Anna Maria Pier Angeli Movies

Discovered as a teenager by Russian director Leonide Moguy, Sardinian-born actress Pier Angeli made her film bow in 1949's Tomorrow is Too Late. The waif-like actress was signed by MGM in 1951, where she was seen in such films as Teresa (1951) and Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956). For several years, MGM made public announcements that Pier would star in a film adaptation of W.H. Hudson's mystical novel Green Mansions; the studio went to the extreme of sending out photographs of Ms. Angeli dressed as the novel's Rima the Bird Girl. But when time came to film Green Mansions in 1959 Pier had long since left the MGM fold, and the role went to Audrey Hepburn. Pier was briefly married to singer Vic Damone. She died of a barbiturate overdose at the age of 39. Pier Angeli was the twin sister of actress Marisa Pavan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
1969  
 
This dubbed, Italian-made, X-rated film is somewhat pornographic. Elizabeth (Pier Angeli) is on the outs with her husband Stephen (Glenn Saxon), and they are nearing a divorce. Wealthy heiress and family friend Alexandra (Colette Descombe) invites the couple to her country home, hoping to reunite them. Instead, she discovers her own romantic affections increasingly focusing on Stephen. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

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1964  
 
In this Italian mystery-adventure, a government agent is assigned to look into a mysterious outbreak of a deadly virus in Southeast Asia. While attending a party, he meets an enemy agent and his pretty sister. Later the enemy captures the agent and his own sister who has fallen for the American. Soon the Yankee operative discovers that the evil agent is planning the genocide of all races he deems inferior. In their place, he is trying to engineer a race of superhumans. Fortunately, the American and the sister escape. He eventually finds the lab where the virus is cultivated and is again captured. This time, the sister and her friend save him and set the lab afire. The woman's friend is killed. Later her brother accidently falls into a pit filled with infected rats. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Kerwin MathewsRobert Hossein, (more)
1965  
 
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In December of 1944, the Allied high command is convinced that German forces in Belgium are in a low state of readiness, and perhaps even about to withdraw. Only one officer on the front lines, intelligence specialist Lt. Col. Kiley (Henry Fonda), believes otherwise -- that the Germans are actually planning an attack. His opinion is rejected by his immediate superior (Dana Andrews) and his commanding general (Robert Ryan). Kiley spots several suspicious signs of German activity behind enemy lines on a reconnaissance flight, and he is at the front looking for evidence when the German counter-offensive starts. Taking advantage of Allied unpreparedness and a weather front that grounds all aircraft, their heavy tank units, supported by infantry, roll over the American forces, assaulting the lines at five different points in an attempt to ultimately divide the Allied forces in the west. The German top tank officer, Colonel Hessler (Robert Shaw), has planned his operation perfectly, but he is in a race against time, to take as much territory as possible before the weather front moves out and American aircraft can fly again, and to capture the American fuel supplies so that the offensive can continue right to the port of Antwerp. He has the total dedication of his men, but engenders doubts from his aide, Conrad (Hans-Christian Blech), who is weary of the fighting and wonders what it is all for. Meanwhile, Kiley is trying to uncover the weak spot in the German offensive, and he crosses paths with several other key players in this drama: Charles Bronson as a combat officer charged with the defense of the collapsing American position, James MacArthur as a neophyte lieutenant who becomes a leader, and Telly Savalas as a conniving sergeant in command of a tank who unexpectedly finds a nobler, less mercenary side of himself. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Henry FondaRobert Shaw, (more)
1966  
 
In this espionage drama, a leading American spy has a miniature camera surgically implanted in his eye, unbeknownst to him, and with it photographs secrets for the Russians, helping them gather information about a newly created death ray. The scientist who created it knew the secret could fall into enemy hands and so placed his secret plans into the skull of his unknowing daughter before he died. Meanwhile another spy begins following her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Brett HalseyAnna Maria Pier Angeli, (more)
1969  
 
James Daly plays an American special operative who goes behind enemy lines during WW II. His mission: sabotage. Pier Angeli, Michael Wilding and Peter Van Eyck number among Daly's possible friends and foes. It's familiar territory, but suspenseful. We prefer the film's original title: Red Roses for the Fuhrer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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In this gangster film, set in Chicago during the 1930s, a tough-guy employs murder and blackmail to take-over the local syndicate. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

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1951  
 
Leonid Moguy's Domani e un Altro Giorno (Tomorrow is Another Day) was an unofficial follow-up to his 1950 effort Domani e Troppo Tardi (Tomorrow is Too Late). Both films were "thesis" pictures, but whereas the first film dealt with sex education, the second tackles the even more delicate subject of suicide. Three different stories are offered with the film's framework, each probing into the reasons that a person would take his or her own life. In the first, a young girl is seduced and then tormented by an older man. In the second, an old woman's dog is poisoned by nasty neighbors. And in the third, a young socialite, denied genuine affection by parents, begins looking for love in all the wrong places. Only one of the three episodes ends happily, but it wouldn't be fair to reveal which one. At the bottom of the cast list is Rosanna Podesta, who'd achieve international fame in the mid-1950s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Anna Maria Ferrero
1949  
 
Domani e Troppo Tardi is the first of two Leonide Moguy films dealing with the travails of postwar Italian life; the second was Domani e un altro Giorno. The story concerns the efforts to provide a proper sex education for youngsters. Progressive schoolteachers Landi (Vittorio de Sica) and Anna (Lois Maxwell) have a profound influence on two of their young students, Mirella (Anna Maria Pierangeli) and Franco (Gino Leuri). The two kids are enamored of one another, and decide to experiment with some of the knowledge they've gleaned in the classroom...with devastating results. Eighteen-year-old Anna Maria Pierangeli, who makes her film debut in Domani e Troppo Tardi and also appeared in Domani e un altro Giorno, later changed her professional name to Pier Angeli. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Vittorio De SicaLois Maxwell, (more)
1968  
 
This Israeli-made feature was originally titled Kol Mamzer Melech. Dramatizing an actual event that occurred during the Six-Day War of 1967, the film top-bills Italian actress Pier Angeli, but the central character is a pilot named Ralphi Cohen (played by Oded Kotler). Hoping to bring peace to his country, Cohen takes it upon himself to fly his plane towards Egypt, there to hopefully commiserate with Abdel Nasser. Shot down en route, Cohen finds himself halfway between the Egyptian and Israeli armies; he'd like to get home, but he'd also like to retain the use of his life. Actual footage of the 1967 war is interspersed with several well-choreographed and convincing battles sequences. In some English-speaking markets, this film bore the title Every Bastard a King (a literal translation of the Israeli original). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Anna Maria Pier AngeliWilliam Berger, (more)
1960  
 
The Italian Musketeers of the Sea transports cast and crew to Maracaibo, then barely takes advantage of the attendant scenic wonders before settling into its creaky plot. The story has something to do with locating vast amounts of gold, and the greed and treachery resulting in the race for the valuable ore. If nothing else, the film allows us to see the lengths that faded Hollywood stars of 1960 would take to stay in the limelight. In this instance, the unfortunate lost Tinseltown souls are Robert Alda, Aldo Ray and Pier Angeli. There must have been good solid reasons for all three of these worthies to omit Musketeers of the Sea from their official resumes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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1965  
 
Dependable American character actor Fred Beir is afforded a rare starring role in this Italian spy yarn. Beir plays an 007-ish secret agent on the trail of a murderer. The victim was a prominent scientist who may have been carrying secret papers. Beir nearly ends up on a slab himself before tracking down the mystery villain. Pier Angeli, an ingenue who'd seen better days, costars. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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1954  
 
Mam'zelle Nitouche represented Fernandel's only 1954 film vehicle. The horse-faced comic actor is cast as Celestin, an organist at a girl's school. By day, Celestin is the meek and mild target of the girls' incessant practical jokes. By night, however, he is the celebrated composer of popular operas -- and the romantic vis-à-vis of a celebrated stage star. When schoolgirl Denise (Pier Angeli) stumbles onto Celestin's secret, she threatens to tell all -- but only if Celestin refuses to escort her to the opening night of his latest opera. As a result, Denise falls in love with a handsome young soldier, while Celestin is accidentally shipped off to an army camp. A series of silly coincidences brings happiness to all concerned by fade-out time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
FernandelAnna Maria Pier Angeli, (more)
1958  
 
Though Merry Andrew is more subdued than earlier Danny Kaye efforts, it's still a lot of fun. Kaye is cast as Andrew Larabee, a mild-mannered but highly unorthodox archeology professor at a British boy's school. While on an expedition in Italy, Andrew allows a traveling circus to pitch camp on his archeological site. Falling in love with Selena (Pier Angeli), the acrobat daughter of carnival owner Antonio Gallini (Salvatore Baccaloni), Professor Larabee soon finds himself participating in their show as a clown, ringmaster, and (accidental) lion-tamer. When time comes for Andrew to return to his stuffy academic existence -- not to mention his equally stuffy fiancée (Patricia Cutts) -- he chooses instead to hit the sawdust trail in the company of the fair Selena. The five Saul Chaplin-Johnny Mercer songs are enjoyable, but the engaging "patter numbers" written by Kaye's wife, Sylvia Fine, are sorely missed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Danny KayeAnna Maria Pier Angeli, (more)
1971  
 
A scientific expedition to a remote Mexican fishing community discovers unhealthy amounts of radiation in the local waters. They also find a small mutant octopus with nearly-human eyes that can crawl on land and make mewling sounds like a baby. In order to receive further funding for their project, Dr. Rick Torres travels back to the States to make a deal with circus owner Johnny Caruso, who is interested in the bizarre mutation as a carny act. They return to the camp to discover that their crew has been slaughtered by someone (or something) and the octopus specimen is missing. A young man from the village says that a local legend about a creature said to be half man and half sea serpent is true, and offers to take the scientists to the lake where it is purported to live. What they find is a seven foot tall walking octopus with amazing strength and a lust for killing, and soon the expedition realizes that the monster is now hunting them. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide

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1956  
 
Adapted from a novel by Bernard Victor Dyer, Port Afrique offers an unusual screen romantic team in the form of two-fisted Phil Carey and ethereally beautiful Pier Angeli. Carey plays Rip Reardon, a WW2 veteran who returns to his "second home" in Morocco for a reunion with his wife. Upon arrival, Reardon discovers that his wife was murdered, though the police insist that she died by her own hand. Smelling a cover-up, Reardon conducts his own investigation, which leads him through some of the seedier portions of Port Afrique. Along the way, he meets and briefly romances nightclub singer Ynez (Angeli), who may or may not have had something to do with his wife's death. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Anna Maria Pier AngeliPhilip Carey, (more)
1967  
NR  
Set in the wilds of South Africa, this Italian adventure chronicles the travails of three fugitive killers who search the jungle for a fabulous gold mine. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Ty HardinAnna Maria Pier Angeli, (more)
1960  
 
Five passengers on a seaplane find that a crash has stranded them on an island used for nuclear testing in this disaster movie. Just to get to the island, they had to endure many hardships including a hurricane, a gun-battle, shark-infested seas, and a fire on the plane. Panic ensues when the diverse group learns that in five hours, another bomb will be tested there. While the story is action-based, most of the time is spent looking at the individual characters and the way they cope. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Richard AttenboroughAnna Maria Pier Angeli, (more)
1962  
 
This 153-minute Biblical epic about salt and sin is directed by Robert Aldrich and has enough dynamic interactions between its chief protagonists to sustain interest in-between climactic scenes. Stewart Granger is Lot, the Hebrew leader who takes his people to camp in the Valley of Jordan only to find that they are caught between the Helamites on the one hand, and the wicked Queen Bera (Anouk Aimee) on the other. She rules over the twin cesspools of Sodom and Gomorrah and is beleaguered by a crafty brother who wants the scepter she now wields. The Queen makes a pact with Lot that he can stay with the Hebrews in the valley as long as he defends it -- she wants to use him and the Hebrews as a first line of defense against the Helamites. To seal the pact, she gives Lot her best slave Ildith (Pier Angeli) to be his wife. Adventures and excitement prevails as Lot and the Hebrews brave one challenge after the other -- until Lot realizes that his people are being corrupted by the environment of Sodom and Gomorrah and eventually receives a Divine vision and knows he has to lead the Hebrews away from here. Special effects are impressive and take much of the impact away from the fate of Ildith, as she turns one last time to look back at the crumbling cities. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Stewart GrangerAnna Maria Pier Angeli, (more)
1953  
 
This tuneful romantic melodrama is set in a tiny Mexican village and is comprised of three storylines. One tale concerns a pair of young lovers from rival villages who will not be able to marry until a long time feud is ended. In another tale, an heir to a large fortune falls in love with an impoverished girl. His family is dead set against the match. When he is diagnosed with a fatal tumor, the man begs the girl to marry him, but she refuses and instead arranges for him to marry another. In the third story, a matador's comely sister falls in love with a street vendor. Unfortunately, the matador hates her beloved and to break them up permanently, slyly convinces the peddler to enter the dangerous bullring. Fortunately for the sister, her brother's scheme fails spectacularly. She then marries the peddler and makes an ironic discovery. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Anna Maria Pier AngeliRicardo Montalban, (more)
1956  
NR  
Once you get past the fact that handsome Paul Newman could never pass for plug-ugly boxer Rocky Graziano in real life, you will be able to accept Somebody Up Their Likes Me as one of the more accomplished movie biopics of the 1950s. Based on Graziano's autobiography (co-written with Rowland Barber), the film accurately depicts the teen-aged Rocky as an unregenerate punk, evidently doomed by his slum environment, and his own lousy attitude, to a life of petty crime. Determining that the only way he'll make a living is with his fists, Rocky becomes a boxer, at first willing to participate in a series of fixed fights. Eventually, Rocky develops a conscience and sense of self-respect, no small thanks to his sweetheart (and later wife) Norma (Pier Angeli). The film ends on an optimistic note after Rocky wins a "clean" bout with Tony Zale (playing himself). Training extensively with Graziano prior to and during production, Newman is quite impressive in his first worthwhile film role (this was only his third film, following the execrable The Silver Chalice and the forgettable outing The Rack). The title song in Somebody Up There Likes Me was written by Bronislau Kaper and Sammy Cahn, and performed by Perry Como. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Paul NewmanAnna Maria Pier Angeli, (more)
1951  
 
In Teresa, director Fred Zinnemann adopts the same quasi-documentary approach he'd used in The Search (1948). Lensed on location in Italy and New York, the film introduces Pier Angeli in the title role, and co-stars three male newcomers: John Ericson, Ralph Meeker and Rod Steiger. Teresa is the Italian bride of GI Philip (Ericson), who is established from the outset as mentally disturbed. Taking Teresa home with him to New York, Philip begins to crack under the pressure of married life -- not to mention the angst brought to bear by his highly dysfunctional family. A happy ending doesn't seem likely under these circumstances, but there's always hope. The best scene in Teresa occurs during an fateful visit to Coney Island. Featured in the cast is political cartoonist Bill Mauldin, who'd subsequently co-star in John Huston's Red Badge of Courage. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Anna Maria Pier AngeliJohn Ericson, (more)
1960  
 
Richard Attenborough stars in this British drama as Tom Curtis, an ordinary man with a job in a factory. A new employee, Travers (Alfred Burke), begins complaining about conditions at the plant and stirs up disharmony among his fellow workers. Tom thinks that there's something fishy about Travers and his methods, and when Travers decides to call a wildcat strike, Tom refuses to participate and makes a point of standing his ground. However, Travers and his ideas have attracted a groundswell of support in the factory, and Tom soon finds himself on the outs with his fellow employees as Travers drifts off to make trouble at another factory. Tom, however, still has to deal with the angry reprisals of the men, and his wife Anna (Pier Angeli) doesn't understand why he continues to hold so unpopular an opinion at the expense of his safety and well-being. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Richard AttenboroughAnna Maria Pier Angeli, (more)
1952  
 
Gene Kelly tackles a rare non-singing or dancing role in this post-war drama. Kelly plays Capt. Jeff Eliot, whose life was saved during World War II when a German family rescued him after his plane was shot down over Munich. In 1948, Eliot travels to Germany to thank the Lehrt Family for their kindness, only to discover that they were killed during an air raid by U.S. forces near the end of the war. The only survivor was the family's oldest daughter, Wilhelmina (Pier Angeli), who works as a barmaid in a sleazy nightclub and has developed a bitter hatred of Americans. Eliot develops an infatuation for this tragic woman and spends enough time at the club to become familiar with Heisemann (Claus Clausen), a comic at the club who has a dark secret life. Heisemann is also a gold smuggler who is part of an underground Nazi movement that hopes to overthrow the post-war government and re-launch the Third Reich. When Eliot tells his superiors what he's discovered, he's ordered to continue his romance with Wilhelmina as a cover while he learns more about Heisemann's smuggling operations. The Devil Makes Three was one of several films MGM made in Europe to take advantage of frozen funds that the main office in Hollywood could not transport in cash but could use to finance production; another film produced under this scheme was one of Kelly's pet projects, the performance film Invitation to the Dance. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Gene KellyAnna Maria Pier Angeli, (more)
1954  
 
Filmed on location in Europe, Flame and the Flesh is nothing more nor less than a vehicle for the glamorous Lana Turner. The plot finds Madeline (Ms. Turner) stranded in Italy with nary a lire to her name. But this doesn't bother her, because she's always depended upon the kindness of strangers--handsome, wealthy strangers. Madeline's present target is singer Nino (Carlos Thompson), who is engaged to Lisa (Pier Angeli). Throwing Lisa over, Nino weds Madeline, only to discover that she hasn't any intention of giving up her amorous lifestyle. Ultimately, Madeline comes to the realization that Nino is the only man in her life, but she seems to have a lot of fun sampling the alternatives. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Lana TurnerAnna Maria Pier Angeli, (more)
1951  
 
Filmed on location in Italy, The Light Touch served as a showcase for MGM's newest female star Pier Angeli. The title refers to the nimble-fingered technique utilized by art thief Sam Conride (Stewart Granger). Sam is a cog in the wheel of the operation controlled by illegal art peddler Felix Guignol (George Sanders). Angeli plays Anna Vasarri, a young painter who'd like to reform Sam but who is unavoidably sucked into the illicit activities orchestrated by Guignol. Sam endangers Anna's life as well as his own when he masterminds a solo theft, intending to leave Guignol in the lurch. An unexpected jolt of religiosity forces Sam to mend his ways, much to Anna's relief. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Stewart GrangerAnna Maria Pier Angeli, (more)

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