Adolfo Celi Movies

An ambitious priest discovers that honoring the Ten Commandments isn't as easy as he imagined in this drama. Father John Flaherty (Christopher Reeve) is a Catholic priest who was ordained during World War II, and soon found himself forced to fight enemy forces while serving as a chaplain in the Army. As his life and career in the church moves on, Flaherty finds himself frequently torn between his duty and devotion to the church and his ambitions, appetites, and the notion that the ends can justify the means. Flaherty eventually rises through the church hirarchy to win an appointment at the Vatican, where he helps to manage the church's finances. When the Vatican's books reveals a major cash flow crisis, Flaherty suggests a rather unusual plan to Cardinal Santoni (Fernando Rey) -- buy hard-to-find American goods at a discount, and then sell them at a profit to mafia kingpins, who will then sell them on the black market at premium prices. As Flaherty and Santoni debate the ethics of this scheme, Flaherty meets and finds himself becoming attracted to Clara (Genevieve Bujold), a postulant nun. Posing as an American businessman, Flaherty romances and seduces Clara, until she discovers his secret. Monsignor also stars Jason Miller, Robert Prosky, and Joe Patoliano. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Cristina (Ornella Muti) is a rich, spoiled princess visiting Rome with her royal parents. The mission of their visit is to marry her off to a super-wealthy corporate type and thereby start to turn around the losses their small kingdom is experiencing in its casino business. These less-than-noble intentions get derailed when Barnaba, a zany bus driver (Adriano Celentano) enters their lives and falls madly in love with the gorgeous Cristina. He is nuts enough to succeed in this romantic chase after royalty, as love seems to fuel his determination to rid Cristina of her elitism and to make her see his own irrepressible attractions. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Robert Caine (Kirk Douglas) is a wealthy and powerful industrialist, an engineer who develops nuclear power plants. A true believer in nuclear energy, he plans to make nuclear generation commonplace around the world. He is about to retire and turn over the running of his corporations to his son, Angel Caine (Simon Ward) when he begins having disturbing dreams. In one of these, the vision of the Apocalypse as spoken of in the Biblical book of Revelations comes to life in a horrifying way. After this, he begins to notice that his son is behaving in ways which identify him with the Antichrist. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

In this episodic anthology, written and directed by assorted Italian filmmakers, the political and social aspects of Italian life are chronicled. In one satirical episode, The Bomb, a bogus bomb threat at a police headquarters gradually balloons into a real terrorist plot culminating with the bombing of the police commissioner. Other episodes satirize the CIA, Christmas in Naples and pompous public officials. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

When he is not working as a stage performer, Emile (Yves Montand) works as a small-time con-man. He has a brand-new plan for a big job and needs the services of one of his former assistants. He also persuades a young actress to help out with part of the plan: kidnapping the child of a very shady arms merchant who will be pressured to keep the police off their backs. Emile is a kindly man with more charm than skill. When his plans go badly awry, he sends the two assistants away as a couple, along with the baby they had planned to substitute for the child in the arms merchant's house. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

After her father (Adolfo Celi) is exiled to an island off the coast of Italy for his anti-Mussolini politics, Libera (Claudia Cardinale) is increasingly incensed by the fascist government of Italy and makes a number of bold and very personal gestures against it. At first, these only result in her husband's losing his jobs, but they are finally exiled to the same island that her father was sent to. There she develops a passion for Sandro (Bekim Fehmiu), another internee, but is restrained from having an affair by her strong sense of values. After World War II breaks out, the resistance to fascism becomes much more organized and more active. Libera joins them on a number of actions, usually when these coincide with her more personal vendetta against the Brown-shirts. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

The famed Italian film director Pietro Germi (his sharply observant and satirical films include The Immoralist, and Divorce Italian Style) began work on this comedy, but died before he could do more than write the screenplay. However, he lived long enough to choose Mario Monicelli as his successor. In the story, four friends keep their friendship alive and their Tuscan town lively by means of an endless series of practical jokes and pranks of various sorts. Perozzi (Philippe Noiret) works on the night desk of a newspaper, reporting on crime. Mascetti (Ugo Tognazzi), an aristocrat, has seen better days. They are joined in mischief by Melandri (Gastone Moschin) and Necci (Duilio DelPrete), an architect and a cafe-owner by profession respectively. When the town doctor (Adolfo Celi) manages to outwit the collective efforts of the four, he is soon invited to join their little club. The rhythms of life in a cheerful provincial town are effectively unveiled in this zany and affectionate film. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Though fitted out with an English-language title, Black Holiday didn't receive much distribution outside its native Italy. Set during the 1930s, the film stars Adolfo Celi as an irrepressible anti-fascist professor. While the Mussolini government tolerates Celi so long as he remains within the walls of academia, the professor goes a few steps too far. He is subsequently "invited" to take a permanent vacation on a remote Mediterranean island. The absence of Black Holiday on the official list of Adolfo Celi's credits would suggest that this film was either never released theatrically or made for Italian television. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

St. Francis of Assisi was an extraordinarily complex and difficult figure whose effect on his contemporary society was electrifying. Even today, many people are moved by his visionary message of universal toleration. Twelfth-century Italy had an exceptionally grim and regimented society, but the barefoot monk from Assisi undoubtedly had the courage that comes from deep faith and was able to transcend the oppressiveness of the time. In this Italian/British-produced film, director Franco Zeffirelli attempts to bring his vision of this great man to the screen. The contemporary (1970s) example of the hippie movement contributed a great deal to the style in which the story is told. The musical score, using ancient Italian melodies, was arranged by Donovan. The film is visually beautiful in a way which tends to minimize the squalor of the times. As the movie begins, Francis (Graham Faulkner) is the son of wealthy merchants, and enjoys his share of wine, women and song without serious thought. When war and disease devastate his neighborhood, Francis undergoes an anguished transformation which culminates in his appearing before the local bishop and removing his clothes to renounce his previous life and family before dedicating himself to God. The culminating dramatic moment is Francis' appearance before Pope Innocent III (Sir Alec Guinness), to make his case for an independent religious order under new rules. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi