Giulio Battiferri Movies
- 1974
- R
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The Mediterranean sea is the backdrop for this social drama from director Lina Wertmuller. While vacationing on a yacht, the wealthy capitalist Raffaella (Mariangela Melato) shouts out orders in between spouting off political opinions amongst her friends. She is especially confrontational to the deck hand and servant Gennarino (frequent Wertmuller leading man Giancarlo Giannini), by demanding that he appear more presentable. Gennarino grows increasingly frustrated by her demands and develops contempt for her independence. When it is nearing dark, Raffaella has Gennarino take her out in the dinghy for a swim. The two find themselves stranded after the motor seizes up and a current sends them drifting out to sea. Eventually finding land, they end up on an uninhabited island and their small boat deflates. Removed from the trappings of society, Gennarino and Rafaella engage in a passionate power struggle fueled by sexual tension and basic survival. Their desperation develops into a strange and cruel love affair that determines whether or not they want to be rescued. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Giancarlo Giannini, Mariangela Melato, (more)
- 1966
Ken Wood portrays Italian comic strip wrestler Superargo in this lively sci-fier. The gargantuan grappler is forced into combat with mad scientist Gerard Tichy, who plans to rule the world, or at least Italy. Tichy hopes to go the "Goldfinger" route by crippling the world's economy; his plan involves the manufacture of artificial gold. But with Superargo on the case, Tichy's plans blow up in his face (literally, as it turns out). Nobody is expected to take this imbroglio seriously, so if you go with the flow, you'll have a good time with this Italian live-action cartoon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
"White Voices" is a vernacular term referring to Italian Castrati of the 18th century Vatican Choir. The Castrati were male children who were castrated so that they could retain their beautiful soprano singing voices into maturity. Paolo Ferrari plays a Roman youth who isn't keen on being gelded and bribes his way out of it. Even so, he trains with the choir and becomes an habitue of the houses of the rich and famous, using his supposed lack of male essentials to his advantage--especially in bed. Ferrari comes a-cropper when he impregnates a girl and is forced to go under the knife to establish an alibi! It is very, very hard to write about White Voices without making a wisecrack, so we'll cut this short (oops!). The film, a French/Italian coproduction, was originally released in France as Le Sex Des Anges and in Italy as I Castrati. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paolo Ferrari, Sandra Milo, (more)
- 1961
In this 16th-century swashbuckler, the trouble begins when a sea captain is unjustly sentenced to hang by the evil ruler of the Duchy of Doruzzo and his daughter. Meanwhile, the comely lass who believes herself the doomed captain's daughter is about to be sold to a harem when they are freed by a handsome hero whom the captain hopes will marry his daughter. Father and daughter then become pirates, and the hero is obligated to catch them, but when he falls in love with the girl, he switches allegiance and helps her attack the ruler's palace. The two then lead the other pirates, and the angry peasants in a revolt, resulting in the eventual death of the ruler, who confesses on his deathbed that the female pirate (the captain's supposed daughter) is his real daughter and heir to the Duchy; he then goes on to tell her that years before he had ordered the captain to kill her, but he refused and raised her instead. This confession so angers the other daughter that she goes into a convent; meanwhile the pirate lovers prepare for their wedding. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1961
Originally titled Lo Sceisso Rosso, the Italian-American The Red Shiek takes place in 19th century Morocco. A wicked sultan revels in making his subjects miserable, until the mysterious Red Shiek makes the scene. The audience knows that the Shiek is actually Ruiz (Channing Pollock), an outwardly meek carpenter. We also know that Ruiz has donned his disguise to avenge his father's murder. What we don't know is how long it will take the somewhat dense villains to catch on. Short on plot, Red Sheik is long on action, and that's all we can ask for. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1953
An elderly Boris Karloff headlines this low-budget Italian crime drama. He plays the owner of a financially struggling nursery who finds himself hopelessly involved in a kidnapping. A group of drug smugglers did the abducting and now Karloff and a detective team up to find them. The investigator will need to be on his toes, for nothing about the case is what it seems to be. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
