Amedeo Nazzari Movies
Italian leading man Amedeo Nazzari entered films in 1935, hitting his stride three years later as the title character in Luciano Serra, Pilot. At his peak, he made up to five films per year, few of which lost money. He gently chided his virile, romantic screen image as the self-absorbed movie star in Fellini's Nights of Cabiria (1957). Few of Nazzari's Italian-starring vehicles were widely distributed in the U.S., though he was a familiar character actor in such international productions as The Best of Enemies (1961) and The Valachi Papers (1972); he also occasionally functioned as a producer and screenwriter. Amedeo Nazzari was the father of actress Evalina Nazzari. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1952
Originally titled Nous Sommes Tout des Assassins, We Are All Murderers was directed by Andre Cayette, a former lawyer who detested France's execution system. Charles Spaak's screenplay makes no attempt to launder the four principal characters (Marcel Mouloudji, Raymond Pellegrin, Antoinine Balpetre, Julien Verdeir): never mind the motivations, these are all hardened murderers. Still, the film condemns the sadistic ritual through which these four men are brought to the guillotine. In France, the policy is to never tell the condemned man when the execution will occur--and then to show up without warning and drag the victim kicking and screaming to his doom, without any opportunity to make peace with himself or his Maker. By the end of this harrowing film, the audience feels as dehumanized as the four "protagonists." We are All Murderers was roundly roasted by the French law enforcement establishment, but it won a special jury prize at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marcel Mouloudji, Raymond Pellegrin, (more)
- 1952
Catastrophe results from a love triangle. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eleonora Rossi-Drago, Amedeo Nazzari, (more)
- 1952
Alida Valli delivers one of her finest performances in the Italian Ultimo Incontro. Based on La Biondina, a 19th-century suspense novel by Marco Praga, the script has been updated to the Milan of 1951. Valli plays Lina, the faithless wife of wealthy Piero (Amadeo Nazzari). After entering into an affair with race-car driver Michele (Jean Pierre Aumont), Lina is blackmailed into selling her sexual services to others. Eventually, she is hired to satisfy the desires of -- guess who? The operatic denouement seems less hokey than it is, thanks to the combined skills of star Alida Valli and director Gianni Franciolini. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alida Valli, Amedeo Nazzari, (more)
- 1952
An all-star cast graces this Italian "omnibus" feature. The film consists of eight short stories, each based on nostalgic literary efforts. Linking the various stories is bookseller Aldo Fabrizi, who passes the time by reading the works dramatized herein. In "The Excelsior Ball," dancer Alba Arnova arouses the libido of several observers. In "Less Than a Day," a three-hour train delay wreaks havoc on the romance between Arnova and Andrea Checchi. In "Sardinian Drummer Boy," the title character (Enzo Cerusico) becomes an unexpected hero on the battlefield. In "Matter of Interest," two farmers (Arnoldo Foa and Folco Lulli) quarrel over a compost pile. In "The Idyll," two very young people (Maurizio Di Nardo and Geraldina Pariniello) fall in love. "Potpourri of Songs" delivers on its title through the musical versatility of Barbara Florian and Elio Pandolfi. "The Trial of Frine" finds accused murderess Gina Lollobrigida being defended by colorful lawyer Vittorio De Sica. And in "The Trap," an accusatory husband (Amedeo Nazzari) drives his far-from-innocent wife (Elis Cegani) into an act of extreme desperation. Also known as In Olden Days, Altri Tempi was distributed worldwide by RKO Radio. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aldo Fabrizi, Enzo Staiola, (more)
- 1952
Belying its title, the Italian Brief Rapture runs a full 80 minutes. Canadian actress Lois Maxwell--better known to a later generation as Miss Moneypenny in the "James Bond" series--stars as a drug-addicted nightclub singer named Erika. Hopelessly enmeshed in the activities of a narcotics ring, Erika is forced to make love to Stefano (Ermanno Randi), a young farmer who threatens to blow the whistle on the authorities. Originally intending to deflect Stefano from his purpose, Erika falls genuinely in love with the incorruptible young man. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lois Maxwell, Ermanno Randi, (more)
- 1952
The original Italian title of The Barefoot Savage was Sensualita, an apt description of voluptuous leading-lady Eleanora Rossi-Drago. A newcomer to rural Italy, Rossi-Drago grows to dislike the tedium of working in the fields. She tries to seduce one of the owners of the farm where she works, and when the man tells her to get lost, she sets her sights on his brother. Only after she has married the brother does the farm owner realize that he's fallen in love with her. The tragedy that follows can best be described as operatic. Barefoot Savage was obviously inspired by the success of the 1949 Italian drama Bitter Rice. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amedeo Nazzari, Marcello Mastroianni, (more)
- 1952
Il Brigante di Tacca del Lupo represented another move away from neorealism into sheer commercialism by Italian filmmker Pietro Germi. The story is set in the 1860s, when the Northern and Southern regions of Italy were forcibly assembled into a unified whole. A bandit loyal to the idea of Southern sovereignty wreaks havoc upon the forces of Northern Italy. In depicting the exploits of the bandit and the diligence of his military pursuers, director Germi is careful not to take sides, mirroring the political confusion rampant in Italy at the time of the story. When distributed to the U.S., Il Brigante di Tacca del Lupo was advertised along the lines of a Civil War epic --which, for all intents and purposes, it was. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amedeo Nazzari, Cosetta Greco, (more)
- 1951
Donne e Briganti (Women and Bandits) was the second of two Mario Soldati-directed films released in Europe during the last week of June, 1951 (the first was Je Suis de la Revue). Set in the early 19th century, the film recounts the Robin Hood-like adventures of bandit Michele Pezza (Amedeo Nazzari), better known as Fra Diavolo. This same character was depicted along more villainous lines in the famous 1830 opera by Auber, which was filmed in 1933 as The Devil's Brother, with Dennis King in the title role and Laurel and Hardy as comic relief. In Donne e Briganti, Fra Diavolo is his own comic relief, his tongue firmly in cheek as he robs from the rich, gives to the poor, and takes time out to romance his wife Marietta (Maira Mauban) and mistress Flora (Jacqueline Pierreux). According to this film, Fra Diavolo was also something of a patriot, opposing the invading forces of France. Sumptuously produced, Donne e Briganti falters only in the indecisive camera work by Mario Montuori. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amedeo Nazzari, Maria Mauban, (more)
- 1951
Amedeo Nazzari stars as Peppe Musolino, a good-natured woodcutter wrongly accused of murder. Sentenced to 20 years in prison, Musolino escapes to wreak vengeance upon the actual culprit. In the process, he develops a reputation as a bloodthirsty bandit, knocking off the witnesses who perjured themselves on behalf of the real murderer. Filmed on location in the Calabrian Hills, Il Briganto Musolino is nothing if not exciting, thanks to the directorial know-how of veteran helmsman Mario Camerini. The film served to introduce American audiences to formidable Italian leading lady Silvana Mangano. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Silvana Mangano, Amedeo Nazzari, (more)
- 1950
Canadian-born actress Lois Maxwell, best known for her portrayal of Miss Moneypenny in the "James Bond" films, heads the cast of the Italian costume melodrama Amori e Veleni. Maxwell plays Sweden's Queen Christina, who makes a diplomatic visit to Rome. The queen's former lover, Count Santinelli (Amedeo Nazzari), falls in love with a Roman lady-in-waiting. Though deeply hurt, Christina takes the old "duty over love" route. The film's English-language title is Loves and Poisons, a reference to the Borgia-like intrigues taking place in the background. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lois Maxwell, Amedeo Nazzari, (more)
- 1949
In this suspenseful crime drama, two conniving crooks continually double-cross each other. Eventually their victim comes back to get revenge upon them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1949
Barely seen in the US at the time of its release, the Italian Lure of the Sila (IL Lupo Della Sila) became a television mainstay in the 1960s. Vittorio Gassman plays a man whose life is ruined when he is accused of murder. Gassman's tragedy is broadcast throughout Italy, "glorified" in song and story. Forced to assume a new identity, Gassman's sister Silvana Magnano quietly plans her revenge. It's best to see Lure of the Sila in an uncut, subtitled version; the dialogue in the 72-minute English-dubbed version is downright puerile at times, totally unworthy of this compelling melodrama. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Silvana Mangano, Amedeo Nazzari, (more)
When an impoverished but devoted Italian wife's husband falls ill and she is forced to take his place in a dangerous smuggling operation, she finds her will tested as she makes her way through the harsh landscape towards the French border in director Giorgio Pastina's downbeat drama. As night falls and Alina braves the brutal winter in hopes of making the delivery without incident, her grim situation turns dire when a brutish smuggler named Marco claims the beautiful young courier as his own. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1949
The destruction of a smuggling operation is the goal of 2 military officers bent on infiltrating the gang. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1949
Filmed in 1946 as Il Bandido, The Bandit came to the U.S. in 1949 on the strength of the worldwide popularity of star Anna Magnani. The title character is Ernesto (Amadeo Nazzari), who turns to crime after suffering shell shock during WW II. Magnani plays Ernesto's faithful girlfriend Lydia. Their relationship is as foredoomed as Ernesto himself, who comes to grief through an extreme act of self-sacrifice. The Bandit was the third directorial effort of Alberto Lattuada. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Magnani, Amedeo Nazzari, (more)
- 1948
The Italian Malacarne was released in English-speaking countries as For the Love of Mariastella. Filmed in Sicily, the story takes place in a tiny fishing village that has suffered a four-year dry spell. No tuna will dare swim into the local waters because of the presence of a so-called sea monster. Native fisherman Turi (Otello Tosi) takes it upon himself to strike out in his flimsy vessel, hoping to capture and kill the unknown beast. A secondary plotline concerns the romance between Turi and the toothsome Mariastella (Mariella Lotti). Malacarne originally ran 130 minutes, prompting one critic to suggest that the film be re-edited into two separate movies, then re-issued as a double feature. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mariella Lotti, Amedeo Nazzari, (more)
- 1946
Amedeo Nazzari portrays famed Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti in this expansive biopic. Told in flashback, the story is essentially of one who is lucky in music, unlucky in love. Poor Donizetti always manages to link up with a woman who is all wrong for him; one of his desultory amours lands him in an insane asylum, at the behest of a cuckolded Austrian prince. According to The Life of Donizetti, his greatest compositions were inspired by the tragic self-sacrifice of the true love of his life. Oddly, there is very little of Donizetti's music on the sound track; the filmmakers seemed more interested in the man's sex life than his more lasting contributions to humanity. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amedeo Nazzari, Mario Ferrari, (more)
- 1946
The Italian Fedora was based on the Victorien Sardou play of the same name. Luisa Forida plays the title character, who falls in love neither wisely nor well with Russian painter Loris (Amedeo Nazzari). Osvaldo Valenti is seen as the irresponsible Count Vladimir, to whom Fedora has been promised in marriage. Though the story is a tragic one, audiences were so taken by the opulence of the production and the magnificence of Umberto Giordano's musical score that the impact of the unhappy ending was considerably softened. American critics were much taken by Fedora, noting that the film lacked the ponderous pretentious of most like-vintage European costume dramas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amedeo Nazzari
- 1943
Given the fact that America was still technically at war with Italy in mid-1943, it is surprisingly that Tu M'Ami-to T'Amo would find its way into American movie theatres. Released stateside as Her First Love, the film serves as a showcase for the luminescent Alida Valli. She plays a high-school student who falls in love with a much-older doctor (Amedeo Nazzari). Returning her affections, the doctor writes up several medical "excuses" for the girl, allowing her to skip school and spend her time with him. Once they're married, however, the bloom is off the rose so far as romance is concerned. Filmed several years before its American release, Tu M'Ami-To T'Amo was distributed in the U.S. via a South American film firm. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alida Valli, Amedeo Nazzari, (more)
- 1939
The title of this Italian film translates as Fireworks, and indeed what happens in the course of the story is quite explosive at times. Amedeo Nazzari stars as a handsome young count who, after several years in New York, returns to Italy with nary a lire to his name. The villagers in his home town believe that the Count is still wealthy, thus they extend him unlimited credit upon his return. Mario Porelli co-stars as the Count's secretary, who takes advantage of the villagers' generosity to make a fortune in the stock market, thereby replenishing our hero's family coffers. The Count is also able to avoid a marriage to a rich but homely heiress and find happiness with his true love. The film was based on a popular stage farce by Luigi Charelli. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amedeo Nazzari, Luigi Chiarini, (more)
