Angela Pagano Movies

A woman making her way back to sanity finds herself living in a house with a history of madness in this thriller. Lei (Laura Morante) is a woman who has spent fifteen years in a mental hospital; eager to start her life over again, she's decided to put her life's savings into opening a restaurant. Muller (Burt Young) is a real estate agent who tells Lei he has the perfect location for her eatery -- Snakes Hall, a large mansion in Davenport, Iowa that's been vacant for several years and can he had for a reasonable price. Lei buys Snakes Hall, but it's not long before she begins hearing strange noises late at night, and a priest (Treat Williams) warns her that the mansion has a terrible past and she should get out while she can. Lei ignores the warnings, but Paula (Rita Tushingham), a local historian, also insists that evil dwells in Snakes Hall. Lei discovers that the mansion was once a home for the disturbed run by a iron-willed nun (Angela Goodwin), and one night three patients were killed while another two disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Do the ghosts of the murdered women walk the passages of Snakes Hall? Il Nascondiglio (aka The Hideout) also stars Peter Soderberg and Yvonne Brulatour Scio. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Set in a post-apocalyptic future, this Italian sci-fi thriller presents a dim view of humanity. Following the devastation of WW III, very few people are left and there is a big push to procreate. The dark tale begins on a decimated sea shore settlement were a young couple appears. The male wants his woman to have a child, but she, not wanting to bring life to such a terrible place, refuses to submit to his advances. When a different woman comes along and agrees to have his baby, the fellow promptly sleeps with her. The new woman, wanting to insure her status tries to kill the first woman. She ends up being killed and served for dinner by the first woman. Alone once more, the man continues his fruitless pleas to have babies with the recalcitrant woman until frustration forces him to take desperate measures. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Rosa de America is the story of Rosa de Lima, Patron Saint of Latin America. Of noble Peruvian birth, Rosa renounces her riches and possessions to aid the burgeoning country of Argentina declare its political and religious independence. Delia Garces plays the title role in a passive fashion, apparently intimidated by the more experienced actors in the supporting roles. The film is at its best in re-creating Peru's vice-regal era, with scores of splendid sets and dazzling costumes. Produced in Argentina, Rosa de America was diplomatically premiered in Peru's capital city of Lima. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Argentine Eclipse de Sol (Eclipse of the Sun) has the look and feel of a like-vintage Hollywood romance. Latin American screen favorite Libertad Lamarque plays a drab young brunette housewife whose life is considerably altered when she dyes her hair blonde. Soon she has aroused the interest of her former boyfriend, much to the dismay of her present husband. It's the sort of story that could have been wrapped up in two reels, but director Luis Saslavsky manages to milk the situation for 84 minutes. As in most Lamarque vehicles, the song interludes are the film's highlights. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi