Nadia Gray Movies

The title of this Italian period comedy translates to Bride for a Night. Armando Francioli plays an impoverished 18th-century musician who seeks the patronage of a wealthy, libertine count (Gino Cervi). When the count comes to town on a visit, the musician hits upon a scheme: he will bundle his real wife (Gina Lollobrigida) out of the house, hire a local courtesan (Nadia Gray) to pose as his wife, then allow the count to sleep with his "bride" in exchange for financial support. Inevitably, the plan falls through, with the count ending up in bed with the real wife while the husband stews in his own juices. If this plot sounds familiar, it is because Mogile per Una Notte was remade by Billy Wilder in 1964 as Kiss Me, Stupid. The most entertaining aspect of the original film is the presence of Gina Lollobrigida as a frowzy housewife who blossoms into a ravishing beauty after spending the night with the count. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Carosello Napoletano was the first major Italian musical of the postwar era. The title, which translates to Neopolitan Carousel, refers to a family of street singers. The story covers a century or so in the lives of this family, with ample screen time given over to romance and heartbreak. Basically an "inventory musical", the film spotlights several well-known Neopolitan tunes, given sprightly performances by the cast. The uncredited voice of famed tenor Beniamino Gigli is heard from time to time for the benefit of his legions of fans. At 125 minutes, Carosello Napoletano tends to wear on the viewer at times, though lovers of popular Neopolitan music and dance will get their fill. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Errol Flynn's immediate followup to his 1953 swashbuckler Master of Ballantrae was Il Maestro di Don Giovanni--or, as it was known in America, Crossed Swords. Flynn plays a Don Juan-like adventurer named Renzo, who fights and romances his way through all sorts of Italian court intrigue. His principal foe is the wicked coucillor (Roldano Lupi) of the Duke of Sivona (Piero Tordi), who intends to oust the Duke and claim Sivona for himself. In between the usual sword duels, Renzo dallies with the Duke's buxom daughter (Gina Lollobrigida). Crossed Swords failed to make a dent in the US, a fact that Errol Flynn would attribute to United Artists' lack of interest in promoting the property. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Eddie Constantine stars as Bob, an American GI at large in Paris. After attending a performance of the fabled Folies-Bergere, Bob becomes convinced that one of the dancers, a feisty little number named Claudia (Zizi Jeanmaire), has stolen his wallet. When he confronts her with this accusation, she reacts in predictably volatile fashion--and before either one of them quite knows what has happened, Bob and Claudia are married! The remaining reels of Folies-Bergere chart the turbulent course of the marriage, as Bob becomes jealous that so many males get to see so much of Claudia on a nightly basis. Despite its come-hither title, Folies-Bergere is about as racy as a seed catalogue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After a woman is dumped, she schemes to ruin her ex-lover's imminent marriage. ~ All Movie Guide

Jean-Louis Trintignant's star was just rising when he took on the role of Carlo in this engrossing wartime coming-of-age story. Carlo is a young man living in his own world and blithely inattentive to the real war that is happening not very far away. This is particularly striking because he is the son of a high-level fascist. The year is 1943 and he has gone to a seaside resort on vacation where he meets the beautiful, older widow Roberta (Eleonora Rossi Drago). Carlo is smitten and in spite of various obstacles, he and Roberta enter into a romantic liaison. Then one day Allied forces land on the coast and Carlo is faced with the realities of war and a reassessment of his life. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

In one of the most widely seen and acclaimed European movies of the 1960s, Federico Fellini featured Marcello Mastrioanni as gossip columnist Marcello Rubini. Having left his dreary provincial existence behind, Marcello wanders through an ultra-modern, ultra-sophisticated, ultra-decadent Rome. He yearns to write seriously, but his inconsequential newspaper pieces bring in more money, and he's too lazy to argue with this setup. He attaches himself to a bored socialite (Anouk Aimée), whose search for thrills brings them in contact with a bisexual prostitute. The next day, Marcello juggles a personal tragedy (the attempted suicide of his mistress (Yvonne Furneaux)) with the demands of his profession (an interview with none-too-deep film star Anita Ekberg). Throughout his adventures, Marcello's dreams, fantasies, and nightmares are mirrored by the hedonism around him. With a shrug, he concludes that, while his lifestyle is shallow and ultimately pointless, there's nothing he can do to change it and so he might as well enjoy it. Fellini's hallucinatory, circus-like depictions of modern life first earned the adjective "Felliniesque" in this celebrated movie, which also traded on the idea of Rome as a hotbed of sex and decadence. A huge worldwide success, La Dolce Vita won several awards, including a New York Film Critics CIrcle award for Best Foreign Film and the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

La Vierge du Rhin translates to Rhine Virgin, a title that would have had trouble getting by the hidebound American censors of 1953. The title refers not to a woman, but to a river barge, which tools up and down the Rhone throughout the film. Ex-POW Jacques (Jean Gabin), bitter and disillusioned, hopes to wreak vengeance on a former friend who'd betrayed him to the Nazis. He is given a new lease on life through his romance with Marie (Nadia Gray), a girl who spends her life on the barge. Meanwhile, Jacques' ex-wife (Elina Labourdette) and his betrayer (Olivier Hussenot) plot the hero's demise. A phony murder charge and a climactic river chase caps this standard Jean Gabin vehicle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Eddie Constantine makes his third appearance as Peter Cheney's two-fisted FBI agent Lemmy Caution in Les Femmes S'en Balancent (aka Dames Get Along). In this outing, Lemmy is on the trail of a counterfeiting gang. Somehow or other, the mission requires him to dally with a bevy of international beauties, including Nadia Gray and Dominique Willms. Eventually, Lemmy puts the clues together and locates his quarry, leading to a climactic orgy of violence. Among the villains, the dependable Robert Berri stands out as a menacing hood in the Mike Mazurki tradition. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide