Annabella Incontrera Movies

In turn-of-the-century Sicily, aristocratic scions Adriana (Sophia Loren) and Cesar (Richard Burton) have loved one another for years, but Adriana accedes to the wishes of Cesar's father and marries his foolish younger brother Antonio (Ian Bannen). When Antonio dies, much to the relief of everyone, it looks as though the coast is now clear for Cesar to marry Adriana after a suitable mourning period. Alas, she has a fatal illness and it is not to be. This romantic melodrama is chiefly distinguished by the fact that it is the last film directed by the legendary Vittorio de Sica, who died shortly afterward. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

This frightening horror-thriller stars Giancarlo Giannini as Inspector Tellini, chasing a killer whose victims are paralyzed with a poisoned acupuncture needle, forcing them to watch helplessly as their stomachs are ripped open with a sharp knife. This method duplicates the habits of the black wasp in slaying tarantulas, explaining the title. Much of the film is spent on a wild goose chase involving Silvano Tranquilli, the husband of the first victim (Barbara Bouchet). All of the suspects soon turn up dead and Giannini turns his attention to an upscale health spa, frequented by each victim, which is a front for blackmail and cocaine smuggling. The mystery itself is fairly obvious, but director Paolo Cavara includes a good deal of action and Ennio Morricone's score is effectively chilling. Among the cast are such genre favorites as Annabella Incontrera, Stefania Sandrelli, Claudine Auger, Rossella Falk, and Giancarlo Priete, and --as in many Italian thrillers of the period -- voyeurism is the primary motif. Barbara Bach and Carla Mancini appear briefly. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

In this spaghetti western, a quick-drawing, hard-riding granite faced, steel-eyed ex-Confederate soldier (Lee VanCleef) rides into a Texas town with the small travelling circus he works for as a stunt rider and bumps into a man who owes him $5,000. Wanting the money back, the vet decides to stay in town and it isn't long before he ends up embroiled in corruption and double-crosses as he fights to simultaneously save the townsfolk from the greedy, corrupt politician who runs the town and forces the residents to pay cripplingly high taxes and steal the crook's fortune. This is the third Sabata film and the second time VanCleef essayed the character. In the second film Adios Sabata, the title character was played by Yul Brynner. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

A Confederate deserter battles a Mexican bandit when the deserter's child dies for lack of milk. Warner (George Hilton) receives word his girlfriend is dying and about to give birth to the couple's child. The woman is the daughter of Don Pedro Sandoval (Ernest Borgnine), who hates all gringos and Warner in particular. Warner sets out for Juarez, but is captured by a Confederate unit and jailed. He escapes with two other men when they flee from their grave-digging detail. Warner arrives in Juarez where he finds his lover has died of cholera after having given birth to a baby boy. Sandoval gives the squalling, sickly infant to Warner, but the locals refuse to help Warner find milk for the baby. One callous rancher drops a bottle of milk rather than help the hated gringo. The baby dies, and Warner and his men join a group of outlaw monks led by the Padre (Leo Anchoriz). Warner seeks revenge on those who would not help his cause. Staying one step ahead of the cholera epidemic and the Confederates. Warner returns to the rancher who dropped the bottle and drowns him in a bucket of milk while the townsfolk watch in horror. The gang continues to rob and pillage, taking refuge in a bar and pawing at the saloon girls. Warner then sets his sights on Sandoval. He tracks the bandit to a bull ring where the two fight with knives for the inevitable showdown. The film is plagued by poor English dubbing. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Hollywood's John Ireland tops the cast of the Italian spaghetti western The Challenge of the McKennas. The hero is a former priest, who feels he has lost the calling. Enmeshed in a range war, the priest sees the light again and tries to quell the hostilities. Most of the deadly sins are trotted out, and several commandments broken, but good triumphs over evil and the Lord works in mysterious ways. Placing this film head-and-shoulders over most of its genre are the three-dimensional performances of the actors and a solid screenplay. Challenge of the McKennas is also known as Badlands Drifter. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This psychological drama finds Helen (Margaret Lee) wanting a divorce from her adoring husband John (Klaus Kinski). She leaves him and is killed in an auto wreck. John finds himself the target of a police investigation to determine if the death was an accident, murder or suicide. His wife had owned 90% interest in a British auto company and John is the main suspect should foul play be evident. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

The Assassination Bureau is loosely based on a turn-of-the-century yarn written by Jack London. Nellie Bly-style girl reporter Sonya Winter (Diana Rigg) tries to get the goods on shady businessman Ivan Dragomiloff (Oliver Reed). Ivan is in charge of a wide-reaching organization which, for a price, assassinates those who "need killing." As a challenge, Sonya offers to pay Ivan a huge sum if he'll instruct his minions to assassinate him; Ivan agrees, hoping that it will put a little kick in his work. Despite his profession, Ivan isn't the villain of the piece; that honor goes to evil nobleman Lord Bostwick (Telly Savalas), whose perfidy leads Sonya into joining forces with the Assassination Bureau. A wild climactic chase in a zeppelin caps this tongue-in-cheek escapade. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This mild comedy finds two envoys from Hell sent to Earth to cause trouble. Relfagor (Vittorio Gassman) and his faithful sidekick Adramalek (Mickey Rooney) start out by disintegrating the peace soon to take place between Rome and Florence. While traveling, they manage to seduce the wife of an innkeeper, induce the wife of a nobleman to engage in adultery, and cause a wealthy count to lose all his money and die in disgrace at his own hands. When Relfagor falls for the lovely Magdalena (Claudine Auger), he loses his magic powers and becomes a mere mortal. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Former big-screen Tarzan Gordon Scott appears in one of many sword-and-sandal epics featuring muscle-bound, mini-skirted hero Maciste (aka Goliath, cinematic kin to Steve Reeves's Hercules), sworn to protect the helpless with his strength and swordsmanship. In this horror-tinged outing, the mythical hunk comes to the rescue when an immortal, shape-shifting vampire turns an entire island village into legions of shuffling zombie slaves. Our none-too-bright hero discovers nearly too late that the undead foe has taken on his appearance, which understandably complicates matters. Also known as Goliath and the Island of the Vampires, or simply The Vampires, in its U.S. release. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi