Franca Valeri Movies
Federico Fellini's directorial debut (co-directed with veteran Alberto Lattuada), Luci del Varietà is a bittersweet drama about a bunch of misfits in a traveling vaudeville troupe. The group of actors, dancers, and performers struggle to make it from town to town, playing to minimal crowds. Their comedic leader, Checco Dal Monte (Peppino De Filippo) just wants his act to be a success. His longtime sweetheart, Melina Amour (Fellini's wife Giulietta Masina), keeps the business end of things together and saves up money with plans of buying a business. Stumbling into one small town for another show, Checco meets beauty queen Lily (Carla Del Poggio) and puts her in the show as a dancer. When it appears that her sex appeal is drawing in large crowds of enthusiastic spectators, she quickly becomes the star of the show. Checco soon becomes infatuated with her, casting aside Melina and breaking up the troupe in order to put on a showcase for Lily instead. The loyal group of outcast performers are left without a leader, while star-eyed Lily proves to be relentless in her quest for fame. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- 1952
The English-language title of Toto a Colori is Toto in Color -- and it delivers on this promise. For the first time in his film career, that matchless Italian comedian Toto goes through his paces in living Ferraniacolor. There's not much of a plot: Toto performs several of his favorite stage routines before an enthusiastic audience. The best of these include a "human puppet" routine and a sketch involving a female pickpocket. While the color is pleasing to the eye, little is done to exploit its aesthetic value; one would have liked to see a few gags involving garish color schemes, colorful emotional mood-swings, and such. Supporting the star throughout the film's 100 minutes are Isa Barizza, Fulvia Franco, Franca Valeri and Galeazzo Benti. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Totò, Isa Barzizza, (more)
- 1953
Il Segno di Venera (The Sign of Venus) offers an earthier Sophia Loren than American audiences would later become accustomed to. Agnese (Loren) has no trouble attracting men, which is more than can be said for her plain-Jane friend Cesira (Franca Valeri). The two girls embark on a search for an appropriate mate for Cesira, despite the fact that all eligible males instantly gravitate to Agnese. Some of the choices -- petty thief Alberto Sordi, impecunious poet Vittorio De Sica -- are frankly not good enough for either girl. Alternating between humor and pathos, Il Segno di Venera is light, forgettable entertainment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Franca Valeri, Vittorio De Sica, (more)
- 1955
This routine drama set in post-war Italy is the first feature by novice director Sergio Capogna and is based on a best-selling novel by Vasco Pratolini. The story centers around one main protagonist, a young man (Massimo Tonna) who in addition to growing into adulthood, has to come to grips with the post-war conditions in the country. Not overly long on morality at first, he opts for seducing an older widow with the sole intent of stealing as much from her as he can. He follows his plan all the way to the end, with tragic consequences that he did not foresee -- and a lesson learned, too late. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Diana Dors, Britain's equivalent to Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield, is virtually the whole show in La Ragazza del Palio (The Girl and the Palio). Diana plays Diana Wilson, a Texas gal who wins a trip to Italy from a radio quiz program. The minute she alights from the plane, our heroine is besieged by predatory males, most of them fortune-hunters. When True Love arrives in the form of impoverished Italian prince Vittorio Gassman, Diana nearly loses her man by coming on too strong. Somehow the plot is resolved happily when Diana's horse beats the Prince's at the annual Palio Race (it makes more sense on screen). La Ragazza del Palio was lavishly filmed on location at Siena, San Gimignano and Tuscany. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diana Dors, Vittorio Gassman, (more)
- 1958
Told in anecdotal fashion, this lightweight comedy examines the amorous activities of husbands who remain in the city while the wives and kiddies are shipped off to summer vacation resorts (shades of The Seven Year Itch!) Most of the individual episodes are obvious in their humor and outcome. The best sequence involves a wandering husband, played by Renato Salvatori, who carries on a flirtation with shapely artist Giorgia Moll. Also good for laughs is the scene in which an errant hubby follows his wife to a seaside resort, convinced that she's been unfaithful. Mariti in Citta was released in English-speaking countries as Husbands in the City. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Giorgia Moll, Nino Taranto, (more)
- 1959
In this frothy romantic outing, a brainy gal from Texas heads for Italy after winning a television quiz show. There she encounters a down-on-his-luck Italian prince who pursues her because she looks wealthy (she isn't). Of course, she doesn't realize that he his also broke and merry mix-ups ensue. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Prolific director Giorgio Bianchi comes off with another good comedy in Il Moralista, due in no small part to the talents of Alberto Sordi as Agostino, the de facto head of a censorship board whose double life as a nightclub owner might raise some questions as to his censorial judgment. The titular head of the organization (Vittorio De Sica) is not that interested in running it himself, being more interested in women. The censors must review everything from posters for a show to the costumes in a show, as well as a production's language and content. Given their predilections, Agostino and his boss are unlikely candidates for making others walk the straight and narrow path of socially acceptable fare. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alberto Sordi, Vittorio De Sica, (more)
Luchino Visconti's operatic masterpiece tells the story of the Parondis, a poor family from a village in southern Italy who come to Milan seeking a better life. Following the death of her husband, proud Rosaria (Katina Paxinou) picks up stakes and moves to the city with four of her sons: Simone (Renato Salvatori), Rocco (Alain Delon), Ciro (Max Cartier), and Luca (Rocco Vidolazzi). Awaiting them in Milan is her oldest son, Vincenzo (Spiros Focas), who himself is preoccupied with his impending nuptials to the beautiful Ginetta (Claudia Cardinale). Divided into chapters focused loosely on each brother, the movie chronicles the Parondis' struggle to get by, as the brothers take odd jobs and the family endures life in a cramped tenement. Much of the movie's second half deals largely with Simone and Rocco. The loutish Simone eventually finds success as a boxer, and the family soon moves to a better neighborhood. Meanwhile, Rocco gets drafted by the military, and becomes a successful boxer himself upon his return. Complications arise when Nadia (Annie Girardot), a prostitute, enters their lives. Simone falls in love with Nadia first; however, Rocco eventually becomes the object of her affection. Simone's obsession with Nadia and his rapidly deteriorating behavior ultimately threaten to bring the family to ruin, even as the saintly Rocco tries to save his brother. At the peak of Rocco's success, Simone commits a crime that cruelly dashes Rocco's hopes of keeping the family together. ~ Elbert Ventura, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alain Delon, Renato Salvatori, (more)
- 1962
In this amusing comedy by director Vittorio Caprioli, comedienne Franca Valeri is Delia, a prostitute who has lived all her life in the city of Rome and is now thinking of looking for greener, prettier pastures. Her idea of an idyllic city is Paris where her brother lives and works at the moment. She finally gets herself together and heads out to the City of Light with high expectations. But once there, with the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame and all the city's attractions in full view, she begins to see that there is a flip side to life in Paris. When she meets up with a compatriot, her desire to get back to Rome is all the greater. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Franca Valeri, Vittorio Caprioli, (more)
- 1964
And Suddenly It's Murder! is a regulation Dino De Laurentiis concoction: Big stars, lavish production values, muddleheaded plot. Three Italian couples go on separate vacations to Monte Carlo. When they open their suitcases, a body tumbles out of one of the grips. The rest of the film is a macabre variation of La Ronde, with the body being transferred from room to room and the innocent being implicated along with the guilty. Among the discomfited tourists are Alberto Sordi, Vittorio Gassman, and Silvana Mangano. Originally released in Italy in 1959 as Crimen, And Suddenly It's Murder! didn't make it to the States until 1964; some English-language prints bear the title Criminals. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Silvana Mangano, Bernard Blier, (more)
- 1965
Director Alessandro Blasetti used an all-star Italian cast for this satirical comedy that pokes fun at the selfishness of humans and uses one character to link a series of comic vignettes. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gina Lollobrigida, Silvana Mangano, (more)
- 1968
In this drama, a Neapolitan lad travels to Milan to attend his father's funeral. His father was a gigolo, and the young man decides to continue the family profession and begins looking for rich women to prey upon. He is successful, but then he finds himself caught in a bidding war between a wealthy steel heiress and an rich old homosexual. Though the homosexual wins, the gigolo decides to make it with the heiress. Time passes and he ends up falling for a beautiful woman. Unfortunately, he discovers that she is his half sister. He then remembers a bit of advice from one of his father's friends who said "It's better for a young man to attach himself to a rich homosexual." The young gigolo heeds that advice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierre Clémenti, Beba Loncar, (more)
In this 1973 performance-themed documentary, originally screened on the RAI television network in Italy, Carla Fracci - one of the preeminent ballet dancers at La Scala - performs excerpts from such productions as Profokiev's Romeo & Juliet, Offenbach's Cancan and Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty. Numerous additional ballet dancers turn up to lend added support, including Ellen Kessler, Franca Valeri, James Urbain and Jacqueline de Min. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carla Fracci, Amedeo Amodio, (more)
- 1973
Franco Franchi, best known as half of the comedy duo Franco and Ciccio, stars with cult favorite Martine Beswicke in this crude parody of Bernardo Bertolucci's Ultimo Tango a Parigi. In contrast to the original's brutish Brando, Franchi's character is constantly dominated by the aggressive Beswicke and every other woman in his life, including his cruel wife (Gina Rovere) and a mentally unbalanced filmmaker (Franca Valeri) obviously modeled on Lina Wertmuller. Beswicke steals the show in a predatory variant on Maria Schneider's role, and brings a touch of class to a generally lowbrow production. The humor is primarily of the cheap bathroom variety, as subtlety has never been director Nando Cicero's strong point, but there are some genuine laughs for the tolerant. The English title of the film is Last Tango in Zagarol. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- 1974
A down on his luck gambler goes to work for a pair of wealthy, and lusty, female admirers only to discover that his chores include much more than simple housework. Michele (Carlo Giuffrè) knows how to handle his cards, but lately he's been stuck on a losing streak. Informed by his friend and advisor Peppino (Enzo Cannavale) that his debts have superseded his earnings, Michele sells shoes just to get by. But as good as Michele is at handling cards, he handles women even better. Giulia and Monica are two of his biggest admirers, and they're willing to pay him to perform odd jobs around their mansion. But their idea of odd jobs include getting Michele to pose for nude paintings, and summoning him to the barn for a roll in the hay. Before long, Michele's libidinous new employers are working him around the clock. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1979
- R
Pierre Richard directs and stars in this comedy about a ghost writer employed by a successful comic. He assumes the comic's identity and talks his way into a joint venture with an Italian screen star. The two travel to Tunisia to work on their collaboration and experience romantic and professional comic mishaps. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierre Richard, Aldo Maccione, (more)
