Peppino Demartino Movies
- 1962
A mother who wants only the best for her challenged daughter faces a number of new and unexpected dilemmas in this romantic drama. Margaret Johnson (Olivia de Havilland) is a wealthy woman taking a tour of Europe with her 26-year-old daughter Clara (Yvette Mimieux). Clara is blonde, beautiful, and charming, but beneath the surface lurks a serious problem -- as a result of a head injury she suffered as a child, Clara is mildly retarded and has the mental capacity of a ten-year-old. While Margaret's husband Noel (Barry Sullivan) has long contended that Clara should be institutionalized, Margaret refuses to hear of it, and she sees to it that her daughter lives as normal a life as possible. While in Italy, Margaret and Clara meet a handsome young man named Fabrizio Naccarelli (George Hamilton), the son of a prosperous local, Signor Naccarelli (Rossano Brazzi). Fabrizio is immediately smitten with Clara, and she seems equally fond of him; since Frabrizio has a spotty command of English and isn't especially perceptive to begin with, he doesn't notice anything unusual about her. Before long, Fabrizio asks Margaret for Clara's hand in marriage; while this would be a big step toward the "normal" life that Margaret has long dreamed of for her daughter, she's not sure if Clara is capable of handling the responsibilities of marriage and parenthood, and she is equally uncertain if she should reveal the nature of Clara's condition to the Naccarellis, even though she knows that it would be terribly unfair for Fabrizio to marry Clara without knowing the truth. Light in the Piazza was beautifully shot on location in Italy by award-winning cinematographer Otto Heller. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Olivia de Havilland, Rossano Brazzi, (more)
- 1960
Also known as The Passionate Thief, this fast-paced crime comedy stars Anna Magnani as the fly in the ointment for a pair of disreputable types. Pickpockets Toto and Ben Gazzara don't want Magnani around while they ply their trade, but she manages to foul up their plans by falling in love with their "pigeon", American tourist Fred Clark. Gazzara briefly rids himself of Magnani by pinning a robbery rap on her. Upon her release from jail, she is reunited with Toto, who has loved her all along. Since it is established early on that Magnani is a movie extra and Toto an out-of-work actor, Risate di Giola gets away with a few jibes at the Italian film industry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
A puzzling crime case is methodically worked out to a solution in this excellent suspense drama by director (and lead actor) Pietro Germi. Inspector Ingravallo (Germi) is charged with an investigation into the murder of the wife of Remo Banducci (Claudio Gora). The good inspector is only human, and he lets his instincts, as well as his personal feelings about people, guide him in his unraveling of the mystery. This technique makes for a close observation of interpersonal relationships, and they dominate the story. In the end, both the murder mystery and the qualities and characteristics of the people involved in the drama share center stage. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pietro Germi, Claudia Cardinale, (more)
- 1958
As the title indicates, this Renato Rascel vehicle is a takeoff of the Jules Dassin "caper" film Rififi. Rascel plays a nightclub owner who falls in with a gang of thieves, headed by quirky mastermind Dario Fo. After several comic preliminaries, the gang embarks upon a meticulously pre-planned jewel robbery. Not surprisingly, with Rascel involved, the plan does not exactly go off like clockwork. For those not interested in comedy or crime melodrama, Rascel-Fifi offers the considerable charms of the pulchritudinous Franca Rame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Renato Rascel, Dario Fo, (more)
- 1953
Released almost simultaneously with his Ho Scelto L'Amore, Italian funnyman Renato Rascal's Attanasio, Cavallo Vanesio (Attanasio, the Vain Horse) is little more than a photographed stage play. The diminutive star plays a jockey working in the U.S., who dreams of owning his own horse. He realizes this goal with the help of three dizzy Southern belles (the Peters Sisters), but the nag is stolen by crooks. Will Rascel make it to the big race on time? Actually, he has plenty of time, since this lightweight musical comedy runs a full four hours in its original form! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Renato Rascel, The Peters Sisters, (more)
