Lauro Gazzolo Movies
- 1968
This romantic and sometimes ribald historical farce finds nobleman Guerrando (Tony Curtis) knighted in the days before the Crusades. He inherits a castle, tax-collecting rights, first choice of all the fair young maidens of the region, and a draft notice from the King. Boccadoro (Monica Vitti) is the liberal-minded forest woman who catches the eye of the young nobleman. Courtship, love and marriage follows, but the wedding night is interrupted by a call to arms. Guerrando and Boccadoro are unable to consummate the marriage, and a chastity belt is used to insure her virginal status. The young bride follows her husband's troop at a distance hoping to get her hand on the coveted key to the lock. Comedy ensues as the key changes hands several times before Guerrando ultimately regains possession and is able to unlock the passions of his love-starved wife. This overlong film can best described as a punchline in search of a joke. One gets the feeling that the producers had wanted to title the film A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Crusades. As it stood, On My Way to the Crusades, I Met a Girl Who... was too unwieldy for most theater marquees, necessitating the film's title-change to The Chastity Belt. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Curtis, Monica Vitti, (more)
- 1958
As far as can be determined, Goha was Tunisia's first entry in the Cannes Film Festival. Omar Sharif stars as a naïve young man who is taken for granted by friends and family. Little do they know that he has more intelligence, tenacity and imagination than all of them put together. The story takes an unexpectedly dramatic turn when the man falls in love with the young wife of his village's elderly "wise man". Based on an ancient Tunisian folk tale, Goha boasts impressive production values and sure-handed direction (by Jacques Baratier). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Omar Sharif, Zohra Faïza, (more)
- 1953
Based on a Time Magazine article by William Rospigliosi, Ring Around the Clock effectively combines neorealism with humor. When the town clock in a tiny Italian fishing community needs repair, what starts out as a solvable problem blossoms into a cause celebre. The mayor wants to form a committee to handle the repairs. The local communists demand that the labor be handled within "party lines". And the village priest, a socialist, insists that things be done according to church edicts. In a gentle, nonaggressive manner, all the interested parties are presented as recognizable human beings -- warts and all -- rather than "types." The American version of Ring Around the Clock was reassembled to conform to censorship and time strictures by Walter Klee. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrizia Mangano, Lauro Gazzolo, (more)
- 1949
The Italian The Sky is Red (Il Cielo e Rosso) details the romantic adventures of two postwar couples. Despite being confined to a quarantined zone (quarantined for political, rather than health reasons), love finds a way. The neorealistic elements are passable, but what really "sold" this film abroad was its graphic-for-its-times sexual content. The cast is headed by Jacques Sernas and Marina Berti, another step in the right direction box office-wise. One of the young romeos is played by Mischa Auer Jr., son of the famed Russian comic actor. Among the many screenwriters of The Sky is Red is frequent De Sica and Fellini collaborator Cesare Zavattini. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marina Berti, Jacques Sernas, (more)
- 1948
Long before Amadeus, the life story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was committed to celluloid in the Italian Eternal Melodies. Gino Cervi stars as Mozart, the former child prodigy who reaches the heights of operatic fame in the 18th century, only to be buried in a pauper's grave after his premature death at age 37. There's no "Salieri" to plague Mozart in this film: instead, the story concentrates on a romantic triangle involving the composer and the two lovely Weber sisters, Aloisia (Conchita Montenegro) and Costanza (Luisella Beghi). Betrayed by Aloisia, Mozart finds solace in the arms of Costanza. Though historical accuracy is hardly a consideration in Eternal Melodies, the film is redeemed by its all-Mozart musical score. The film was originally released in Italy in 1940 as Melodie Eterne. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gino Cervi, Conchita Montenegro, (more)
- 1948
Scorned Flesh first saw the light of day in Italy under the title Statua Vivente. Fosco Giachetti plays a sailor who intends to break a few female hearts while on leave. Putting the make on shy young Laura Solari, Giachetti at first regards the girl as yet another conquest. Imagine his surprise when he realizes he's actually fallen in love with her! On the eve of their wedding, Solari is killed, sending the grief-stricken Giachetti off on a bender. While drowning his sorrows in a seedy dive, he meets a hard-bitten woman who happens to be the exact double of his lost love (and who happens to also be played by Laura Solari). In Vertigo fashion, Giachetti tries to make his new girlfriend over in the image of his deceased fiance -- and like Vertigo, his efforts are doomed to tragic failure. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laura Solari, Fosco Giachetti, (more)
- 1948
Preludio D'Amore (Love Prelude) is a minor Italian romantic drama with an impressive cast. The story, involving a romance between two budding juvenile delinquents, is nothing special. Nor is the perfunctory direction by workhorse Giovanni Paolucci. What really makes this thing percolate are its stars, including veteran "action" hero Massimo Girotti, frequent Roberto Rosselini collaborator Maria Michi, Hollywood-bound ingenue Marina Berti, and comparative newcomer Vittorio Gassman. The film was put together by Albatros Productions, one of the most ill-named companies in the history of the cinema. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vittorio Gassman, Marina Berti, (more)
- 1948
Filmed and released in Italy in 1945, La Resa di Titi was brought to America three years later under the title A Merry Chase. Though billed third, Rosanno Brazzi essays the leading role of foreign-embassy aide Guido. The plot is a bit of frivolity concerning the romance between two dogs which escalates into an international political crisis. The "human" subplot is carried by Guido, who carries on his own romance with a married socialite named Paola (Clara Calamai). A Merry Chase was one of several Rosanno Brazzi films released in the U.S. after his move to Hollywood in 1948. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clara Calamai, Rossano Brazzi, (more)
- 1947
The Italian Peddlin' in Society was originally released as Da Bancarella a Bancarotta. Anna Magnani stars as Gioconda, a fruit vendor who supplements her income by trafficking in black-market goods. Making her fortune, Gioconda tries to crash society, leasing a lavish villa for this purpose. Alas, she eventually falls victim to sycophants and leeches who try to use her new social position for their own gain. Vittorio de Sica co-stars as an impoverished count who briefly serves as Anna Magnani's conduit into the Upper Crust. It is clear that both stars were directing themselves, since official director Gennaro Righelli exhibits stylistic uncertainty throughout. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Magnani, Vittorio De Sica, (more)
