Umberto Orsini Movies
- 1977
A misguided attempt to dramatize the psychological triad formed by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (Erland Josephson), his Jewish friend Paul Rees (Robert Powell), and a Russian girl named Lou Von Salome (Dominique Sanda), this overbearing drama fails mightily. Nietzsche is portrayed as a jealous sociopath who drives Rees to suicide, and director Liliana Cavani cannot resist including a drug-hallucination ballet about Good and Evil which approaches the excesses of her controversial Il Portiere di Notte in its melodramatic sexual hysteria. Cavani's film is feverish where it should have been calculating and lurid where it should have been provocative. The result may be the first exploitation film aimed at philosophy students, and even deft supporting turns by Virna Lisi and Philippe Leroy cannot make the dialogue -- drawn hamfistedly from Nietzsche's own writings -- any less ridiculous. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dominique Sanda, Erland Josephson, (more)
Alberto De Martino's imitative occult horror film, photographed by Aristide Massaccesi (aka Joe D'Amato), is probably the best of numerous Italian copies of The Exorcist which flooded theaters in the mid-1970s. Carla Gravina stars as Hipolita, a paralyzed young woman with serious mental problems stemming from the death of her mother. Her crisis of faith and the intervention of a well-meaning psychologist lead Hipolita to remember her past life as a witch during the Inquisition. Eventually, Hipolita becomes possessed and starts seducing local men, only to break their necks. Eventually, she sleeps with her brother, makes a local sorceror lick vomit from her hand, and levitates out the window. It takes an exorcism performed by an aging monk (George Coulouris) and the family housekeeper (Alida Valli) to restore order. De Martino and the talented cast manage a few chilling moments despite the predictable storyline, and Gravina is quite good in the lead. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carla Gravina, Mel Ferrer, (more)
- 1971
On a spiritual quest, a British scholar (John Steiner) travels to the beautiful and exotic island of Bali with a photographer and his wife. The scholar has two native wives and a native boyfriend, a sculptor. The photographer has a native mistress, and encounters a missionary with a nymphomaniac daughter. Filled with spectacular photography, the film's focus remains on the characters' problems and the quirks and joys of cross-cultural encounters, developing the native characters in unusual depth. This may frustrate those hoping for a more sexually explicit treatment of the characters' romantic difficulties, as in director Liberatore's previous film, the famously pornographic Bora Bora. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
A sci-fi thriller about scientists trying to stop a collision of an alien planet with the earth. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1965
Alexandra (Eva Renzi) is a pretty 21-year-old model who travels to Berlin to visit her father, and the city serves as a backdrop for her many amorous adventures. She beds down with a 48-year-old architect (Paul Hubschmid) before switching to his 38-year-old assistant (Harald Leipnitz). Alexandra subtracts another ten years on her next conquest, a 28-year-old self-absorbed photographer of celebrities (Umberto Orsini). Although the Berlin Wall is shown and politics are briefly discussed, it is not the main focus of this coming-of-age erotic drama. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eva Renzi, Harald Leipnitz, (more)
- 1968
- Add Candy to Queue
In this big-budget adaptation of Terry Southern's satiric sex farce (the sort of project that could get an immediate green light in the late 1960's and at practically no other time before or since), Ewa Aulin is Candy, a sweet young woman who doesn't seem entirely aware of the powerful sexual desire she brings out in men. While her father (John Astin) and mother (Elsa Martinelli) try to keep Candy in line, the task proves to be all but impossible, as she's seduced by a remarkable variety of men in her journeys, including a booze-addled poet (Richard Burton), a mystical guru who lives on a truck (Marlon Brando), a gardener from Mexico (Ringo Starr), a fanatical military man who refuses to leave his plane (Walter Matthau), a pair of uncomfortably high-strung doctors (John Huston and James Coburn) and even her own uncle (Astin, again). The Byrds and Steppenwolf contributed songs to the soundtrack; the screenplay was written by Buck Henry. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Aznavour, Marlon Brando, (more)
Claude Sautet's romantic drama César et Rosalie (Cesar and Rosalie) stars Romy Schneider as Rosalie, a beautiful young woman happily married to successful businessman Cesar (Yves Montand). One day, Rosalie's former flame David (Sami Frey) appears and attempts to win her back. Cesar reacts with a jealous intensity never before seen by Rosalie, and because of that, she returns to David. She remains conflicted as to with whom she should be, but eventually, one of the men does something which resolves the situation. César et Rosalie contains one of the first screen appearances of French actress Isabelle Huppert. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Romy Schneider, Yves Montand, (more)
- 1997
The journey in this road movie begins in Sicily as Giovanni (Roberto De Francesco) heads for compulsory military service in Bolzano, near the Austrian border, although his cousin (Renato Carpentieri) wants him to skip out on military service so they can go into business together in Australia. Arriving early in Bolzano, Giovanni meets Loredana (Chiara Caselli) and follows her to Cortina where he runs out of money. His odyssey through life, love and friendships continues as he pushes onward through Tuscany, Rome, and Venice, eventually finding a freighter headed for Australia. Shown at the 1997 Venice Film Festival, this film is also known as Five Stormy Days. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roberto De Francesco, Massimo Reale, (more)
- 1974
The shocking premise of this film -- that many magistrates in the Italian system of justice are on the take from corporations, politician, and gangsters -- was soon overshadowed by real-life revelations of corruption in high places. One high point in this political melodrama is the humanity with which actor Fernando Rey endows the Chief Justice. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Franco Nero, Fernando Rey, (more)
- 1962
A lovely young nurse finds herself framed for the murder of a hospital patient who died after she administered an injection. She goes to court where eventually, the real killer is revealed by his own jilted lover in this French drama. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1971
This critically well-received independent German film production was made and first seen in 1970, but did not receive general release until 1971. A group of five scientists have invented a machine which will unravel the whole fabric of time and space but have managed to blot the full memory of their achievement from their minds. They did this to prevent the complete destruction of space-time as we know it. However, they also programmed themselves to remember everything if someone uses the key words "a big grey-blue bird." Gangsters bent on world domination and a young documentary film-team track down these scientists, each attempting to learn their secrets for completely different reasons. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1994
This suspenseful French thriller examines the actions of a predatory woman who must eventually face the consequences of her actions. It is the final film of writer/director Christopher Frank, released after his death. Julien is a self-confident executive working at a Paris debt collection company. Julien impetuously invites Angela to dinner after his wife Anna and his son go on vacation. Angela is aggressive and wants to have sex with Julien. He does not rise to her bait. Angered, Angela leaves little reminders behind so that Anna will know she was there. Soon Angela moves into the same building as the couple. She becomes Anne's baby-sitter and begins doing everything she can to make it seem as if she and Julien are having an affair. The effect is not lost on Anne who begins to doubt her husband. Angela confronts Julien at the site of a building renovation. Julien hits Angela in the head with a shovel and kills her. He conceals her body in a hollow wall, then buys and moves into the apartment where it is hidden. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thierry Lhermitte, Maruschka Detmers, (more)
- 1973
This film explores the events surrounding the assassination of Mussolini's chief political opponent, socialist Giacomo Matteotti (1885-1924). Matteotti (Franco Nero) was outspoken in his opposition to Mussolini and his principles. Because the investigation of the assassination by an honest judge (Vittorio De Sica) climbed up the rank and file of government officials and ultimately pointed directly to Mussolini himself, it made his political base very shaky, and he (Mario Adorf) moved from constitutional government to dictatorship. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Giuseppe Patroni Griffi's haunting meditation on loneliness is as cold as its wintry Capri setting, and a powerful experience. Umberto Orsini is an actor who visits the island and meets a brooding alcoholic teen (Dino Mele) and a woman (Françoise Prévost) trying to sell her house. All three are insecure and try to reach out to each other, but don't really know how to give or receive emotionally. Griffi's choice to not give his characters names suggests a desire to speak to universal themes of isolation and rejection. The film is more ambition than achievement, but is strikingly photographed by Ennio Guarnieri and evokes its landscape -- both physical and emotional -- quite well. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Umberto Orsini, Françoise Prevost, (more)
- 1965
This film has two segments exploring relationships subjected to sudden trauma. In the first, "Violence," a young wife is gang-raped while her husband is forced to watch. Afterwards, neither one even acknowledges what happened. In "Love," a wife is hospitalized after attempting suicide, and her husband flirts innocently with a pretty young nurse. When the wife dies, the husband is consumed with guilt over his perceived unfaithfulness. ~ Steve Huey, All Movie Guide
- 2000
A passionate look at the struggle between the Italian Fascist army of World War II and their anti-Fascist counterparts, Il Partigiano Johnny views its subject matter through the eyes of an English literature student, Johnny (Stefano Dionisi), who has returned from his studies to his hometown in Northern Italy. Upon his return, Johnny discovers that his town has been ravaged by Germans and local Fascists summarily killing deserters, and he decides to join a shoddily organized band of anti-Fascists. Due to the group's poor organization, all the members except Johnny fall victim to their enemies, leaving Johnny to take up with another unit. But as his friends in the new unit are killed one after the other, Johnny's struggle becomes even more intense, and he is able to rely only on his courage and his surviving comrades to pull him through. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stefano Dionisi, Andrea Prodan, (more)
- 1997
Porzia, a beautiful and feisty aristocrat leaves her convent school when her wealthy, blue-blooded fiancé sends a small military regiment to bring her home for their wedding. Handsome Captain Palagano has been particularly charged with keeping the virginal lass safe and intact. The journey across the picturesque country starts off peacefully enough, but when brigands attack, only the girl and Bartolo, a humble coachman, are left alive. Determined to get her home, he and she make the rest of the trip on horseback. Though rude in manner and uneducated, Bartolo proves to be a loyal and courageous ally who sees Porzia through many adventures. This beautifully rendered costume drama offers chaste adventure and fun suitable for the entire family. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sergio Rubini, Giovanna Mezzogiorno, (more)
- 1978
The most powerful officers of a bank are implicated in a financial scandal, despite their efforts to disassociate themselves from it. When the top brass fire Henri Rainier (Jean-Louis Trintignant) because one of his clients has been accused of fraud, he doesn't take it lying down. He knows that the man who actually approved the client's loans was the bank's director. He must expose these and other shady financial transactions by his superiors in order to avoid being framed by them. This straightforward drama, which depicts the anxious situation of a man without allies, caught, despite his best efforts, in the throes of a vast land fraud, is based on a true story and was inexplicably very popular in France. It won Césars for "Best Screenplay" and "Best Director," and the Prix Louis Delluc, a venerable annual prize given by French journalists for the best French film of the year. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean-Louis Trintignant, Claude Brasseur, (more)
- 1999
- NR
A woman makes the painful discovery that her family is not all that she believed it to be in the drama L'Ospite/The Guest. Giulia (Elodie Treccani) works for her father's law film and still lives in her parents' luxurious home. However, she soon realizes the young man from Thailand who is their new houseguest is not just a family friend -- he is Guilia's mother's lover, and almost half her age. Father, however, has an even bigger secret -- he's been having an affair with a man young enough to be his son. L'Ospite/The Guest was the feature debut from director Alessandro Colizzi and was shown at in the Forum section of the 1999 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elodie Treccani, Anita Zagria, (more)
- 1978
The French Riviera felt the heavy hand of German occupation much later than the rest of the country, and was a haven for wealthy misfits who had no other place to go to escape that regime. Despite the certain knowledge that their doom is approaching, the characters in this film party and quarrel as if their world were not disintegrating rapidly. In the main story, Konrad (Michel Piccoli), an Austrian surgeon, has fled his newly Nazified country for the Riviera. There, he encounters Laura (Lara Wendel) the 13-year-old daughter of an anti-fascist Italian Contessa (Claudia Cardinale). When the girl perceives that he loves her, she offers herself to him. Horrified, he sends her away. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michel Piccoli, Claudia Cardinale, (more)
- 1967
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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Virna Lisi, Rod Steiger, (more)
Luchino Visconti (Count don Luchino Visconti di Modrone) was a film director, true, but he was also a nobleman and a grand patron of traditional European culture: opera, art, music, crafts and literature. These interests enliven many of his films, but few have been so inspired as the four-hour epic, Ludwig, about the castle-building "mad king" of Bavaria. This long film, made very near the end of Visconti's life, suffers greatly when shortened, as every moment is essential to the story. There are at least four different versions of the film (from just under three hours to over four hours in length); the uncut four-hour version is the most coherent, even though many might find it rather long. The disintegration of aristocratic individuals is a continuing theme of Visconti's, though Ludwig's is the most thorough decay he filmed. The last ruling king of Bavaria (1845-1886) is noted for many things besides his eccentricities: he sold Bavaria to Germany, ending the rule of the Bavarian monarchy; he built amazing castles all over his country (with the proceeds from the sale); and he was Richard Wagner's main sponsor. He was also a notorious recluse, conducting a lifelong platonic love affair with Empress Elizabeth of Austria, and finally succumbing to his adoration of handsome men in a series of outrageous affairs and orgies. His excesses eventually led to his being declared mentally incompetent and being held prisoner in his own castle. The film depicts this incredible life from his coronation at age 19 to his (unproved) assassination well over 20 years later. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helmut Berger, Romy Schneider, (more)
In 1951, French writer Jean Genet presented a screenplay called "Les Rêves Interdits/L'Autre Versant du Rêve" to actress Anouk Aimée as a wedding gift. He then proceeded to sell the rights three times without telling her. Eventually the script was reworked by Marguerite Duras and filmed by British director Tony Richardson as Mademoiselle, with Jeanne Moreau in the title role. In its final form, Mademoiselle tells the story of a repressed schoolteacher who visits a veritable plague of deliberate "accidents" on the people of her rural French village. She sets fires, poisons animals, and causes floods -- all in a fit of thwarted passion for an immigrant woodcutter. Though Marlon Brando was originally set to play the role of the Italian craftsman, the part went to Ettore Manni when the production schedule shifted. Umberto Orsini plays Antonio, the woodcutter's forlorn son, whom Mademoiselle maliciously humiliates out of perverse desire for his father. A notoriously difficult shoot, Mademoiselle was filmed consecutively with The Sailor From Gibraltar, another collaboration between Richardson, Moreau, and Duras. As for Genet, he despised the casting of Moreau; nevertheless, she would go on to star in Querelle, another adaptation of the author's work. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeanne Moreau, Ettore Manni, (more)
