Carlo Bagno Movies
- 1985
The Two Lives of Mattia Pascal is based on Le Deux Vite di Mattia Pascal, one of Luigi Pirandello's many stories concerning the transitory nature of the intangibles "Truth" and "Identity" Marcello Mastrioanni is a downtrodden average man, treated like trash by his fiancee, scorned by his associates, and cheated out of his inheritance by contemptuous relatives. The dispirited Mastrioanni heads to Monte Carlo, where he accrues a fortune. He also assumes the identity of a less fortunate gambler who has committed suicide. The "new" Mastrioanni is treated with a dignity and respect that overwhelms him--and nearly kills him. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marcello Mastroianni, Flavio Bucci, (more)
- 1984
This enjoyable parody of classic fairytales about kingdoms and despotic kings is set in the year 1000 and stars Italy's Ugo Tognazzi in top form as Bertoldo, a crafty peasant who has to outwit the king (not necessarily a difficult job) and others in order to stay afloat and alive. Joining him for awhile is Fra Cipolla (Alberto Sordi), a fake priest out to fleece his flock whenever the opportunity presents itself. Among the many comic episodes in the film is one in which Fra Cipolla and Bertoldo, and little Bertoldino (Bertoldo's son) hide some gold coins in a donkey's stomach and then sell the beast -- now with a certain amount of indigestion -- to a peasant family who are amazed at the end results. The king condemns Bertoldo to death by hanging for this trickery, but at the same time -- and much to his undoing -- he agrees to let Bertoldo choose the tree. That is not an easy task. Months later, Bertoldo arrives back at the king's castle carrying a little potted plant, the tree of his choice, requesting that they let it grow. The talents of Sordi, Tognazzi, and Lello Arena as the put-upon king, carry the full two hours of this royal spoof. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ugo Tognazzi, Maurizio Nichetti, (more)
- 1981
A situation that once (believe it or not) served as the premise for a Dick Van Dyke Show is taken several steps farther in the Italian Nudo di Donna. Nino Manfredi plays a prudish husband who is appalled to discover that his wife once posed nude for a painting. His shock is intensified when word gets around that the artist's model was a prostitute. The rest of the film consists of Manfredi's hilariously frantic efforts to get to the bottom of things (as it were). Nude di Donna was released in the US with the cumbersome title Portrait of a Woman, Nude. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nino Manfredi, Eleonora Giorgi, (more)
- 1978
The director of an Italian milk company, Alberto, lost his beautiful American wife after he caught her having a shower with the plumber. He is fixated on women's breasts, but so is his psychiatrist, who calls his obsession a nostalgia for the mother's breast. One of his psychiatrist's other patients is a woman who found her cellist husband playing musical sex games with the family maid. In a protracted series of meetings, the two patients grow acquainted, and love grows up between them. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Dorelli, Barbara Bouchet, (more)
- 1977
Italian actor/director Nino Manfredi gives an award-calibre performance in In the Name of the Pope-King. He plays a magistrate in a small region under the realm of Papal rule. Manfredi faces the legal battle of his life when his own son is accused of being a terrorist. Justice, mercy, and love become oil-and-water elements in this wrenching drama. Originally titled In Nome del Papa Re, the film was released in the US nearly nine years after its 1977 European debut. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nino Manfredi, Danilo Mattei, (more)
- 1971
The life of a sculptor paralyzed by fear of the society in which he lives is examined in this slow, thoughtful Italian experimental film, which is beautifully photographed. Except for flashbacks showing the artist's earlier life, the entire story takes place in his underground studio. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
Writer/director Luigi Comencini originally created Le Avventure di Pinocchio as a five-and-a-half-hour miniseries for Italian television. This 134-minute version, featuring various guest stars, was released theatrically. Pinocchio (Andrea Balestri) is a wooden puppet carved by Geppetto (Nino Manfredi), who is turned into a little boy by a magical fairy (Gina Lollobrigida). She insists that he be obedient and loving to his father Geppetto, but the rebellious Pinocchio tries to live independently -- and encounters many ordeals, from being turned into a donkey to getting swallowed by a whale. After he and Geppetto escape from the whale, Pinocchio is able to be the good son his father deserves. ~ Nicole Gagne, All Movie Guide
- 1967
A philandering violinist must witness the consequences of his actions in this Italian comedy. Not only does the concert violinist have a wife and kids, he also has two mistresses, all of whom he dearly loves. Whenever he goes on tour, he is sure to give them all a loving call. Just as his newest mistress is about to give birth, the musician goes to confession to talk about his situation. The priest suggests he divorce his wife, but the fiddler refuses, asserting that the women all need him. Unfortunately the stress of maintaining three lovers causes him to have a fatal coronary while he tries to call his wife. As he goes to heaven and gets to watch his own funeral, he wonders if his wife ever knew of the others. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ugo Tognazzi, Stefania Sandrelli, (more)
- 1966
Stuck in a dream world of his own, Italian sculptor Albert Saporito (Marcello Mastroianni) sometimes has difficulty separating truth from fiction. When he dreams that his gangster neighbor has been murdered, he reports the crime to the police, only to involve himself in a complicated situation. This film is in Italian with English subtitles. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marcello Mastroianni, Raquel Welch, (more)
- 1964
Four different takes on the meaning of love comprise this Italian anthology. "Love and Language," the first tale, centers on the difficulties of a Sicilian immigrant who is unable to master proper Italian. the second tale "Love and Life" centers on a jealous and unhappy wife who becomes so desperate to be free of her constantly philandering husband she takes on a lover of her own. When that doesn't work, she hires a gorgeous maid in hopes of finally getting proof that he is cheating. Unfortunately, things don't turn out quite the way she'd planned. In the third episode, "Love and Art" a nearly exhausted screenwriter hires a secretary to help manage his typing. She's a pretty lass and this makes his insecure wife crazy until he fires the female and hires a male secretary. Unfortunately, he too wants to write for the movies and soon begins making significant improvement to his boss's work making him a big success. The first screenwriter is so happy about this that he doesn't mind when his secretary begins having an affair with his wife. "Love and Death," the final episode centers on the love affair between a middle-aged widower and the grieving young widow he meets at the cemetery. Unfortuantely for his bank statement, the young, impoverished beauty isn't as bereaved as she seems. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylva Koscina, Gastone Moschin, (more)
