Corrado Olmi Movies
In this Italian drama, Wilma, an aging dance hall girl, befriends La Cicada, a feisty, free-spirited woman who refuses to have sex for money. Together, they go traveling and on the rode take up with the handsome Hannibal, who dreams of opening up his own truck stop/gas station. The two women end up helping him achieve his dream. The place becomes a nightspot which they name La Cicada and turn into a big success. During this time, Wilma marries Hannibal, but Wilma begins worrying that her husband would rather have the young, sexy Cicada. The younger woman proves that he does not want her. When her lovely 18-year-old daughter comes to call, Wilma really gets worried because like her mother, the daughter has also become a whore. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
In this flawed mystery-thriller from flamboyant horror director Dario Argento, Karl Malden portrays a blind man who joins forces with a reporter (James Franciscus) to catch a killer with an extra chromosome. Much of the action occurs at a research hospital, where the killer seeks to conceal the original crime with still more murders. Easily the least interesting of Argento's early thrillers (which include the superior L'Uccello dalle Piume di Cristallo and Quattro Mosche di Velluto Grigio), this film seems almost a parody of the genre at times, with preposterous coincidences and bogus Freudian analysis substituting for genuine mystery. Those familiar with the director's work may find it difficult to believe that Argento was responsible, but some undeniable stylistic touches -- such as one victim's wallpaper resembling a blood-splattered wall -- reveal that even a genius can make bad films. Ennio Morricone's soundtrack and a cast including Catherine Spaak and Pier Paolo Capponi offer little relief. The American version is missing approximately twenty minutes. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Dashing Austrian actor Robert Hoffmann stars as Luciano Luthring, a small-time hood who rises quickly to to the ranks of ruthless professional criminal, only to be betrayed by his beautiful moll (Lisa Gastoni). This fact-based crime thriller, directed by veteran Carlo Lizzani, also contains a fine supporting performance by Gian Maria Volonte as the cunning inspector who psychologically manipulates Gastoni into turning on her lover by playing on her guilty conscience. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Hoffman, Lisa Gastoni, (more)
- 1962
Regarded by many as Dino Risi's finest film, The Easy Life (Il Sorpasso) casts Vittorio Gassman as Bruno, a jaded, aging roue, who introduces young Roberto Mariani Jean-Louis Trintignant to his hedonistic lifestyle.. Previously a man with a purpose in life, Roberto soon becomes as wanton and wastrelly as Bruno. The older man is proud of his handiwork--until tragedy strikes. Risi sagaciously sets his moral fable against the beauties of the Riviera; we may not approve of Bruno's lifestyle, but we certainly understand why it appeals to him. Among the screenwriters of The Easy Life was Ettora Scola, a frequent Dino Risi and Vittorio de Sica collaborator and an excellent director in his own right. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vittorio Gassman, Jean-Louis Trintignant, (more)
