Luca Zingaretti Movies
Growing up in small-town Italy during the '60s and '70s, brothers Accio (Elio Germano) and Manrico (Riccardo Scamarcio) embody and celebrate opposing political stances, but share an impassioned love of the same woman that threatens to drive them to blows. Director Daniele Luchetti's political comedy Mio Fratello È Figlio Unico (aka My Brother Is an Only Child, 2007) observes the brothers over the course of 15 years, against the ever-shifting backdrop of tumultuous Italian sociopolitical history. During that time span, the siblings' loyalties will fluctuate; they will endure arguments and quarrels, and find themselves separated by the ravages of time and circumstance and reunited magnetically by the wisdom of age. In time, they will come to a firmer and clearer understanding of not only the differences but the similarities that they harbor. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elio Germano, Riccardo Scamarcio, (more)
- 2006
Director Francesca Comencini teams with screenwriter Franco Bernini to explore the manner in which money dictates the lives of people in Milan at the dawn of the 21st century in this drama that premiered at the 2006 Rome Film Fest. Ugo (Luca Zingaretti) is a crooked banker with a shifty hand for finances. Rita (Valeria Golino) is a by-the-books finance officer determined to bring Ugo to justice. In a city where money, or lack thereof, seems to be the motivating factor in the lives of all individuals no matter what side of the law they fall on, the confrontations and contradictions in their lives all come together to offer a revealing look at the value placed on the almighty euro. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Giorgio Perlasca was an Italian cattle dealer who was sympathetic to the fascist cause until September 8, 1943. Perlasca was in Budapest, Hungary, on a business trip when he had the opportunity to see first hand how Hungarian Jews were being treated by German occupying forces. Shocked by the cruelty and violence he saw, Perlasca had a sudden change of heart, and hatched a plan to help the Jews escape to freedom by impersonating a Spanish consul. As a result of Perlasca's brave actions, the lives of five thousand people were spared that day. Perlasca is a historical drama originally produced for Italian television which reenacts Perlasca's remarkable true story; Luca Zingaretti leads the cast as the daring Italian businessman. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Luca Zingaretti, Jerome Ange, (more)
Giorgio Serafini's World-War II prisoner-of-war drama The Good War stars Roy Scheider as an American colonel at a detention camp for Italian soldiers. Scheider's character butts heads with detainee Luca Zingaretti. Their relationship takes an unusual turn when the camp closes at the end of the war and the two men are left behind together. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Scheider, Luca Zingaretti, (more)
He was a poor carpenter who never traveled further than 50 miles from his home and died at the age of 33, but his teachings changed the world and he's still followed by hundreds of millions of people around the world, 2,000 years after his death. Jesus, originally produced as a television mini-series, offers a glimpse of the human side of the messiah, as well as recounting the story of his life and martyrdom. Jeremy Sisto stars as Jesus, with Jacqueline Bisset as Mary, Armin Mueller-Stahl as Joseph, Gary Oldman as Pontius Pilate, and Debra Messing as Mary Magdalene. The home video release is expanded from the broadcast edition, featuring material that was cut for time purposes. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeremy Sisto, Jacqueline Bisset, (more)
- 1999
- NR
The veneer of a happy marriage disguises an ugly secret in this hard-hitting drama from Italy. Anita and Michele (Laura Morante and Luca Zingaretti) are celebrating the tenth anniversary of their wedding. At a dinner party in which the couple's friends and family are helping to mark this joyous occasion, Anita decides its time to get a few things off her chest. It quickly becomes clear that their marriage is not all it appears to be. The mood turns ugly and then argumentative, finally exploding with a shocking act of violence. Shot primarily in close-ups that mirror the tension of the story, L'anniversario (aka The Anniversary) is marked by powerful performances from Laura Morante and Luca Zingaretti. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laura Morante, Luca Zingaretti, (more)
Novellas by Luigi Pirandello provided the source for this Italian anthology of two tales written and directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani. "Felice," set in Rome of the '30s, focuses on former opera baritone Felice (Antonio Albanese), now an accountant at the Teatro dell'Opera. Felice roars with laughter during his sleep, prompting his suspicious Russian wife (Elena Ghiaurov) to leave him. Abrasive opera director Migliori (Luca Zingaretti) has a daily ritual of tormenting crippled Rambaldi (Giuseppe Cederna). Since Felice has dreamed of joining Migliori in this humiliation, he is overcome with guilt when Rambaldi commits suicide. Felice makes plans to drown himself, but his future brightens after he finds romance with former chorus girl Nora (Sabrina Ferilli). "Two Kidnappings" begins in contemporary Sicily with a mobster holding a youth (Steve Spedicato) hostage to prevent his Mafia turncoat father from naming names but then segues to a kidnapping of 100 years earlier at the same location. Originally a three-parter, the third tale was filmed and edited but later deleted from the final release version. Nicola Piovani's orchestral score includes selections from Rossini. The Taviani brothers previously adapted Pirandello in their 1984 Kaos. Shown at the 1998 Venice Film Festival , the 1998 Toronto Film Festival, and the 1998 New York Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonio Albanese, Sabrina Ferilli, (more)
- 1997
In this provocative, suspenseful drama, a penniless aspiring painter receives an offer he cannot refuse and ultimately finds himself making a devil's bargain. Essentially a variation on "Faust," the tale is set in Rome and begins at an art show. Like the other artists, Nicolas Morgan hopes that the show will bring him success. The mysterious and dapper Bellisle sees his work, realizes that Morgan will do anything for wealth and fame, and offers to help him out. That night Bellisle calls Morgan and demands he witness a teen's fatal leap from a window. The tragedy inspires the artist and the resulting painting makes a splash in the Roman art world. Next, Morgan is at a sporting event and witnesses a terrible accident which he also captures on canvas. More gruesome coincidences occur and each results in a painting. Soon he finds himself the toast of wealthy art patrons. Meanwhile, police detective Marc Lauzon becomes interested in the artist's relationship to the sudden string of tragedies. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ruggero Raimondi, Wadeck Stanczak, (more)
This historical drama is based on the true story of Artemisia Gentileschi, the first woman to achieve success as a painter. In 17th century Italy, noted artist Orazio Gentileschi (Michel Serrault) is a portrait artist enjoying a certain degree of success and acclaim. His 17-year-old daughter Artemisia (Valentina Cervi) would like to follow the same path as her father, but women are not allowed to pursue careers in the arts, and the convent where she attends school forbids students to sketch nude models. Eager to learn, Artemisia begins posing for herself by use of a mirror; her father discovers her secret but is enthusiastic about her work, and he takes her out of school so he can tutor her in painting and drawing. Orazio forbids her to draw male nudes, but curious Artemisia persuades local men to serve as her models, and her work steadily improves. In time, Artemisia and her work come to the attention of Agostino Tassi (Miki Manojovic), a friend of her father who is a well-known painter and something of a rake. Tassi is impressed by both the art and the artist, but when he and Artemisia begin a love affair, he finds himself on trial for rape. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michel Serrault, Valentina Cervi, (more)
- 1996
Usury is a serious problem in mid-'90s Italy, a country torn by the realities of a long-term economic recession and the people's desires for material prosperity. Unforutnately, with the closure of many Italian banks and the lack of available credit, these things are hard to come by legally, so many, especially businessmen, turn to loan sharks. According to surveys, over %65 of the nation's businesses have involvement with violent loan sharks who like their seafaring cousins will patiently circle the rickety financial lifeboats of their prey until the right moment and then rush in for the kill. This allegorical crime drama from Italian filmmaker Ricky Tognazzi chronicles the complex psychological relationship between one such loan shark and his prey, an old friend from college. Francesco (the intended victim) runs a failing construction company owned by his dying father-in-law who went deeply in debt trying to keep the firm afloat. Outwardly, Sergio is an upstanding financial advisor who knew Francesco a decade before when they were both wild college boys. Sergio learns of Francesco's plight via a helpful banker and as soon as the father-in-law dies sends Claudio (his thug) to visit the bereaved family. Saying he represents the wealthy Signora Sauro (Sergio's secret lover and accomplice) Claudio offers to make a substantial loan to Francisco who accepts. Soon Sergio is back in Francesco's life. He has set his sights on his old friend's beautiful wife Miriam and becomes obsessed with bedding her. At the same time Claudio, whom Francesco doesn't realize is in cahoots with Sergio, begins threatening him for the money. Fortunately Sergio is there to 'save' Francesco from what he doesn't realize is the inevitable destruction of his business. At least that was Sergio's plan. Unfortunately, as ruthless and shrewd as he is, he does not count on the inconsistency of his accomplices. He also underestimates his victims and that proves for him, a terrible mistake. The film is also known as Un Homme Honnete. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Lindon, Sabrina Ferilli, (more)
An American family discovers the horrific mystery that lies within a spooky Italian castle in this low-budget horror film from cult director Stuart Gordon, best known for such works as Re-Animator and From Beyond. Castle Freak reunites Gordon with Re-Animator star Jeffrey Combs, who portrays John Reilly, an American who inherits an Italian castle when a distant relative passes away. John, a recovering alcoholic, travels to Italy with his estranged wife Susan and blind daughter Rebecca. On the advice of the estate's executor, the three plan to stay at the castle until they can liquidate the estate. Little do they know, however, that a horrible, freakish monster has been kept locked away in the basement. Soon, the beast has escaped and emerges hungry for blood, leading to a series of unexplained deaths and disappearances. When the police name John their prime suspect, he must find the true murderer before he or his family becomes the next victim. Along the way, he must not only battle the creature itself but overcome demons from his own guilty past. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Vulgar, blood-soaked humor abounds in this rollicking Italian black comedy that follows the hellish, bizarre New Years Eve of two average guys who find themselves stumbling from one outlandish situation to the next. After one guy gets dumped by his girl friend, he brashly invites himself to the exclusive party his pal plans to attend. His friend is not happy at spending the evening with such a morose character but allows him to go. Unfortunately, things go awry at the party and he must take the troublesome friend to his parent's suburban home. On a dark, empty highway, the two spy two hitchers. They offer them a ride and end up held at gun point, robbed and then running frantically for their lives in a field. Their flight leads them through dense woods and ultimately to a seemingly empty farmhouse that proves inhabited by a criminally insane poetry fan and his brutal gang. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1994
While it might be said that every bad man has some good in him, the reverse would also seem to be true. In this drama, drawn from several real-life events and based the novel by Andrea Carraro about them, a group of aimless boys take advantage of an unusual situation and wind up committing a heinous crime. While lounging with his new friend Pallesecche (Ricky Memphis), Raniero (Giampiero Lisarelli) and his friends hear that some of the guys are holding two female German tourists captive in the woods. They are invited to "join the fun," and in this movie, the boys do just that - arriving on the scene in plenty of time to participate in the rape of the two girls. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Giampiero LIsarelli, Ricky Memphis, (more)
- 1993
Antonio (Enrico Salimbeni) may not have been the most energetic waiter in the most popular restaurant in this unfashionable Adriatic tourist town, but that is no reason for his boss not to pay him. When he takes the wages that he is owed out of the till, not only does the owner throw him out, but he has him beaten up, to boot. Enzo (Mario Adorf), the owner of a restaurant so far off the beaten track it is widely known as Abissinia rather than being called by its true name, takes him in. The leisurely pace of everything that is done at the restaurant leaves Antonio with plenty of time to put together the story of its owner and the love of his life, and how he, too, fell from culinary glory to his present obscurity. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mario Adorf, Grazyna Szapolowska, (more)
- 1987
In this tragic romance set in Ferrara, Italy in 1938, and at a nearby seaside resort, a wealthy Jewish boy is thwarted in marrying the girl he loves when Mussolini's race laws (enacted to cement the regime's growing alliance with Germany) take effect. Rather than suffer as a Jewess, his intended converts to Catholicism and marries a young fascist. Meanwhile, the town doctor, who is a homosexual, becomes increasingly outcast when he openly falls in love with a boxer. The boxer at first is the man's lover, but when he decides to beat and rob the doctor, no one comes to his aid, and later he commits suicide. This movie is part of a trilogy about prewar Ferrara by director Giuliano Montaldo. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Philippe Noiret, Rupert Everett, (more)
