Aldo de Benedetti Movies

The literal translation of this Italian title is "He's My Husband, I'll Kill Him When I Please." A young woman is married to a man in his 70s. To make sure his wife is taken care of after his death, the husband tries to arrange her marriage to a friend of his. When the young bride discovers this, she plans to hasten his imminent demise. She takes up with a beatnik and goes about planning her husband's murder as if she were merely making out a grocery list of needed items at a convenience store. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

In this heartwarming drama, the life of an Italian rice farmer involved in an unhappy marriage is chronicled. One day, he notices a familiar looking migrant in his field. Upon following the girl, he discovers that she is his illegitimate daughter. To quietly make up for his past indiscretion, he begins giving the girl many gifts, but he does not tell her who he is. Later the girl falls for an auto mechanic who gets jealous of her secret father's attention to her. This causes the father to tell the mechanic the truth; the fix it man then decides to engineer a reunion. He then goes on to save the girl from getting raped by her father's deadbeat nephew. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Gli Ultimi Cinque Minuti (The Last Five Minutes) was adapted from the popular Italian stage play by Aldo De Benedetti. Hollywood's Linda Darnell heads the cast as Renata, who sublets an apartment in Rome. Unfortunately, Carlo Reani (Vittorio de Sica) also has a legal claim on the apartment. The two tenants solve the dilemma by getting married, with the understanding that Renata can continue pursuing any man she wants. For a while Renata dallies with Dino Moriani (Rosanno Brazzi), but her wifely insticts eventually get the better of her. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based loosely on fact, La Presidentress stars Silvana Pampanini as a sexy nightclub singer with loftier aspirations. Posing as the wife of a judge, the singer manages to bed a high-ranking government official (Carlo Dapporto). As a result, the nonplused judge (Luigi Pavese) is given all sorts of promotions and special perks. When he finds out about the girl's subterfuge, his first reaction is stark, raw terror: Wait till his real wife (Ave Ninchi) discovers what's going on! When the judge's former mistress (Marilyn Buferd) joins the fray, the fur really begins to fly. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Filmed in 1945, the Italian My Widow and I made it to the U.S. five years later. Two of Italy's top box-office draws, Vittorio de Sica and Isa Miranda, head the cast. De Sica plays Adriano Lari, who has been missing for so long that he is presumed dead. Returning home, Lari poses as his own brother in order to claim a huge insurance policy. But when his "widow" Maria (Miranda) begins responding to the advances of Signor Gugliemi (Gino Cervi), Lari has second thoughts about hiding his true identity. My Widow and I may be a one-joke comedy, but the joke is never played beyond his worth. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Voice of Love is primarily a showcase for the splendid singing of Italian musical favorite Gino Bechi. Sagaciously, Bechi is cast as a professional singer who loves Countess Luisa Diana (Annette Bach). He carries on a courtship by telephone, as logical a means as any to have the star burst into song at a moment's notice. In true operetta fashion, the story occasionally shifts to the backstairs romance between Bechi's butler (Carlo Campanini) and the countess' maid (Laura Gore). The fun really begins when circumstances dictate that the singer and countess impersonate their respective servants. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Adapted to the stage and screen several times since its inception in the 19th century, Honore de Balzac's romantic tragedy Eugenie Grandet was given another cinematic go-round by Italian filmmaker Mario Soldati in 1946. Alida Valli plays the title character, a naïve young woman who refuses to heed her father's advice in affairs of the heart. Eugenie believes that her beloved cousin Charles (Gualtiero Tumiati) is above reproach, insisting upon sending him money when his father commits suicide. Charles repays Eugenie's love and loyalty by betraying her at the first opportunity, leading to the story's doleful finale. Eugenie Grandet represented Alida Valli's final European production before her Hollywood debut in Hitchcock's The Paradine Case. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Originally released in 1942, Four Steps in the Clouds (Quattro Passi fra le Nuvole) was a major stepping stone in the starring career of Gino Cervi. The story begins as young unwed mother-to-be Maria (Adriana Benetti) desperately casts about for a means of avoiding disgrace. Making the acquaintance of good-natured Paolo Bianchi (Cervi), Maria persuades him to pose as her husband and meet her family. Immediately ingratiating himself with Maria's parents, Paolo plays his part so well that only a completely unforeseen disaster could spoil the charade. And when that disaster inevitably arrives, it is Paolo who comes to the rescue -- simply by telling the truth for the first time in the picture! Four Steps in the Clouds was superbly remade by Alfonso Arau in 1995 as A Walk in the Clouds, with Keanu Reeves in the Gino Cervi role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Loud, prolonged laughter is the order of the day in the Italian Il Trionfo Dell'Amore (Triumph of Love). Vittorio de Sica and Paolo Barbara play Vincenzo and Giovanna, newlyweds who can't help but feel that their marriage may have been a mistake. While on their honeymoon at the villa of Vincenzo's Aunt Lucia (Giuditta Rissone), the couple remains apart, planning an annulment. They change their minds after observing Aunt Lucia's own romantic escapades with her "ideal" sweetheart and her more sensible hometown beau. Most of the laughs are generated by Enrico Viarisino as Giangiacomo, Vincenzo's accident-prone best friend. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Thirty Seconds of Love is the English-language title for this romantic trifle. The plot is as "naughty" as the title, with heroine Grazia (Elsa Merlini) racing from one brief amorous assignation to another. Nothing of a questionable nature is shown on-screen, but the dialogue has more innuendoes than an episode of Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. Among Grazia's swains are handsome young Nino Besozzi and comic-relief dentist Enrico Viarisio. Trenta Secondi d'Amore was released in the U.S. the same week as another Mario Bonnard-directed effort L'Amore Che Canta. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Prolific filmmaker Mario Bonnard's only 1935 effort was Milizia Territoriale (Territorial Militia). Based on a novel by A. DeBenedetti, the film stars G. Bolognesi as Ciccio, a meek, browbeaten shoe clerk. Hoping to escape his domineering family, employers and customers, Ciccio joins the army at the outbreak of WWI. He is swiftly promoted to the rank of Major, allowing him to assert himself for the first time in his life -- and now his former tormentors bow and toady whenever he strolls into view. Alas, when the war is over, so is Ciccio's brief moment in the sun, and he returns to his humble clerical job. The worm finally and permanently turns when Ciccio falls in love with a gorgeous war widow (Leda Gloria), insisting upon marrying her despite the protests of his hateful family. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide