy. To improve the film's box-office chances, a romance between "mortal enemies" Massimo Serato and Vivi Gioi is concocted. Though essentially a thriller, Senza Bandiera is not without its (deliberately) comic moments. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vivi Gioi, Massimo Serato, (more)
