Luisa della Noce Movies
- 1989
Jacob was produced for television by the Daughters of St. Paul. In the space of two hours, the History of the World is related, from the Creation to the age of Jacob. Lacking lavish production values, the drama utilizes clever placement of limited props and extras to convincingly recreate its era. Currently, the film is available only in a Spanish-language version, titled Jacob: El Hombre Que Lucho Con Dios. Research has not revealed whether or not an English version was prepared. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
A divorced middle-aged Italian film director (Tomas Millian) is seeking meaning and love in both his life and his film. He becomes involved with an aristocratic woman, but trouble ensues when he begins to receive anonymous threats demanding that he abandon the relationship. When the woman mysteriously disappears, the director begins seeing an actress who works in experimental plays. She too leaves after telling him that she is carrying another man's child. In his quest for meaning, all the director manages to find is meaningless sex and lots of metaphors for isolation and abandonment: fog, open doors, empty landscapes. ~ John Voorhees, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tomas Milian, Daniela Silverio, (more)
Juliet of the Spirits is a fantastical showcase for Federico Fellini's vibrant imagery, starring his wife, Giulietta Masina, as the titular leading character. Juliet is a wealthy housewife who constantly fears her husband, Giorgio (Mario Pisu), is cheating on her. While she yearns for a peaceful intimate evening on the night of their 15th anniversary, the egotistical Giorgio has forgotten about it and instead arrives home with his eccentric friends. After a trip to a séance, Juliet is haunted by images from the spirit world, including obsessions from her past involving religion and her late relatives. With her sisters and mother prying into her life, Juliet seems to be seeking an inner peace amidst all the sexual temptations surrounding her. She meets her neighbor, Suzy (Sandra Milo), a showy pleasure-seeker who lives in a sensual playhouse. It appears that all of Juliet's family, friends, and fantasies demand that she loosen up and embrace sexual freedom, yet she remains chaste and dowdy, lamenting over her unfaithful husband. The reasons for Juliet's repression are not clearly defined by the narrative, despite glimpses into her supposed imagination. Forced to endure the constant bombardment of sexually charged imaginings, the demure Juliet retreats on her own. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Giulietta Masina, Mario Pisu, (more)
- 1959
Set during one day in Retiro Park in Madrid, this series of static skits involves people interacting in the park or sitting on benches, and talking. People passing through the park include a gentleman looking for a wealthy woman to romance. The woman he encounters, and other characters, alternate between the comic and the melodramatic as the skits unfold. Based mainly on dialogue rather than action, this day in the park features talented actors with not that much to say underneath it all. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Luisa della Noce, Fernando Rey, (more)
- 1958
Though generally successful, L'Uomo di Paglia (A Man of Straw) is hampered by two of director Pietro Germi's most characteristic creative shortcomings: overlength and oversimplification. Germi himself plays the leading role, a young husband and father named Andrea Zaccardi. When he falls in love with another woman (Franca Bettoja), Zaccardi begins to neglect his family. Things get worse when his emotionally unstable mistress commits suicide. Though his wife and son forgive him, Zaccardi somehow knows that his life has forever been altered, and that neither he nor his family will ever truly be happy again. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pietro Germi, Luisa della Noce, (more)
Pietro Germi is both star and director of Il Ferroviere. Germi plays Andrea, a railroad engineer with a large and troublesome family. Faced with a choice between supporting his fellow workers in a strike and keeping his family fed, Andrea opts for the latter. Branded a scab by his former cohorts, he is likewise given the cold shoulder by his wife and children. Drowning his disappointment in liquor, Andrea is saved from self-destruction when his youngest son decides to forgive and forget. Il Ferroviere was released in the U.S. as The Railroad Man and Man of Iron. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pietro Germi, Luisa della Noce, (more)
- 1955
Sicilian Sasa Scimoni (Alberto Sordi) learns L'Arte di Arranglarsi, or "The Art of Getting Along", in this perceptive Italian comedy. Over a period of several decades, Scimoni must adapt to the various power structures in Italy. Whether it be the monarchy, the socialists, the fascists or the Church, Scimoni manages not only to acclimate himself to the prevailing winds, but also turn a neat financial profit in the bargain. Only by trying to second-guess himself does Our Hero come acropper. L'Arte di Arranglarsi was the last of three collaborations between director Luigi Zampa and screenwriter Vitaliano Brancati, each one casting a satiric eye on middle-class Italian life. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alberto Sordi, Armenia Balducci, (more)
