Claudia Koll Movies
Oscar-nominee Omar Sharif stars as devoted disciple Peter in director Guilio Base's look at the tension that arose between the Christians and Romans following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As the unwavering faith of the disciples makes them the target of persecution in the Roman Empire, Peter begins to realize that in order to prove their loyalty to the word of God the followers of the Christian faith may be forced to endure the same humiliation and suffering that Jesus experienced when crucified on the cross. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Omar Sharif, Daniele Pecci, (more)
Antonio Banderas steps into the shoes of Italian Fascist dictator and prime minister Benito Mussolini in director Gian Luigi Calderone's epic biopic. From his stratospheric rise through the ranks of the socialist party to his youthful turn as the local chief of the Italian Socialist Party and his keen ability to turned leftist factions against one and other, Mussolini's treacherous rise to power is documented in vivid and illuminating detail. A one-time anti-war campaigner whose opportunistic nature led him to become one of history's most notorious tyrants, Mussolini would ultimately find himself on the brink of collapse as he turned his back on the pacifists who pressed for neutrality and sold his soul to the unflinchingly conservative government. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonio Banderas, Claudia Koll, (more)
- 1993
Benito Mussolini (1883-1945) has received short shrift in the history books, and his pitiful later career and the disastrous alliance he made with Hitler certainly qualify him to be vilified as a sinister buffoon. However, earlier in his life, many feel that his virtues far outweighed his flaws; he was responsible for what was at the time an internationally recognized era of good, stable government in Italy. This biographical drama (in which the future dictator is played by Antonio Banderas) covers a period in his life when he was a schoolteacher and a budding figure in Italy's Socialist Party. A romantic debacle sent him into exile in Switzerland, where he took a job in a stone quarry and learned first-hand how workers can be oppressed. Later, he comes back to Italy, and gets better acquainted with the woman who was to become his wife. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonio Banderas, Susanne Lothar, (more)
