Galeazzo Benti Movies

In this leisurely melodrama, a middle-aged man has resented his schoolteacher mother for decades because he imagines she had an affair with a colleague. In fact, he hasn't spoken to her in almost as long. This resentment has scarred his emotional life irreparably. Only when he hastens to his mother's deathbed and arrives too late does he get a letter from her via her supposed lover, which corrects his misconceptions and explains the scene we see at the beginning. In it, she is reading a poem to her son when he is a boy, which reads: "Footsteps echo in memory along the corridor we didn't take to the door we never opened." ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Star Dennis O'Keefe doubles as director in Angela. O'Keefe plays a GI who falls in love with Mara Lane in postwar Rome. Lane kills her boss, forcing her to flee the law. O'Keefe goes along for the ride so that he won't be knocked off by Lane's husband. Just when it looks as though O'Keefe is willing to go to any lengths to protect the woman he loves, he discovers that she frankly isn't worth it. Filmed on location, Angela lacks the pacing and punch necessary to sustain audience empathy with the two characters; still, O'Keefe knows how to frame a scene and get the most out of his largely unknown cast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Carosello Napoletano was the first major Italian musical of the postwar era. The title, which translates to Neopolitan Carousel, refers to a family of street singers. The story covers a century or so in the lives of this family, with ample screen time given over to romance and heartbreak. Basically an "inventory musical", the film spotlights several well-known Neopolitan tunes, given sprightly performances by the cast. The uncredited voice of famed tenor Beniamino Gigli is heard from time to time for the benefit of his legions of fans. At 125 minutes, Carosello Napoletano tends to wear on the viewer at times, though lovers of popular Neopolitan music and dance will get their fill. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The title of this Italian period comedy translates to Bride for a Night. Armando Francioli plays an impoverished 18th-century musician who seeks the patronage of a wealthy, libertine count (Gino Cervi). When the count comes to town on a visit, the musician hits upon a scheme: he will bundle his real wife (Gina Lollobrigida) out of the house, hire a local courtesan (Nadia Gray) to pose as his wife, then allow the count to sleep with his "bride" in exchange for financial support. Inevitably, the plan falls through, with the count ending up in bed with the real wife while the husband stews in his own juices. If this plot sounds familiar, it is because Mogile per Una Notte was remade by Billy Wilder in 1964 as Kiss Me, Stupid. The most entertaining aspect of the original film is the presence of Gina Lollobrigida as a frowzy housewife who blossoms into a ravishing beauty after spending the night with the count. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Parigi e Sempre Parigi (Paris is Always Paris) was the second feature-length effort from famed Italian documentary director Luciano Emmer. Whereas Emmer's first feature, Domenica d'Agosto (Sunday in August) was a warm-hearted study of the Italian middle class, Parigi concentrates on a gentle cultural clash between a band of Italian sports fans and the citizenry of Paris. The hero, DeAngelis (Aldo Fabrizi), has heard so much about "naughty Paree" that he's determined to experience that naughtiness first hand. This plot device, of course, obliges the director to introduce several delectable French mademoiselles in the proceedings. Ultimately, DeAngelis realizes that reports of French libertinism have been grossly exaggerated, but he has a high old time finding this out. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide