Virna Lisi Movies

Joseph Losey's turbulent melodrama concerns a phony writer, Tyvian Jones (Stanley Baker), who has recently sold the film rights to his autobiography as a Welsh coal miner (actually penned by his deceased brother). Tyvian is engaged to Francesca (Virna Lisi), an alluring screenwriter, but then Eva (Jeanne Moreau) walks into his life. Eva and her lover had sought shelter from a thunderstorm in his apartment and Tyvian is immediately attracted to her. He follows her to Rome, where Eva demands an elaborate hotel suite, tons of gambling money, and a bonus for sexual favors. When Tyvian assents in gratifying her wishes, Eva just laughs at him. Tyvian then has to rush back to Francesca, since they are going to be married. But Tyvian forsakes her on their honeymoon and takes up with Eva again. Finding Tyvian and Eva together, Francesca is heartbroken and she commits suicide. After the funeral, Tyvian sets his sights on killing Eva, but, when he sees her, he finds that he is still obsessed with her. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Somewhere there is someone who finds the lunatic Italian comedy team of Franco Franchi and Ciccio Ingrassia funny; most filmgoers watch in stony silence, longing for Jerry Lewis to make a comeback. In The Shortest Day, F and C play a pair of zany World War I conscripts who cause more trouble on the front than all the Kaiser's troops combined. To assure international distribution of the Franco and Ciccio films, most of their vehicles featured popular veteran stars in secondary roles. In War Italian Style, Buster Keaton was the unlucky guest performer, while in Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs Vincent Price did the box-office duty. The Shortest Day, perhaps in emulation of Darryl Zanuck's somewhat more expensive The Longest Day, has a manifest of 44 celebrity "bit actors:" Walter Pidgeon, Simone Signoret, Sylva Koscina, Steve Reeves, Stewart Granger, David Niven, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Anouk Aimee...There are more, but there's no point in embarrassing the entire motion picture industry. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Alain Delon stars as twin brothers in Christian-Jaque's film based on a novel from Alexandre Dumas. Set in 18th century France during rumblings of revolution, Guillaume De Saint-Preux is the legendary Black Tulip, battling for the people against the monarchy. In reality, he is not much more than a self-serving thief who steals from the rich in the name of the people, but keeps it for himself rather than giving to those in need. After his face is scarred to mark him as a bandit, he enlists the aid of his identical twin, Julien, to carry on his work. Unfortunately for him, Julien is a revolutionary at heart and the ensuing events are nowhere close to Guillaume's expectations. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi

A young writer goes to a summer resort in wintertime to be alone and contemplate his moral dilemma in this thrilling and suspenseful psychological drama. He goes to visit Tilde (Virna Lisi), a young woman with whom he had a brief sexual relationship. To his horror, the writer learns that she has been killed by having her throat slashed, and her body was thrown into the lake. He finds no one willing to talk about the crime, and he uncovers the medical examiner's report that lists the promiscuous victim as being a virgin. When the wife of the hotel-owner is found dead, the writer urges for an in-depth investigation of the unsolved crimes. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Four different facets of love Italian-style provide the basis of this episodic film. The vignettes are "The Phone," about a woman so busy talking on the phone that she fails to notice that her husband is having sex with a neighbor; "Treatise on Eugenics," the chronicle of a Swedish girl's search for the perfect sire; "The Soup," about a wife's attempts to get rid of her husband's corpse; and "Monsignor Cupid," which follows the attempts of a concierge to seduce a handsome young man. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

George Axelrod's script for How to Murder Your Wife isn't politically correct in the least, but you're likely to get a charge out of it -- provided you are of the male persuasion, that is. Jack Lemmon stars as Stanley Ford, a successful cartoonist and a confirmed bachelor who shares a lavish apartment with his misogynistic manservant, Charles (Terry-Thomas). While attending a friend's bachelor party, Stanley falls head over heels in love with the gorgeous bikini-clad girl (Virna Lisi) who pops out of a cake. He impulsively marries her, but thinks better of it the next day. Alas, Stanleycan't get a divorce because his bride is an Italian Catholic (this is 1966). Dicier still, she is a "domestic goddess," lovingly plying her hubby with rich Italian food until Stanley's once-athletic physique is as bloated as the dirigible Hindenberg. Stanley's descent into husbandhood is reflected in his work: his popular adventure comic strip "Bash Brannigan" metamorphoses into a Blondie-like "idiot husband" daily. As a catharsis, Stanley vicariously "kills" his lovely wife by having Bash Brannigan murder his missus. Stanley's wife sees the finished strip on his desk and runs tearfully out of his life (at least temporarily). The publication of the strip, coupled with his wife's disappearance, results in Lemmon being put on trial for murder. We won't tell you how things turn out; suffice it to say that most feminists will be outraged, while most husbands will laugh immoderately. Eddie Mayehoff and Claire Trevor provide sparkling support as Lemmon's bombastic editor and his dragon-like wife. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the words of Hamlet, there's a plentiful lack of wit in Not with My Wife, You Don't! Korean war vet Tony Curtis is living in London, blissfully married (so he thinks) to Virna Lisi. In strolls old air force buddy George C. Scott, who has a history of stealing Curtis' ladies away from him. Unable to woo Lisi by fair means, Scott resorts to foul; he exercises his prerogative as Curtis' superior officer, shipping him out to a faraway post. George C. Scott may have been right to refuse his Oscar for Patton; he doesn't look like much of an award-winner in Not With My Wife, You Don't! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Adapted from the novel by C. Virgil Gheorghiu, this satirical concentration-camp drama from Turkish-born French director Henri Verneuil stars Anthony Quinn as Johann Moritz, a Romanian peasant who experiences the horrors of World War II when the Nazis invade his country. Because local police chief Dobresco (Gregoire Aslan) is anamorous towards Moritz's wife Suzanna (Virna Lisi), he has the lowly fieldhand falsely labeled a Jew and sent to a work camp. Moritz's troubles continue to mount, as his wife is threatened with losing their property unless she divorces him. Also starring Michael Redgrave, La Vingt-cinquième heure is also known as The 25th Hour, though it should not be confused with and bears no resemblance to the 2002 Spike Lee film of the same name. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

In this Italian comedy set in the 16th-century, a prince and a princess marry. Trouble ensues when a rumor that they have not consummated their marriage is circulated. The prince's father is most concerned, as a virgin marriage means he will have no heirs. He insists that the marriage be annulled. He then requires his son to marry another, but his current wife's family will not agree to the annulment until the prince proves he is a capable lover. The prince refuses to cooperate until his father threatens to cut him off financially. The prince then is paired with a virgin, and eventually passes his test. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Set in Italy during WW I, this war drama centers on the off-beat relationship between a Bavarian general an a peasant girl after they both end up captured by a bungling Italian soldier. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi