Adriano Ambrogi Movies
- 1952
During the Vatican Holy Year of 1950, confidence trickster Joe Brewster (Paul Douglas) disguises himself as a priest and heads to the Holy City. It is Brewster's intention to use his faux clerical garb to evade arrest by the American authorities. But through the influence of American priest Father John (Van Johnson), Brewster experiences an epiphany and changes his ways. Reverent to a fault, When in Rome could have been insufferably saccharine, but the no-nonsense performances of Paul Douglas and Van Johnson carry the day. Enhancing the film is producer-director Clarence Brown's decision -- thankfully approved by the MGM front office -- to lens much of the story on location in Rome and Vatican City. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Van Johnson, Paul Douglas, (more)
- 1951
In this comedy-drama, Frank Keeler (Lloyd Bridges is an American G.I. stationed in Italy whose less-than-legal side business has earned him a small fortune. However, he is eventually caught, convicted, and imprisoned by authorities, but not before he can hide the money. After Keeler is released, he goes back to Italy to pick up his money, only to discover that someone also has already found it, sending Keeler on a manhunt to find the person who made off with his nest egg. Likely suspects include ex-girlfriend Elena (Lea Padovani), cemetery worker Pietro (Aldo Fabrizi) and transplanted mobster Jack Conway (William Tubbs. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lloyd Bridges, Lea Padovani, (more)
- 1950
The real-life deportation of gangster Lucky Luciano was the inspiration for this romanticized and slightly crackbrained crime drama. Jeff Chandler plays the Luciano counterpart, who once he arrives in Italy renews his criminal activities. Chandler masterminds a black-market racket, capitalizing upon wartime shortages in Europe. He falls in love with a Contessa (Marta Toren), who is the benign patroness of the small village where he lives. Under her influence, Chandler abandons his life of crime, turns his back on the ill-gotten gains that he's already smuggled into Italy, and becomes a pillar of the community. And if you believe that, We have some land in Florida we'd like to show you. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Märta Torén, Jeff Chandler, (more)
Filmed entirely on location in Italy, Prince of Foxes is an adaptation of Samuel Shellabarger's popular novel. Set during the Renaissance, the film stars Tyrone Power as Orsini, a good-will ambassador for scheming, covetous Cesare Borgia (Orson Welles). Orsini is aware that he is being used to expand Borgia's political influence, but he does his best to serve his master. But when he visits a mountain province ruled by the kindly Duke Varano (Felix Aylmer), Orsini comes to realize that there is more to life than power and possessions. Turning against the Borgias, Orsini is subjected to torture and humiliation, but he escapes to spearhead a revolt against the despotic family. Power is quite good, but he can't help but be overshadowed by such scenery-chewers as Orson Welles, Katina Paxinou (as Orsini's mother) and Everett Sloane (as the toadying Belli). Wanda Hendrix is pretty but forgettable as Varano's young bride, who of course falls in love with the dashing Orsini. Because of contractual and budgetary restrictions, Prince of Foxes had to be filmed in black-and-white, which is a shame; if ever a film cried out for Technicolor, it is this one (20th Century-Fox soon rectified this artistic gaffe with its full-color, location-filmed The Black Rose [1950], which also starred Tyrone Power and Orson Welles). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tyrone Power, Orson Welles, (more)
