Renato Chiantoni Movies
- 1973
When Andrea (Luigi Diberti) receives a telegram saying that his father is dying, he and his wife hop into their car and drive back to their hometown. On arriving, he discovers that someone has played a mean-spirited prank on him, and his efforts to discover the source of the telegram lead him on a journey through memories of his youth and adolescence in the town. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
Italo Bombolini (Anthony Quinn) is the mayor of the hillside village of Santa Vittorio. The wine-loving town leader erases a pro-Mussolini slogan when he hears of the fascist being killed and hanged from a meathook. His wife Rosa (Anna Magnani) throws him out of their wine shop when he and his friends celebrate and he gives away too much wine. When he hears the retreating Nazi Army will soon be in town, hundreds of villagers turn out to hide the wine in an old Roman cave. The people work day and night, hiding 1 million bottles just before the Nazis enter the town. SS officers threaten death to anyone who withholds the wine. Italo presents a single bottle to the irate general (Hardy Kruger), as the hapless Germans are powerless to force the villagers to produce the coveted bottles. Not even a pistol to the head of their beloved mayor is effective as the town stands by, watching in complete silence. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Quinn, Anna Magnani, (more)
- 1966
In this mystery, a gang of drug smugglers kidnap the ex-girlfriend of a journalist. The journalist begins looking for her. When the woman is found dead, the journalist gets some help and eventually justice prevails. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1961
Peter Ustinov went the auteur route as writer, director, producer, and star of this Cold War farce, based on his play and very similar to the equally well-regarded The Mouse That Roared (1959). Ustinov is "the general," leader of the tiny European nation Concordia, which is so small that it does not appear on any maps, and each government employee holds two positions (the general's chauffeur is also ambassador to the U.S.). Despite its diminutive size, Concordia is a full-fledged member of the United Nations. A vote on an important measure is split evenly, with Concordia getting the deciding vote, so the general abstains and goes home, giving fits to the U.S. and U.S.S.R., Cold War rivals which are on opposing sides of the issue. A campaign of persuasion is launched to sway Concordia to one side or another, but the canny general wants to keep his country neutral, so he schemes to introduce the Russian ambassador's son Igor Romanoff (John Gavin) to Juliet Moulsworth (Sandra Dee), the daughter of the U.S. representative. Shakespearean-style romance between the two attractive young people inevitably ensues, much to the chagrin of their home countries and the general's delight. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Ustinov, Sandra Dee, (more)
The Barefoot Contessa begins at the funeral of Ava Gardner, a former Spanish peasant, cabaret dancer and movie star, who at the time of her death was a full-fledged contessa. Her life story unfolds in flashback recollections from her mourners. Film director Humphrey Bogart recalls how his career was saved when he discovered Gardner on behalf of Howard R. Hughes-like mogul Warren Stevens. Press agent Edmond O'Brien remembers how Ava was wooed and then abandoned by mercurial millionaire Marius Goring, and Italian count Rosanno Brazzi reflects on how he was able to wed the tempestuous Gardner, only to watch his world crumble after revealing on their wedding night that he was "only half a man." O'Brien received Best Supporting Actor awards at both the Academy Awards and Golden Globes in 1954. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Humphrey Bogart, Ava Gardner, (more)
- 1954
Errol Flynn's immediate followup to his 1953 swashbuckler Master of Ballantrae was Il Maestro di Don Giovanni--or, as it was known in America, Crossed Swords. Flynn plays a Don Juan-like adventurer named Renzo, who fights and romances his way through all sorts of Italian court intrigue. His principal foe is the wicked coucillor (Roldano Lupi) of the Duke of Sivona (Piero Tordi), who intends to oust the Duke and claim Sivona for himself. In between the usual sword duels, Renzo dallies with the Duke's buxom daughter (Gina Lollobrigida). Crossed Swords failed to make a dent in the US, a fact that Errol Flynn would attribute to United Artists' lack of interest in promoting the property. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Errol Flynn, Gina Lollobrigida, (more)
- 1952
Set in 18th-century South America, The Golden Coach (Le Carrosse D'Or) stars Anna Magnani as an earthy Commedia Del Arte performer. Magnani is lusted after by diplomat Duncan Lamont, who leaves both his job and his mistress to pursue the sexy actress. Also vying for Magnani's favors are a bullfighter and a nobleman. Magnani tries to avert bloodshed by giving away the Golden Coach that had been bestowed upon her by the expansive Lamont. When director Jean Renoir was asked if he intended The Golden Coach to be Pirandellian, what with its linking of reality and theatricality, Renoir responded that his intention was to establish that "life is life and the stage is the stage." Maybe so, but the film's brilliant Technicolor and superb performances easily transcend that mundane entity known as Real Life. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Magnani, Duncan Lamont, (more)
