Mario Girotti Movies
- 1966
Siegfried's wife Kriemhild (Maria Marlow) seeks vengeance after she learns of her husband' death. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Karin Dor, Herbert Lom, (more)
- 1966
Director Harald Reinl takes this epic sword-and-sorcery fantasy from the 12th-century Teutonic legend and from the 1924 Fritz Lang silent classic. Siegfried (Uwe Beyer) is a heroic warrior who bathes in dragon's blood to become nearly invincible. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Uwe Beyer, Rolf Henniger, (more)
- 1965
In this western, the sixth in the European-produced "Winnetou" series, Old Surehand and his Apache sidekick Winnetou endeavor to capture the outlaws who killed their friend the wagon master. To do so, Winnetou volunteers to guide the leaderless wagon train across the treacherous Indian land himself. Sure enough, they encounter Navajos, but fortunately Winnetou manages to get them safe passage until an avaricious oil swindler tries to cheat local settlers out of their land and ends up killing the Navajo leader's son. Naturally the Indians assume that Winnetou has betrayed them and go to war against the settlers. Fortunately, Surehand rides to the rescue. He is accompanied by the swindler whom he captured. Peace is restored. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stewart Granger, Pierre Brice, (more)
- 1965
Tissot (Pierre Brice) is French secret agent No. 11011 in this James Bond-style spy thriller. He is sent on a mission to retrieve stolen plans for a newly developed steering mechanism for rockets. The typical genre mix of comedy, sex, and fight scenes overcomes a sometimes confusing storyline. Distaff interest is provided by Jana Brejchova and Daliah Lavi. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierre Brice, Heinz Drache, (more)
- 1965
This colorful western saga finds Old Surehand (Stewart Granger) and his comical sidekick Old Wabble (Paddy Fox) hot on the trail of a cold-blooded murderer. His brother has been killed, and the heroic duo sets out to bring the varmint to justice. Meanwhile, Surehand must mediate the trouble brewing between the settlers and the Comanche Indians -- who threaten to go on the warpath. Female interest for Surehand is provided by Letitia Roman. The General (Larry Pennell) is the main bad guy in this routine oater. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stewart Granger, Pierre Brice, (more)
- 1964
In this western, an entry in the "Winnetou" series based on Germany's Karl May's novels, follows the attempts of two con men to cheat the Apaches out of their oil rights. They are foiled by Old Shatterhand and Winnetou, his Apache partner. The film was made on location in Yugoslavia. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lex Barker, Pierre Brice, (more)
- 1964
Frontier Hellcat was the fourth in a series of 1960s European westerns based on Karl May's "Winnetou" character. Stewart Granger takes over from Lex Barker in the leading "Anglo"-role of the mysterious maverick who wanders from town to town doing the "Lone Ranger" bit. The hellcat of the title is Elke Sommer, a tempestuous frontierswoman who reluctantly accepts Granger's help in attaining safe passage through the Rocky Mountains ("played" in this film by the Alps). The original title of Frontier Hellcat was Unter Geiern; the production was a cooperative effort, with contributions from West Germany, France, Italy, and Yugoslavia. Stewart Granger would star in the "Winnetou" saga again in Rampage at Apache Wells and ld Surehand. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stewart Granger, Pierre Brice, (more)
- 1963
Set during the time of the brilliant Queen Elizabeth I of England, this adventure tale is loosely based on the exploits of Sir Francis Drake (Rod Taylor). He was one of the Queen's leading commanders in the battles with Spain over the gold of the New World. Drake is shown wearing several hats, so to speak. He is a pirate who has no problems about raiding Spanish gold arsenals. He is a military commander who plans and executes naval battles with the Spanish armada -- and wins. He is a diplomat who knows how to maneuver in courtly circles -- but that does not stop him from trashing a Spanish-backed plan to assassinate the Queen. Although this costume drama by Rudolph Maté is not without a few minor flaws, Drake's adventures should entertain most audiences, especially the younger set. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rod Taylor, Keith Michell, (more)
- 1962
In this biblical epic, the rise of the humble Joseph from hapless slave to prophet and advisor to the Pharoah is chronicled. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1962
In this adventurous sword and sandal epic, the muscle-bound offspring of the famous strongman tries to stop the wicked Egyptian queen from continuing to terrorize her subjects. She does this as she prepares to turn her country over to the Persians. She is also trying to force her handsome stepson, a good friend of Samson, Jr., to marry her. Samson gets involved after he comes to her city to search for his pal. Using his extraordinary strength, the young hero manages to defeat the queen's troops. This leads the queen to use her seductive powers on the man, but he is not interested. Angered, the queen throws him into a dungeon. Fortunately, he escapes and leads a slave revolt. Mayhem ensues until the wicked ruler tumbles into a deep pit filled with hungry crocodiles. This leaves the step-son to assume the throne. Peace and justice ensue as Samson returns to his home. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1961
Aladdin (Donald O'Connor) is a poor young man living in ancient Bagdad, who is given to flights of imagination, and taken with tales of the wealthy and powerful -- in many ways, he's still a boy, and so caught up in his daydreaming that he doesn't realize how his one-time childhood playmate Djalma (Noelle Adam), now a grown young woman, loves him (even if her merchant father thinks he's a worthless loafer). In a moment of indulgence, his mother buys Aladdin an old lamp so that he can have light at night "like a rich man." He accidentally discovers that the lamp contains a genie $Vittorio De Sica), who will grant him three wishes -- but he is so scatterbrained, that he can't figure out exactly how he called the genie in the first place. Aladdin and Djalma both end up headed for Basra and the wedding of the young Prince Malouk (Mario Girotti) to the princess (Michele Mercier), and both are caught up in the plans of the evil Grand Vizier (Fausto Tozzi) to kill the prince and marry the princess himself. Those plans, helped by a malevolent old magician (Raymond Bussieres), include the use of two full-size magical dolls, one a dancing wonder and the other with a deadly embrace. And only Aladdin and his genie, and the brave young prince, can stand in his way. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donald O'Connor, Noëlle Adam, (more)
Irving Rapper's film is a dramatization of the Old Testament tale of Joseph, who ascends from slavery to the position of minister in the court of the pharaoh. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1960
This costume drama with spectacular special effects but a less-than-adequate storyline was one of the last films by director Carmine Gallone. The tale is set in 200 BC when Rome and Carthage were going at it, sending warships into battle over control of Carthage. Against this backdrop of warfare is a romantic tangle between two women in love with the same warrior and two men in love with the same woman. As the romantic and military battles progress, it becomes clear that Carthage will burn and at least a few of the erstwhile lovers are going to get burnt as well, in more ways than one. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Heywood, José Suárez, (more)
Yet another in a spate of historical costume dramas by Italian filmmakers, Hannibal tells the story of the famous general's battles and his ill-advised march across the snowy Alps. To make life that much more interesting, violence, gore, sex, love, and personal issues are thrown in for good measure. The great general is played by Victor Mature and his main love interest Sylvia by Rita Gam. As Hannibal's successes in battle increase, it seems like he is fated for ultimate victory, but his own failings are his undoing in the end. Unevenly paced and unconvincing in parts, this offering by director Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia (best-known for the "Toto" series of comedies) is geared more for audiences out for spectacle and entranced by history, no matter how it is interpreted. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victor Mature, Rita Gam, (more)
- 1960
In this occasionally amusing frolic, Gina Lollobrigida plays a sexy widow who returns to Italy from New York following the death of her husband. Her wealth and good looks entice all the men in her small village except for the one she really wants, the town blacksmith (Dale Robertson). Giuseppe Rotunno's warm cinematography and the irresistible Lollobrigida make this one worth seeing, while the screenplay (by Ettore Margadonna, Luciana Corda, and Joseph Stefano) manages to be clever without being smirky. Look for a funny bit by Vittorio DeSica, who supervised some scenes, as a loquacious priest. This film is also known as both Anna of Brooklyn and Fast and Sexy. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gina Lollobrigida, Dale Robertson, (more)
- 1952
Who better to star in a film titled Vacanze Col Gangster than craggy-faced American movie heavy Marc Lawrence? Imprisoned in a cell with an innocent young man (Lamberto Maggiorani), a hardened criminal (Lawrence) makes his getaway when his cellmate's chums try to help their incarcerated friend escape. On the outside, the older criminal finds himself the object of hero worship by the impressionable local adolescents. But before long he proves beyond doubt that he'll never be role-model material. Former Miss Italy Giovanna Pala is decorative if not particularly talented as Lawrence's gun moll. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marc Lawrence, Lamberto Maggiorani, (more)
Arguably Luchino Visconti's best film and certainly the most personal of his historical epics, The Leopard chronicles the fortunes of Prince Fabrizio Salina and his family during the unification of Italy in the 1860s. Based on the acclaimed novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, published posthumously in 1958 and subsequently translated into all European languages, the picture opens as Salina (Burt Lancaster) learns that Garibaldi's troops have embarked in Sicily. While the Prince sees the event as an obvious threat to his current social status, his opportunistic nephew Tancredi (Alain Delon) becomes an officer in Garibaldi's army and returns home a war hero. Tancredi starts courting the beautiful Angelica (Claudia Cardinale), a daughter of the town's newly appointed Mayor, Don Calogero Sedara (Paolo Stoppa). Though the Prince despises Don Calogero as an upstart who made a fortune on land speculation during the recent social upheaval, he reluctantly agrees to his nephew's marriage, understanding how much this alliance would mean for the impecunious Tancredi. Painfully realizing the aristocracy's obsolescence in the wake of the new class of bourgeoisie, the Prince later declines an offer from a governmental emissary to become a senator in the new Parliament in Turin. The closing section, an almost hour-long ball, is often cited as one of the most spectacular sequences in film history. Burt Lancaster is magnificent in the first of his patriarchal roles, and the rest of the cast, especially Delon and Cardinale, become almost perfect incarnations of the novel's characters. Filmed in glorious Techniscope and rich in period detail, the film is a remarkable cinematic achievement in all departments. The version that won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival ran 205 minutes. Inexplicably, the picture was subsequently distributed by 20th Century Fox in a poorly dubbed, 165-min. English-language version, using inferior color process. The restored Italian-language version, supervised by cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno, appeared in 1990, though the longest print still ran only 187 minutes. ~ Yuri German, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon, (more)
