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Eleonora Rossi-Drago Movies

Of Italian-Spanish heritage, Eleanora Rossi-Drago worked as a salesgirl before entering films in 1949. In the early stages of her movie career, she was typecast in sexy, bodice-ripping roles in such films as Pirates of Capri (1949) and Sensualita (1952). By the time she left films in the 1970s, she had matriculated into a capable character actress. Eleanora Rossi-Drago is best known to American audiences for her "salty" performance as Lot's wife in John Huston's The Bible (1966). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
1970  
 
Anna Maria Pierangeli (aka "Pier Angeli") stars in this confusing giallo thriller from director Sergio Bergonzelli. She and Eleonora Rossi Drago are incestuous mother and daughter maniacs in a gruesome story involving Nazis, flesh-eating vultures, decapitation, and -- worst of all -- Fernando Sancho in a bathtub. Pierangeli went on to make the dreadful American monster movie Octaman before committing suicide. Bergonzelli returned to the genre 18 years later with Delirio di Sangue.
~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

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Starring:
Eleonora Rossi-Drago
 
1970  
R  
Add Das Bildnis des Dorian Gray to Queue Add Das Bildnis des Dorian Gray to top of Queue  
Based on the novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde, this film follows a modern-day depiction of selfish, heartless Dorian Gray (Helmut Berger), as he manages to retain his youthfulness while his portrait continues to age. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi

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Starring:
Helmut BergerRichard Todd, (more)
 
1970  
R  
In this drama, an unhappy young computer student attempts to escape her unhappy homelife by getting involved with a self-centered law student. The 17-year old girl soon gets bored with him and begins affairs with two others. Unfortunately, she is impregnated by the law student who enlists the aid of a wealthy, strange countess to arrange an abortion. The girl then goes to work for the countess and observes all of the problems the woman has with men. After that, the girl resolves to spend her life alone. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

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1969  
R  
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This story from Alexander Dumas is updated to modern times and tinged with graphic nudity and eroticism. Marguerite (Daniele Gaubert) is the tart who sleeps her way up the social ladder to help Armand Duval (Nino Castelnuevo), a commoner who happens to be her boyfriend. The original story has Camille dying from tuberculosis, but in this version she suffers from an unknown ailment. She takes a variety of drugs and becomes a walking zombie (when she can stand up) in this expertly photographed sexploitation feature. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

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Starring:
Daniele GaubertNino Castelnuovo, (more)
 
1966  
 
Hypnosis is a psychological thriller reminiscent of themes found in Magic and Dead of Night. Erik (Jean Sorel) is the assistant in a ventriloquist/hypnotist act starring Magda (Elenora Rossi-Drago) and her fiancé Georg (Massimo Serato) Because of his secret love for Magna, Erik kills off anyone who gets in the way of his obsession. He becomes increasing unbalanced and frightened as he is tormented by the sound of the ventriloquist's dummy laughing at him. This Italian-German production, directed by Eugenio Martin, has an interesting premise, but the acting and production values of the are poor and the plot remains cliche-ridden and implausible. Hypnosis will disappoint even the most hardcore fans of the genre. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi

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1966  
G  
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The Bible was intended by producer Dino De Laurentiis as the first in a series of films which would eventually cover the Old and New Testament in their entireties. The many directors engaged for this project dropped out one by one, leaving only the adventurous John Huston. As a result, this film was the first and last in the series; its subtitle In the Beginning refers to the fact that only the first 22 chapters of Genesis ended up on film. After creation, we are introduced to the buff-naked Adam and Eve (Michael Parks and Ulla Bergyd), whose fall from grace segues into the Cain and Abel story. Next on the docket is the story of Noah, played by director Huston, who'd originally wanted Charlie Chaplin for the role. Abraham's sacrifice is then dramatized, with George C. Scott as the beleaguered protagonist. In quick succession, we are offered the Tower of Babel, the defiance of Nimrod, and Sodom and Gomorroh. Tying together these Old Testament episodes is Peter O'Toole as three angels; Ava Gardner also shows up in the role of Sarah. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
Michael ParksUlla Bergryd, (more)
 
1965  
 
Set in Kentucky during the slavery days of the Old South, this adaptation of the novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe tells of the workings of the underground railroad, a secretive system formed by whites and blacks which allowed slaves to escape into the northern states. This drama, directed in Yugoslavia by Hungarian Geza Radvanyi, tends to stray from the original story and contains many contradictions to historical fact. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi

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Starring:
John KitzmillerO.W. Fischer, (more)
 
1964  
 
The Flying Saucer is an irreverent satire of the worldwide fascination in space travel in the early 1960s. Alberto Sordi plays four roles in this slight tale of an invasion from Mars. The Martians decide to kidnap several "typical" Earthlings to help them understand our curious planet. The subjects are maddening enough to send the Martians hurtling off the planet as fast as their fat little pods will carry them. Flying Saucer gets off to a good start with a phony newsreel, wherein several interviewees offer the most fatuous opinions ever put on film; the rest of the film isn't able to match this opening, but there are isolated belly laughs along the way. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
Alberto SordiMonica Vitti, (more)
 
1964  
 
A knock-off of the popular Edgar Wallace crime melodramas, this horror outing has a villainous master spy threatening London with a poison-gas spewing ball. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

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1964  
 
Infidelity is the real subject linking the four funny vignettes that comprise this Italian anthology. "The First Night" centers on a naive pair of Sicilian newlyweds honeymooning in Naples. While celebrating their wedding night a friendly millionaire invites them aboard his yacht for a few drinks. There the tycoon offers the groom a fortune in exchange for having sex with his bride. Too drunk to think straight, the groom agrees to the bargain. The next night, he goes to cash the millionaire's check and finds it is no good forcing him to make a difficult decision. In the second story, "One Moment is Enough" an insanely jealous husband's attempts to keep his wife faithful fail miserably. The third story "The Last Card" centers on an unemployed football player who becomes a male prostitute to help support his impoverished family. Unfortunately, he is not quite up to the job. Finally in "Saturday, July 18," a wife spends a month vacationing in Capri. Her husband eventually shows up and begins boasting about how trustworthy she is. Unfortunately for him, she is anything but. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

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Starring:
Lando BuzzancaMaria Grazia Buccella, (more)
 
1964  
 
Vittorio Gassman stars as different characters in each of the nine episodes of this unusual Italian comedy. Playing everything from a practical joker to a prisoner, he comments upon romance, love and women in general, as referred to by the title. Prior to this feature, Gassman had worked with both screenwriter Ruggero Maccari and Ettore Scola (who also co-wrote rather than directed) in the 1962 feature Il Sorpasso from director Dino Risi. It was Risi and Maccari's teamwork which helped Gassman win a "Best Actor" award at Cannes Film Festival in 1974 for Profumo di Donna/Scent of a Woman. Gassman would later work with Maccari and Ettore again in episodic fashion with Signore e Signori Buonanotte/Goodnight, Ladies and Gentlemen (1976) and yet again in the drama Famiglia (1987). ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi

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1962  
 
Several internationally known directors contributed to this generally adept and compelling series of five brief vignettes on love and its many ramifications. François Truffaut starts things off with a story of innocent love between a young man in his mid-teens and a slightly older woman. Renzo Rossellini continues in sketch two about a tough mistress who keeps her lover on a short tether. Shintaro Ishihara renders the only violent episode -- that of a disturbed young worker who becomes a real lady-killer. Marcel Ophüls (son of the late and great Max Ophüls) directs an upbeat tale about a journalist who accepts the responsibilities of marriage and fatherhood when a brief fling with a woman ends in a pregnancy. The last vignette, directed by the well-known Polish helmer Andrzej Wajda, is about a brave act by a young soldier whose deed gains him the admiration of a woman, but the response from other men his age is something different. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

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Starring:
Jean-Pierre LéaudMarie-France Pisier, (more)
 
1961  
 
In this adventure set in 6th-century France, two warring tribes call a temporary truce so that the daughter of the Gepidaen king can marry the king of Lombard. Unfortunately, the willful princess doesn't want to marry the king because she is betrothed to another (she has also been impregnated by him, but that is her secret). Her fiancé is imprisoned until she finally agrees to marry the king. Treachery ensues and culminates in a terrible battle. The released prince proves himself a hero by bringing in badly needed troops to bring the Gepidaens to victory. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

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Starring:
Jack PalanceGuy Madison, (more)
 
1961  
PG  
Add David and Goliath to Queue Add David and Goliath to top of Queue  
Very loosely based on its Biblical source, this standard Italian sword-and-sandal action film stars Orson Welles as an intense, inward-turning King Saul, deteriorating at the same time that David is rising in renown. The shepherd David (Ivo Payer) is sent to the Israelite forces with supplies for his older brothers when he first discovers who Goliath is -- the giant over nine feet tall that challenges any single warrior to meet him one-on-one in battle. If someone takes up his challenge, it would decide whether the Israelites or Philistines are victorious in their current stand-off. David's one-shot victory turns the tide and hastens Saul's decline. The monarch's lithesome daughters Merab and Michal are played by Eleonora Rossi-Drago and Giulia Rubini, his son Jonathan is portrayed by Pierre Cressoy, and Goliath by Kronos, a muscular "giant" of European circus and music hall circuits. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

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Starring:
Orson WellesIvo Payer, (more)
 
1960  
 
Under Ten Flags is a fact-based British maritime epic set during World War II. Allied ships are being victimized by a German surface raider, which sails under friendly flags until moving in for the kill. Since so many nationalities were involved in making this film (both before and behind the cameras), it is difficult at times to determine whose side one is supposed to be on. On screen, the Germans seem the cleverest and most resourceful of all the combatants; at times, one hopes that they'll get away with their high-seas perfidy--especially since the captain is played by charismatic American actor Van Heflin. Under Ten Flags has a minimum of war action, but this didn't prevent an enterprising home-movie firm from excerpting nine minutes' worth of highlights for an 8-millimeter version--which did better business than the original 92 minute feature! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
Van HeflinCharles Laughton, (more)
 
1959  
 
Jean-Louis Trintignant's star was just rising when he took on the role of Carlo in this engrossing wartime coming-of-age story. Carlo is a young man living in his own world and blithely inattentive to the real war that is happening not very far away. This is particularly striking because he is the son of a high-level fascist. The year is 1943 and he has gone to a seaside resort on vacation where he meets the beautiful, older widow Roberta (Eleonora Rossi Drago). Carlo is smitten and in spite of various obstacles, he and Roberta enter into a romantic liaison. Then one day Allied forces land on the coast and Carlo is faced with the realities of war and a reassessment of his life. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

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Starring:
Eleonora Rossi-DragoJean-Louis Trintignant, (more)
 
1959  
 
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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, Rovi

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Starring:
Pietro GermiClaudia Cardinale, (more)
 
1958  
 
This routine story by director Maurice Cloche is about two gangs at war over the possession of a valuable cache of crude diamonds. As the gangs battle it out with each other, a young man is drawn into the conflict by his girlfriend, an aggressive sort of woman in her own way. Before the basically innocent bystander becomes a casualty of the dispute, he falls in love with another woman who manages to lead him away from the conflict. At the same time, the gangs are well on the way to destroying each other. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

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Starring:
Jean PascalEleonora Rossi-Drago, (more)
 
1958  
 
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Francois Perier, Peter vanEyck, and Anouk Aimee star in this tense tale of five highly skilled thieves who all pool their resources in hopes of pulling off the perfect heist. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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1958  
 
Anna Magnani is a powerful actress who can rise above the sentimentality of this film and still give a heartwarming performance. When a child has been abandoned by his mother and her boyfriend and is placed in her care, a kindly nun finds that her love for the boy may be more powerful than her vows for the church, as she contemplates leaving the sisterhood to become his full-time Mother. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi

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