Olga Solbelli Movies
In this offbeat costume horror film set in 1912, Hans (Pierre Brice), a young art student, is sent to a remote Dutch village to collect information about the local windmill. The windmill is decorated with moving sculptures of women in various gruesome scenes of torture and death. Professor Wahl (Herbert Boehme), the curator of the windmill, also teaches art and sculpture. Among the professor's students, Hans meets Liselotte (Dany Carrel), his childhood friend who still loves him. He also gets acquainted with Wahl's beautiful daughter, Elfi (Scilla Gabel), who suffers from a rare blood disease and is not allowed to leave her house. Then Hans discovers the shocking secret behind the professor's attempts to keep his daughter alive. ~ Yuri German, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierre Brice, Dany Carrel, (more)
- 1953
The English title of this Italian melodrama is Ship of Damned Women. After murdering her illegitimate baby, Isabella (Tania Weber) pins the blame on her innocent cousin Consuelo (May Britt). Despite the strenuous efforts of her attorney-lover DeSylva (Ettore Manni), Consuelo is found guilty and shipped to a penal colony along with several other female prisoners. En route, the women mutiny, and the ship is sunk. Among the few survivors are Consuelo, her attorney, and through an improbable coincidence, Isabella. Likewise improbable, though eminently satisfying, is the film's finale. Featured in the cast is craggy-faced character actor Eduardo Cianelli, who returned to his native Italy after nearly 20 years in Hollywood to make a handful of films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kerima, Ettore Manni, (more)
- 1952
Cliff of Sin was originally released in Italy as La Scogliera del Peccato. Margaret Genske plays Stella, the wayward wife of misanthropic millionaire Silvano (Gino Cervi). Hoping to enjoy his money without enduring his company, Stella murders Silvano with poison. To further replenish her coffers, she inveigles fisherman Paolo (Ermanno Randi) into a smuggling racket. When Paolo's brother Michele (Otello Toso) shows up to save the younger man from a life of crime, Michele too is entrapped in Stella's web. Evidently, only an act of God can prevent Stella from further misdeeds--and that's just what does stop her. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gino Cervi, Margaret Genske, (more)
- 1950
Canadian-born actress Lois Maxwell, best known for her portrayal of Miss Moneypenny in the "James Bond" films, heads the cast of the Italian costume melodrama Amori e Veleni. Maxwell plays Sweden's Queen Christina, who makes a diplomatic visit to Rome. The queen's former lover, Count Santinelli (Amedeo Nazzari), falls in love with a Roman lady-in-waiting. Though deeply hurt, Christina takes the old "duty over love" route. The film's English-language title is Loves and Poisons, a reference to the Borgia-like intrigues taking place in the background. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lois Maxwell, Amedeo Nazzari, (more)
- 1950
Surprisingly, the "Sardinian" protagonist of the Italian Faddija is played by an American actor. William C. Tubbs is cast as Pietro Atzeni, a bombastic landowner with three marriage-age daughters. Atzeni manages to squelch his daughters' romantic yearnings through his own greed, which consists of buying up any patch of land he decides he wants, by means both fair and foul. His avarice culminates in a deadly feud and a desperate elopement. Whenever the story flags in Faddija, the viewer can revel in its location photography and its colorful utilization of genuine Sardinian peasants and shepherds in minor roles.
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Tubbs, Luisa Rossi, (more)
- 1949
Sperduti nel Buio was released in the U.S. as Lost in the Dark. The film traces the ups and downs of three Neapolitan street musicians. Vittorio de Sica plays Nunzio, a blind violinist, while Enrico Glori portrays Paolo, a deaf clarinetist. Both are enamored of singer Paolina (Fiorella Berti), the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy nobleman (Sandro Ruffini). Neither Nunzio nor Paolo are aware of the girl's lineage; when Nunzio finds out, he tries all too late to arrange a reunion between father and daughter. Meanwhile, Paolina finds happiness in the arms of a humble sailor. Though it probably wasn't intentional, Sperduti nel Buio has much in common with the 1938 English comedy-drama Sidewalks of London. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vittorio De Sica, Enrico Glori, (more)
- 1943
The postwar American popularity of Italian film stars Anna Magnani and Aldo Fabrizi resulted in the belated U.S. release of many of their earlier efforts. Completed in 1942 as Campo de Fiori, The Peddler and the Lady didn't make it to America until 1949. Per the film's English-language title, the story concerns a fish peddler (Fabrizi) who courts a wealthy young lady (Caterina Boratto). Magnani is consigned to the supporting role of an earthy fruit vendor. She overacts outrageously, but one is hard-pressed to take one's eyes off her. Naturally, Anna Magnani was billed over the title as the star when Peddler and the Lady played American houses. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Caterina Boratto, Aldo Fabrizi, (more)
- 1942
In this Italian drama, a wealthy snob of a college girl is the head of her sorority, but turns out to be a wretched student. To save herself from failing chemistry (she had already failed almost every other class), the girl makes a pass at her handsome professor. The girl finds a rival in another co-ed who also wants the professor. Things are tense for a while, but when the rival is involved in an accident, it is the socialite who shares her blue blood for a life-saving transfusion. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alida Valli, Irasema Dilian, (more)
