Madeleine Fischer Movies
A scientific experiment gone leaves the fate of the world hanging in the balance in this sci-fi thriller. The United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain join forces to launch a manned space mission, but things go terribly wrong and crew leader John MacLaren (Paul Hubschmid) is forced to abandon ship shortly after blast off. MacLaren safely returns to Earth, but the rocket continues to sail through space, eventually reaching the sun and causing it to break apart. The consequences are immediate and disastrous -- asteroids pummel the planet, Earthquakes and extreme weather conditions tear at the world's major cities, and the world's scientific community bands together in a last-ditch effort to stop the disaster before it's too late. Le Danger Vient de l'Escape (released in the United States as The Day The Sky Exploded features top-notch cinematography from European horror legend Mario Bava. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 1956
Alberto Sordi plays the title character in the Spanish-Italian Lo Scapolo (The Bachelor). Forever on the verge of marriage, our hero is invariably "rescued" by an inbuilt mental quirk. He is convinced that he is thoroughly satisfied with his bachelorhood, but eventually realizes he's been lying to himself. When he finally succumbs to matrimony, it is with the woman that neither he nor the audience would ever have predicted as the winner. Weaving in and out of the proceedings as a sort of Greek chorus are bandleader Xavier Cugat and his then-wife, sultry vocalist Abbe Lane. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Alberto Sordi, Sandra Milo, (more)
Roman couturier Clelia (Eleonora Rossi-Drago) leaves the big city to work at a boutique in Turin. She moves into a hotel and makes several new friends, but is soon drawn into their extremely unpleasant lives. Clelia enters a doomed relationship with a poor architect's assistant (Ettore Manni), sees her new best friend Rosetta (Madeleine Fischer) commit suicide after being jilted by her married lover (Gabriele Ferzetti), and is eventually fired from her new job when her hysteria over Rosetta's death interferes with her work. Clelia finally goes back to Rome, and viewers will not blame her a bit. Le Amiche, based on a 1949 article published in La Bella Estate ("Tre Donne Sole" by Cesare Pavese), is perhaps Michelangelo Antonioni's first great film. Juggling 10 characters with great aplomb, Antonioni and co-screenwriters Suso Cecchi D'Amico and Alba De Cespedes have created a rich, interlocking narrative which manages to rise above mere melodrama through careful attention to the ebb and flow of interpersonal relationships and a keen sense of balance. The fine supporting cast includes Valentina Cortese, Yvonne Furneaux, and Franco Fabrizi. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- Starring:
- Valentina Cortese, Gabriele Ferzetti, (more)
