Vittorio Gassman Movies
One of the most popular and versatile stars in Italy for over 40 years, handsome, flamboyant Vittorio Gassman has found tremendous success on stage and screen as an actor. Internationally, Gassman is perhaps best known as the comic star of such films as I Soliti Ignoti (Big Deal on Madonna Street) (1956) and Lo Zio Indegno (The Sleazy Uncle) (1989). Before making his film debut in the 1946 Preludio d'Amore, Gassman had established himself as a major stage star, having appeared in some 40 productions; he specialized in classical plays.He was born in Genoa, the son of an Italian mother and an Austrian father, and before entering the National Academy of Dramatic Art in Rome, studied law. It was his mother who encouraged Gassman to become an actor. In film, he started out in dramatic or romantic roles, but did not become a star until his fourth film, Giuseppe De Santis' Riso Amaro (Bitter Rice) (1949), in which he played the fugitive lover of buxom peasant Silvana Mangano. The film was an international hit as was Gassman. He had further success playing the villainous Vittorio to Mangano's Anna in Anna (1951). In 1952, Gassman headed for Hollywood to call on Shelly Winters. The two married shortly thereafter and Gassman was contracted to MGM. Appearing in such average fare as Cry of the Hunted (1953), Mambo, and Rhapsody (1954) did little to popularize him in the U.S. Gassman eventually tired of trying to make it in the States and after divorcing Winters, returned to the Italian stage. In 1956, he played Anatole in King Vidor's War and Peace and reestablished himself as a star in the Rififi parody I Soliti Ignoti. That year, Gassman also established the Teatro Popolare Italiano, his own theater troupe. The actor cut his directorial teeth with filmmaker Francesco Rosi with a biography of a famous British actor for Kean (1957). The film was not a success but did serve to add fuel to Gassman's reputation for occasionally hamming up his roles. By the 1960s, the heretofore serious actor began focusing on comedic, often satirical films. His winning of the 1975 Cannes Film Festival Best Actor Award for his portrayal of a sightless captain in Porfumo di Donna was a highlight in Gassman's career (the film inspired an American version, The Scent of a Woman (1992) starring Al Pacino). Gassman's film career continued in high gear through the mid-'80s with notable films including C'Eravama Tanto Amati (Those Were the Years) (1975) and Caro Papa (Dear Father) (1979), some of which, like The Nude Bomb (1980), were made in Hollywood. After 1985, Gassman began appearing in fewer films, though he did have a memorable turn as a crime lord in the tense Hollywood drama Sleepers in 1996. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1964
And Suddenly It's Murder! is a regulation Dino De Laurentiis concoction: Big stars, lavish production values, muddleheaded plot. Three Italian couples go on separate vacations to Monte Carlo. When they open their suitcases, a body tumbles out of one of the grips. The rest of the film is a macabre variation of La Ronde, with the body being transferred from room to room and the innocent being implicated along with the guilty. Among the discomfited tourists are Alberto Sordi, Vittorio Gassman, and Silvana Mangano. Originally released in Italy in 1959 as Crimen, And Suddenly It's Murder! didn't make it to the States until 1964; some English-language prints bear the title Criminals. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Silvana Mangano, Bernard Blier, (more)
- 1970
The tragic Sharon Tate plays a crucial role (her last-ever appearance before the cameras) in 12 Plus 1 (aka The Thirteen Chairs). If the plot sounds familiar, it is because it's based on a popular Russian novel, also filmed in 1945 as It's In the Bag and in 1971 as The Twelve Chairs. Vittorio Gassman inherits a fortune, only to find that the money is hidden in one of thirteen antique chairs. Trouble is, he's auctioned off the chairs to pay for his transportation costs to and from his late aunt's mansion. The bulk of the film concerns Gassman's fevered scrambled throughout Europe to track down the Twelve-Plus-One chairs. Orson Welles and Vittorio De Sica turn up in cameos. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vittorio Gassman, Sharon Tate, (more)
- 1967
In this Italian comedy set in the 16th-century, a prince and a princess marry. Trouble ensues when a rumor that they have not consummated their marriage is circulated. The prince's father is most concerned, as a virgin marriage means he will have no heirs. He insists that the marriage be annulled. He then requires his son to marry another, but his current wife's family will not agree to the annulment until the prince proves he is a capable lover. The prince refuses to cooperate until his father threatens to cut him off financially. The prince then is paired with a virgin, and eventually passes his test. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1975
This satirical comedy recounts a tale of love across class boundaries; the twist is that here a middle-class juror, Gabriella Sansoni (Claudia Cardinale), learns about love from the testimony of Tina Candela (Monica Vitti), a woman on trial for murder. It seems that Tina has found ecstasy in a masochistic fashion by being slapped around by her beloved husband Gino (Giancarlo Giannini). She is so persuasive in this regard that Gabriella lays out a plan to receive similar treatment from her man, Andrea (Vittorio Gassman). ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claudia Cardinale, Vittorio Gassman, (more)
Robert Altman's over-frenetic satire on American marriage rituals and hypocrisy concerns the upper-crust marriage between Dino Corelli (Desi Arnaz Jr.) and Muffin Brenner (Amy Stryker). As the film begins, a senile bishop forgets the lines to the wedding ceremony and Nettie Sloan (the groom's grandmother) drops dead in an upstairs bedroom. Nettie's death is not disclosed to the two families who converge at the wedding reception. As the two sets of in-laws slam into each other, the bride and groom disappear in the ensuing whirlwind of chaos as both extended families vie for sexual favors and try to keep hidden never-discussed family secrets. Regina Corelli (Nina Van Pallandt) is revealed to be a drug addict, while Luigi, is endeavoring unsuccessfully to keep his Mafia connections under wraps. Meanwhile, the bride's family, although more down to earth, are revealed to be no better. Tulip Brenner (Carol Burnett) begins to flirt with one of the wedding guests, Mackenzie Goddard (Pat McCormick), while Snooks Brenner (Paul Dooley) acts like a lout and drinks heavily. And flying around the edges of the action like Tinkerbell is Buffy Brenner, the Brenners' youngest daughter, who is pregnant by the groom. As other characters bang into each other -- sexual degenerates, hard-nosed radicals, raw-boned emotional wrecks -- the wedding reception heads for its inevitable nuclear explosion. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carol Burnett, Paul Dooley, (more)
This entry into TNT's lavish and acclaimed Bible Series follows the tale of humble shepherd Abraham (Richard Harris) as he leads his flock to the Promised Land despite great danger. When the voice of God himself tells Abraham that he must lead his family and a group of like-minded believers on a harrowing journey to the Promised Land, the travelers' faith is tested as they face famine, death, and war at every turn. Through all of their hardships, Abraham's flock is determined to make the journey no matter what the cost. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Harris
- 1977
When the young would-be artist Tino arrives in Venice to live at the house of his uncle while he studies art, he soon discovers that his Austrian/Venetian uncle's house is packed with mystery -- there are abandoned rooms from which strange sounds emanate. Eventually, he is told that his uncle's insane brother is being kept in rooms on the top floor, and only Uncle Fabio (who is seldom home) is permitted to visit them. However, youth and curiosity impel him onward to even more discoveries. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vittorio Gassman, Catherine Deneuve, (more)
- 1951
Silvana Mangano portrays a fickle club chanteuse who must choose between the love of two men (Raf Vallone and Vittorio Gassman). She chooses neither, entering a convent for the sake of convenience. This overwrought drama was produced by Dino de Laurentiis, and reworked by five screenwriters including such respected names as Dino Risi and Franco Brusati, but comes up as a soggy soap-opera rather than an imposing star-vehicle. Nino Rota's fine score and the always watchable Mangano are its only saving graces. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Silvana Mangano, Raf Vallone, (more)
- 1959
In this comedy, a bungling gang leader and his henchmen attempt to swipe a suitcase full of loot from a soccer pool. The task seems simple enough, but the gang suffers a variety of zany mishaps before the leader finally gets hold of the money. Just as he gets it, he is arrested by the police for jaywalking. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vittorio Gassman, Renato Salvatori, (more)
This 1962 Biblical epic was adapted by Christopher Fry from the novel by Pär Lagerkvist. Anthony Quinn stars as Barabbas, the thief who was pardoned in place of Jesus. For the rest of his life, the guilt-ridden criminal tries to justify his existence and to determine his place in the scheme of things. Along the way he encounters the self-righteous pomposity of Pontius Pilate (Arthur Kennedy), the stoning of Sara (Katy Jurado), the gladiatorial sadism of Torvald (Jack Palance), and the burning of Rome. The film's unbilled Christ is played by Roy Magnano, the brother of Quinn's second-billed costar Silvia Mangano. Watch for the genuine solar eclipse during the Crucifixion sequence, an effect that director Richard Fleischer spent several days preparing for. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Quinn, Silvana Mangano, (more)
- 1983
This complex French tale eschews a single linear narrative in favor of two parallel storylines that move freely between past and present, reality and fantasy, to chronicle a scandalous love affair between a female author and a certain man who may or may not be a fabrication and the attempts of a screenwriter, wanting to use the story for a film, to learn the truth. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fanny Ardant, Vittorio Gassman, (more)
- 1985
- Add Big Deal On Madonna Street...20 Years Later to QueueAdd Big Deal On Madonna Street...20 Years Later to top of Queue
The vast differences 27 years makes between Italian comedy, the city of Rome, the stars in this film, and filmmaking itself are apparent in this 1985 sequel to the 1958 I Soliti Ignoti. Clips from the earlier film highlight the changes. Returning to reprise their roles are Marcello Mastroianni, Vittorio Gassman, and Tiberio Murgia. Tiberio (the character played by Mastroianni) has been released from jail, and he is unable to find work. Forced to reluctantly join up with the old gang leader Peppe (Gassman), Tiberio agrees to do a smuggling job when Peppe falls ill. Packing his vehicle with decoy passengers for the border guards, the run works well until everyone is heading back again -- then a series of misunderstandings lead to an unexpected turn of events and a mistaken killing. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marcello Mastroianni, Vittorio Gassman, (more)
Mario Monicelli's classic crime comedy Big Deal on Madonna Street (I Soliti Ignoti) features Vittorio Gassman and Marcello Mastroianni as a pair of thieves who head a group of criminals in a break-in attempt. Their plan involves digging an underground tunnel from an apartment that leads to a neighboring business and drilling their way inside. In addition to each of the burglars struggling with individual personal problems, the group must reassess their plans after they find themselves not in the store, but a different room of the apartment from which they started. Big Deal on Madonna Street is a spoof of Jules Dassin's caper classic Rififi. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vittorio Gassman, Marcello Mastroianni, (more)
- 1971
This is an episodic Italian comedy, which follows the Quixotic adventures of the gentle and extremely naive character, Brancaleone (Vittorio Gassman). Set in the middle ages, we first see Brancaleone on a quest for the Holy Grail. As his adventures proceed, he picks up an entourage including a dwarf, an endangered witch, and a masochist who emits cries of delight when Brancaleone kicks him. The film pokes gentle fun at the Papacy, and the main portion of the story features the clueless knight's involvement in a conflict between rival Popes Clement and Gregory. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1979
Dear Father and Dear Papa are the English-language titles for the Italian domestic drama Caro Papa. Vittorio Gassman plays a flint-hearted industrialist who thinks as little of destroying his business partner as he does of cheating on his wife. Gassman's son is an apparently weak-willed lad, who may or may not have become involved in the "Red Brigade". When Gassman learns that his son has been appointed to execute someone known only as "P", he assumes the victim is his ex-partner. Only as he is being gunned down does the industrialist realize that "P" stands for Papa. But that's not the end of Dear Father; there's still a viciously ironic coda before the final fade-out. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vittorio Gassman, Aurore Clément, (more)
- 1970
This three-part social satire lampoons the church, television, big business and universities plagued by campus unrest. Riccardo (Vittorio Gassman) is a rebel who causes confusion on campus and at a television station. Part two finds industrial magnate Cavazza (Michel Simon) hounding his subordinate Franco (Nino Manfredi) when the two travel to New York. Franco abandons his boss on Fifth Avenue, where he is arrested for using a phone booth as a toilet. Cavazza gets revenge when both are back in Italy. In part three, Don Giuseppe (Alberto Sordi) is a priest who defends himself against allegations of an illicit affair with a local cashier. After an audience with the bishop, the once-quiet priest demands a car, a wife, and another flock to lead. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vittorio Gassman, Nino Manfredi, (more)
- 1953
- NR
On the whole, the MGM B product of the 1950s contained some of the studio's best-ever "small" pictures. Filmed on location in the Louisana swamplands, Cry of the Hunted boils down to an extended chase, with escaped convict Vittorio Gassman as the fox and sheriff Barry Sullivan as the hound. Sullivan's deputy William Conrad secretly hopes that Gassman will get away, so that he, Conrad, can step into his boss' job. Polly Bergen is the requisite love interest, effectively deglamourized to fit in with her soggy surroundings. Cry of the Hunted is directed with flair by Joseph H. Lewis, who always managed to rise above the slimmest of budgets and the barest of production values. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vittorio Gassman, Barry Sullivan, (more)
- 1956
A reporter's search for scandal is the focus of this drama. He is looking for dirt to boost his paper's ratings. He begins digging around in the past of a prominent banker's new wife. Before her marriage, she had been a nobleman's personal secretary until he was poisoned. The journalist soon learns that the woman's daughter was born out of wedlock. The woman explains that the child's father, her fiance, had been killed during the war. This does not prevent the reporter from publishing his tales. As a result even her husband begins to doubt her.Their lives change dramatically, when her daughter, who suffers from polio, is run over by a truck while trying to escape from photographers. The banker soon believes his honest wife. The sleazy reporter gets his just desserts. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1956
Two directors called the shots on Difendo il Mio Amore; Giulio Macchi helmed the original Italian version, while Hollywood's Vincent Sherman handled the English-language version. In a radical departure from her usual sexpot roles, Martine Carol plays a dull, drab young woman whose life is permanently altered when she becomes involved in a murder case. Journalist Vittorio Gassman, ever on the prowl for a scoop, pursues Martine for the "real story," championing her cause in the process. The result, however, is misery and heartbreak for all concerned. Featured in the cast is Alan Furlan, an American actor then working in Italy who later returned to the U.S. to become the mentor of Wisconsin's famed Sunset Playhouse. The English version of Difendo il Mio Amore was released as To Defend My Love. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martine Carol, Vittorio Gassman, (more)
- 1989
- PG13
This political drama chronicles the corruption of a mayoral candidate for New York City. His ordeal begins when he launches a campaign for the legalization of heretofore illegal narcotics. Alarmed by the support it gets, Mafiosos frame the candidate for a crime he did not commit and force him to choose between joining their ranks or going to jail. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Belushi, Mimi Rogers, (more)
- 1978
The two wandering minstrels Pippo (Vittorio Gassman) and Peppe (Philippe Noiret) have long been favorites in their Roman neighborhood, each separately contributing a musical accompaniment to the lives of its inhabitants. During a critical time some months previously, they had both had relations with the same woman. Tragically, she has just died in childbirth. The resulting baby boy belongs to one of them, but no one can decide who. At first prepared to fight over the boy's paternity (simultaneously dividing the neighborhood into factions), they agree to raise the boy together and call him Piripicchio. Over the following years, they lovingly teach him everything they know. However, when he reaches adulthood, like many before him, he shuns their ways and their world. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vittorio Gassman, Philippe Noiret, (more)
- 1992
In 1939, Ramon (Jacques Penot) was a young man, caught up in his Barcelona family's involvement on the Republic side in the brutal Spanish Civil War. He and his family fled into exile ahead of Franco's troops. Now it is many years later, and he has come back to see how his old homestead fared in the intervening years. The only person he can find who is able to remember those years clearly is his family's old butler Claudio (Vittorio Gassman). This film is a sequel to the 1975 film by director Jaime Camino, Largas Vacaciones del 36. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vittorio Gassman, Jacques Penot, (more)
- 1961
An impressive cast graces the 105 minutes of Ghosts of Rome. Don't let the title mislead you: the "ghosts" are not genuine wraiths, but instead a group of disenfranchised tenants in a contemporary Roman rooming house. When the house is condemned, the various residents seek out new lodgings, resulting in a rambling series of comic, tragic and even surrealistic vignettes. Among the star names in this omnibus feature are Marcello Mastroianni, Vittorio Gassman, and Belinda Lee, who died shortly after the film was completed. Ghosts of Rome was originally released in Italy as Fantasmi a Roma. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marcello Mastroianni, Sandra Milo, (more)
- 1964
Composed by five different screenwriters, this Italian/French comedy stars the talented and ubiquitous Vittorio Gassman as an army officer who has a difficult time believing an attractive woman is in fact a woman. Michele Mercier plays a performer who is taking the place of a female impersonator so that he may defect. When Gassman visits the show on a weekend furlough, he sees her performance and, even though there seems plenty of proof, he refuses to buy her explanation. Also woven into the plot are several loosely relevant stories about others staying at the same resort on the Riviera. Sandra Milo, Umberto D'Orsi, Graziella Granata and Philipe Leroy are among the actors also appearing in this feature. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vittorio Gassman, Philippe Leroy, (more)
