Delia Scala Movies
- 1949
Based on a true story, Ti Ritrovera is set in postwar Naples. Newlywed Maria (Delia Scala) can't understand why her husband disappeared without a trace during their honeymoon. What the audience knows, but Maria doesn't, is that hubby is a British intelligence agent on a top-secret mission. Maria finally locates her husband with the help of sympathetic village priest Don Giuseppe (Enrico Viarisio). Featured as an American MP is John Kitzmiller, whom most filmgoers will remember as "Quarrel" in the inaugural James Bond entry Doctor No (1962). Though its story has dramatic potential, director Giacomo Gentilomo chooses to play most of Ti Ritrovera for laughs, and very effectively. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Enrico Viarisio, Delia Scala, (more)
- 1951
This episodic Italian comedy follows the misadventures of housemaid Maria (Elsa Merlini). Her various employers include a salesman (Aldo Fabrizi) who values peace and quiet, but never gets it, and a vainglorious actor (Vittorio de Sica) with woman trouble. Through it all, Maria survives with a little help from her friends, including best pal Ermelinda, played by the future star of Stromboli and Juliet of the Spirits, Giulette Masina. Among the screenwriters for this film was Masina's husband Federico Fellini. Cameriera Bella, Presenza Offresi marked the return to the screen of Elsa Merlini, one of the most popular personalities of the prewar Italian cinema. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elsa Merlini, Vittorio De Sica, (more)
- 1952
It is Maria Felix's turn to play one of Ancient Rome's most notorious femme fatales in Messaline. Sleeping her way to the top, Messaline weds Emperor Augustus (Memo Bessani), all the while entertaining dozens of virile young males. Enjoying unbridled power, the empress holds the entire Roman Empire in her grip. When her husband and courtiers fail to satisfy her, she takes to the streets disguised as a prostitute to sexually exploit a few average citizens. Filmed on an enormous scale, Messaline contains all that is expected of a Roman epic, including a few graphically detailed episodes in the Colosseum. Among those tossed to the lions is dancing girl Cynthia (Delai Scala), who like empress Messaline displays pulchritude aplenty before her inevitable demise. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maria Felix, Georges Marchal, (more)
- 1952
Catastrophe results from a love triangle. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eleonora Rossi-Drago, Amedeo Nazzari, (more)
- 1952
Cliff of Sin was originally released in Italy as La Scogliera del Peccato. Margaret Genske plays Stella, the wayward wife of misanthropic millionaire Silvano (Gino Cervi). Hoping to enjoy his money without enduring his company, Stella murders Silvano with poison. To further replenish her coffers, she inveigles fisherman Paolo (Ermanno Randi) into a smuggling racket. When Paolo's brother Michele (Otello Toso) shows up to save the younger man from a life of crime, Michele too is entrapped in Stella's web. Evidently, only an act of God can prevent Stella from further misdeeds--and that's just what does stop her. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gino Cervi, Margaret Genske, (more)
- 1954
Rumeur Publique (Public Rumor) is a complicated story rendered nearly incomprehensible by poor English-language dubbing. Seeking a major news story, journalist Jaier (Daniel Gelin) pounces upon a mysterious small-town death. A young wife has fallen down a huge flight of stairs, and her husband is being held for her murder. Through a series of heartrending newspaper columns, Jaier manages to save the husband from the guillotine. Striking while the iron is hot, the journalist talks the young man into collaborating on a movie script about the tragic incident. In the process, the awful truth of the matter is fully revealed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Gélin, Maria Mauban, (more)
- 1954
Appointment for Murder is a standard mystery yarn, complicated by the involvement of no fewer than five screenwriters. Umberto Spadaro stars as Detective Pietrangeli, who like the rest of the Roman police force is baffled by the murder of a prominent woman. Could the guilty party be Aldo (Andrea Bosic), the husband of the victim? Or was it the dead woman's daughter Silvia (Delia Scala). Barely released in the US, Appointment for Murder nonetheless showed up with frequency on the various TV Late Late Shows throughout the land. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Umberto Spadaro, Delia Scala, (more)
- 1954
The Affairs of Messalina is a French/Italian historical spectacle produced in the wake of the internationally successful Fabiola (1949). Mexican film luminary Maria Felix essays the role of Messalina, the scheming wife of Roman emperor Augustus who searches for love by walking the streets of the Eternal City. Also in the cast is an Italian specialist and silky seductresses, Gianna Maria Canale. It is difficult to believe that any producer/director could go wrong with lavish sets, exotic costumes, and two of the most glamorous actresses on Earth, but Carmine Gallone (who previously helmed the 1937 Fascist-financed epic Scipio Africanus) achieves the impossible: Affairs of Messalina makes Roman decadence as dull as dishwater. Originally released in Europe in 1951 under the deceptively short title Messaline, Affairs of Messalina was mercifully cut to ribbons by its American distributor Columbia Pictures in 1954. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1954
The title of this Italian musical extravaganza promises "Half a Century of Songs," and that's just what it delivers. What plot there is contrives to encapsulate seven crucial moments in modern Italian history, as represented by the popular songs of each era. Jam-packed with star power, the film offers such Mediterranean luminaries as Silvana Pampini, Renato Rascel, Maria Fiore and Franco Interleghi. Many of the performers play two or three different roles, with amusing results. Aimed directly and almost exclusively at Italian-language markets, Canzoni di Mezzo Secolo was not exactly a smash hit in the U.S. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Silvana Pampanini, Cosetta Greco, (more)
This strangely-christened French film noir was released in the U.S. as Grisbi. Jean Gabin stars as a racketeer known by the Runyonesque nickname of Max the Liar. Seeking out the finer things in life, Max intends to pull one last job and retire. After stealing a fortune in gold, our "hero" is faced with a crisis of conscience when his best friend (René Dary) is kidnapped and held for a huge ransom. Somehow Max manages to turn the tables on the abductors, but his dreams of a life of ease explode in his face. Up-and-coming leading lady Jeanne Moreau plays a pivotal role as the femme fatale who leads Dary into the hands of his kidnappers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Gabin, René Dary, (more)
- 1955
Unlike many multistoried films of the 1950s, Gran Varieta is the handiwork of a single solitary director--though five writers collaborated on the screenplay. The film is divided into five separate playlets, all unified by a "backstage" theme. In the first, Maria Fiore plays an aspiring singer who gets more than she bargains for upon attaining stardom. The second tale involves quick-change artist Alberto Sordi, who is successful in love only when he decides to be "himself". Carlo Croccolo stars in the third segment as a variety performer whose "soldier act" results in his early demise. The fourth (and best) story features Vittorio DeSica as a once-famous actor, now on the skids. Gran Varieta concludes with a satirical story about a fascist-government censor, played by Renato Rascal, who has his work cut out for him when he tries to clean up a girlie show. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maria Fiore, Alberto Sordi, (more)
- 1955
Maurice Chevalier is as roguishly charming as ever in J'Avais Sept Filles (I Had Seven Daughters). Chevalier plays an aging aristocratic roue who recalls his amorous history while writing his memoirs. His most vivid memory is the time that he became involved with a group of ballet dancers -- the "seven daughters" of the title. He is particularly interested in the welfare of prima ballerina Luisella (Delia Scala), though the other girls are equally easy on the eye. A bit old-fashioned in its approach, J'Avais Sept Filles is held together by the indomitable appeal of Maurice Chevalier, who seemed to get better as he grew older. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maurice Chevalier, Paolo Stoppa, (more)
- 1956
An old French count who keeps an index of all his past loves is surprised one day by a young woman who claims to be his daughter. He welcomes her and treats her well, but six more girls arrive with the same story, making the count suspicious. Meanwhile, his son returns from a scientific expedition and falls in love with one of the girls. Eventually, all the girls admit that they are unemployed actresses waiting for work. Also titled I Have Seven Daughters. ~ Steve Huey, All Movie Guide
