Aldo Bufi-Landi Movies

Vittorio De Sica delivers a full-blown comic performance as Cesare Celli, an American gangster exiled to Italy and kidnapped by a collection of inept crooks. These incompetents are headed by Harry Price (Robert Wagner), who demands a ransom from Cesare's friends for his safe return. When none of Cesare's friends send money to rescue Cesare from the kidnappers, Cesare is outraged and concocts a scheme for a five-million-dollar platinum robbery as a way to pay Harry's gang back for their efforts and to get his revenge on a world that has ignored him. Cesare trains his collection of nincompoops for the robbery and imports the famed Professor Samuels (Edward G. Robinson) to plan the heist. After a series of problems raising the money for the robbery and obligatory bumblings by the gang, Cesare and his men are ready to proceed with the heist. But then, right before the robbery, Harry and his girlfriend, Juliana (Raquel Welch), decide to betray Cesare and abscond with the platinum themselves. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Set in the wilds of South Africa, this Italian adventure chronicles the travails of three fugitive killers who search the jungle for a fabulous gold mine. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Well, it really isn't Atlas, but another legendary muscle man, Maciste. And the title of this Italian sword-and-sandal escapade wasn't really Atlas Against the Cyclops but Maciste Nella Terra Dei Ciclopi. But in America, "Atlas" was a known commodity, but who knew from Maciste. Gordon Mitchell stars as Atlas, or Maciste, or whatever, who this time around is battling an evil queen. The muscle-bound hero is required to rescue a royal infant while fending off such nuisance as the titular one-eyed brute. This film also travelled under the title Atlas in the Land of the Cyclops (stands to reason: if you were stuck in the land of the cyclops, you'd certainly need an atlas). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this epic adventure set in the 15th century, King Navarre dies and leaves his two nieces to fight over the throne. Naturally one of the girls is good, and the other evil. The two are at an impasse that can only be broken when one of the women can find the treasure chest containing the king's will which names the heir. The evil girl fears that the good one will win, so she hires a muscleman to find the chest and retrieve it. The good girl follows a poet's advice and contracts a great swordsman to help her. After enduring many ordeals, the black-hearted woman's guard finally finds the chest, but just before he returns it to her, his conscience acts up and he changes his mind. Eventually, he and the swordsman join forces and begin fighting with the evil one's villainous lover who is the leader of the palace guards. Eventually, the pure woman becomes the leader and then is overjoyed to discover that her swordsman is none other than the poet in disguise! Happiness ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Vittorio Gassman showcases his comic talents in this farce by director Dino Risi about the growing success of a con artist. Gerardo (Gassman) starts out as a vaudeville performer and noting that acting abilities can be used for less legit purposes, he creatively assumes different guises in order to con people out of anything from a pair of shoes to ultimately mucho lira. In one of his escapades he passes himself off as Greta Garbo, donning an appropriate disguise, and has all manner of paparazzi ready to take the bait. He did not learn all his inventive and often spontaneous tricks alone, his cellmate Chinotto (Peppino de Filippo) was a great mentor. But even his cellmate could not coach him on how to remain single after his girlfriend Annalise (Anna Maria Ferrero) sets her heart on matrimony. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

A young group of enterprising con artist attempt to break up some Italian expatriates trying to sell an inferior cloth as genuine quality fabric. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Lois Maxwell, the Canadian actress who achieved worldwide fame as Miss Moneypenny in the "James Bond" films, heads the cast of the made-in-Italy La Grande Speranza (The Great Hope). Ms. Maxwell plays a British nurse named Lily, one of several survivors of a submarine attack during WW2. Lily and the others are rescued by Renato Baldini, commander of the Italian submarine which sank their ship. At first, there's no love lost between the Italian crew and their Allied captives. Gradually, Baldini's essential humanity is revealed, as is his love for the now-friendly Lily. What starts as a traditional wartime melodrama concludes in the spirit of peace on earth, goodwill towards men. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide