Senta Berger Movies
Austrian actress Senta Berger was born while Vienna was under siege; reportedly, her family was bombed out four times before she was five. Enrolled in ballet school, Senta was asked to leave at 14 because she had "developed" too much. She studied drama at the Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna, then began her German film career in 1957. The publicity folks said that Senta won her first English-language role in The Secret Ways (1961) when star Richard Widmark spotted her riding a bicycle. Most American film fans first saw the sensuous Senta on, of all places, Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color, in that 1963 TV series' two-parter "The Waltz King." Though an actress of more than average talent, Senta was regarded as just another European sex bomb by most Hollywood publicity flacks; her fine performance as an Israeli freedom fighter in Cast a Giant Shadow (1966) took second consideration to the well-circulated still photos from that film, in which she was seen in form-fitting shorts. By 1970, Senta Berger evidently gave up any hopes of being taken seriously, agreeing to appear in the caveman spoof When Women Had Tails. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1972
Wim Wenders' The Scarlet Letter (German title: Der scharlachrote Buchstabe) may well be the most fascinating of the many screen versions of Nathaniel Hawthorne's 19th-century novel. Though the story is set in 17th-century Salem, Massachusetts, the film was lensed in Spain. Senta Berger is surprisingly well cast as Hester Prynne, whose sexual indiscretions have compelled her to wear the letter "A" (for adultery) on blouse--a symbol of shame to her neighbors, but a strange source of pride for Hester. Lou Castel plays the tortured Reverend Dimmesdale, the man who impregnated Hester but whom has been sworn to secrecy by the self-sacrificing heroine for the "good of the community." Hans Christian Blech portrays Hester's long-lost husband, whose reappearance sets the stage for the wrenching climax. Wenders' interpretation of the customs, behavior and inbred bigotry of the early American immigrants is eye-opening, as only an "outsider's" perception of what we take for granted can be. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
In this French crime thriller, you can leave the mob, but the mob won't leave you. Louis (Jean Yanne) has retired to a Thailand plantation with an Asian wife and child. Back in Marseilles, however, because a no-holds-barred gang war has broken out, Louis' large collateral family is wiped out, and he is family are slated for destruction. Hit-men are sent, and they kill his wife, but fail to get Louis. Now incensed, he returns to Marseilles to set these people straight. They confuse him with a policeman (Sterling Hayden) who is escorting Louis' daughter to Paris, and though they kill his daughter, Louis is able to get through the airport and into town. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1971
In this Italian comedy, Bissa's simple, almost luxurious life as an eel-poacher is forced out of existence by development in commercial eel-growing. No more will he romance the countess (Senta Berger) in her husband's crypt, and his rival the game warden will be victorious with her at last. Bissa (Lino Toffolo) has a friend, a small-time gangster, who takes him in and gives him work. Circumstances conspire to put him into the path of bigger and bigger criminals until he meets up with the deadly innocence of a certain girl (Ottavia Piccolo). ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Igor has a good job as an advertising manager, a nice house, his wife Hanna, and a mistress. He has invited Christine, the mistress, over to his house while his wife is away. They are deeply involved in the act of making love when his wife, who has returned early, discovers them. Igor desists, and makes ironic little comments about the situation. Hanna is not amused. She takes a gun, points it at him, and tells him to resume making love to Christine. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
In this comic sequel to When Women Had Tails, a group of prehistoric men and women experiment with the recently discovered phenomenon of sex. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1970
- R
This situation sex comedy falls somewhere in between vulgarity and burlesque. Ulli (Giuliano Gemma) and his six cave-dwelling cronies try to learn all the conveniences of their era -- like building fires, using the wheel, and perfecting the use of tools and weapons. A fire engulfs their tiny island and the men are forced to take a raft to the unknown mainland. There Ulli meets Filli (Senta Berger), and he spends his time trying to make her his monogamous girlfriend by discouraging others who desire her for their own. Ennio Morricone provides the music to this feature, which was a surprising box-office hit in Italy. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Giuliano Gemma, Senta Berger, (more)
- 1969
- G
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A mid-1960s TV documentary special (and a New Yorker cartoon before that) was the inspiration for If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium. The film is a likeable satire of "packaged" European tours, where the nonplused tourists are expected to rush from one landmark to another in a breathless 18 days. Ian McShane stars as the amorous tour guide, with Suzanne Pleshette as the American department store buyer he falls for; their romance ends when Pleshette decides that the supposedly worldly McShane is too immature for her. An all-star cast, including Murray Hamilton, Peggy Cass, Pamela Britton, Marty Ingels, John Cassavetes and Vittorio De Sica, pops up in comic cameo roles. Our favorite bit: an American and German tourist, simultaneously regaling their respective wives with wildly divergent accounts of the same wartime confrontation. If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium was reworked in 1987 as a made-for-TV movie, cleverly title If It's Tuesday, It Still Must be Belgium. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Suzanne Pleshette, Ian McShane, (more)
Keir Dullea dives into a bevy of babes with an open wine bottle as the notorious Marquis de Sade in this low-budget debauch from American International Pictures -- purveyors of fine entertainment morsels for the connoisseur. The film takes place as an extended flashback after de Sade has escaped from a madhouse and taken refuge in the dilapidated mansion where he was reared. In his flashback, de Sade recalls how the Abbe de Sade (John Huston) used to have a maid whip him until he began to like it. Of course, after that, the next step down the primrose path was flagellation and orgies. Finally sent to a French jail for lewd behavior, de Sade begins to write anti-government creeds to while away the hours. After his release, he is compelled to marry the repulsive Renee de Montreuil (Anna Massey). De Sade goes along with the marriage in order to get closer to her sister Anne (Senta Berger). In spite of that, de Sade continues to seek out various forms of softcore sex. But then the Black Plague hits. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Keir Dullea, Senta Berger, (more)
- 1969
Chamoun (Michel Constantine) and his wife May (Senta Berger) arrive in the desert and take up residence in an abandoned house. Sheriff Brade (Hans Meyer) is suspicious of the couple and their beer-drinking mule. He discovers the woman is hiding out from the mafia after killing a gangster. Fearing retaliation from the mob, their solitude is interrupted by a visit from a crook who has stolen some diamonds. Chamoun agrees to help the criminal Kalne (Julian Mateos) if he gives him half of the loot. As two policemen watch the house, Kalne and Chamoun try to double-cross each other out of the diamonds in this crime drama that ends in tragedy. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michel Constantin, Senta Berger, (more)
- 1969
Collector's Edition is a 90-minute episode of the TV series Name of the Game. Tony Franciosa stars as Jeff Dillon, investigative reporter for Crime magazine. Guest star John Saxon plays photographer Peter Max (no relation, we assume, to the poster artist of the same name). Max had once saved Dillon's life when the two were on assignment in Vietnam. Now Max is accused of murder, and he's counting on Dillon's help in clearing his name. Collector's Edition first aired in October of 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
Stefano (Ugo Tognazzi) and his wife Giovanna (Senta Berger) are tempted to shed their sexual inhibitions when they witness a couple making love atop the Eiffel Tower. He places an ad in a lonely hearts column, but the women he dreams about all seem to be hideous creatures. The swinging couple take on various bed partners in this sex satire about modern moral decay. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ugo Tognazzi, Senta Berger, (more)
- 1969
The famous Italian lover Casanova is portrayed by Claudio De Kunert as a child and by Leonardo Whiting as an adolescent on the verge of manhood. Planning to help the poor by going into religious law, he quickly is smitten by a bevy of beauties and by Millescudi (Senta Berger) in particular. After his first sermon as an aspiring abbot, the collection plate is flooded with love letters to the handsome young man. Casanova soon abandons his religious pursuits for more worldly pleasures. The gravely voiced Lionel Stander and Wilfred Brambell also appear in this 2 million dollar production. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leonard Whiting, Maria Grazia Buccella, (more)
- 1968
A made for TV movie, we follow an art dealer on the Istanbul Express across Turkey. The dealer is really on a secret mission for the government to buy some valuable and sensitive papers at an auction. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- 1967
In this, the third in the Matt Helm special-agent series, Dean Martin plays Helm who's called to save those aboard a hijacked U.S. spacecraft. Ambushers is generally regarded as the weakest of the Helm films, lacking inspiration at most levels. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dean Martin, Senta Berger, (more)
In his last film effort (he was killed in a car accident shortly after its completion), veteran French filmmaker Julien Duvivier manages to spin gold from dross in Diabolically Yours. Alain Delon stars as an amnesiac, unable to remember he is man of wealth, or where he keeps his wealth. The doctors are flummoxed by Delon's total blackout. On the other hand, Delon's wife Senta Berger doesn't believe it, nor does the family's best friend. This fitfully entertaining puzzler succeeds in leading the audience--and the characters--down several garden paths. A French/Italian/German coproduction, Diabolically Yours was originally titled Diaboliquement Votre. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Senta Berger, Alain Delon, (more)
- 1967
In this comedy, two Yankee con artists pose as tourists visiting scenic Naples. There they intend to rob an old church. Before pulling the caper, the two enlist the aid of a local criminal. The theft succeeds, but afterwards the crooks begin double-crossing each other. Murder and mayhem ensues as one American murders the other and then heads for the airport dressed as a nun. "Her" loot is, in turn, captured by the Italian crook and his friend. The local thief then heads for Switzerland accompanied by a bogus "cardinal" who protects him. Unfortunately for the crook, the cardinal turns out to be the real thing and takes the treasure back to its original home. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nino Manfredi, Senta Berger, (more)
- 1967
Charles (Louis Jourdan) is a writer who falls for Sandra (Senta Berger) in this routine spy story. Sandra talks the writer into helping her stop her husband from kidnapping a nuclear scientist and delivering him to the Chinese. (Edmond O'Brien) gives the standout performance in this otherwise forgettable film. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louis Jourdan, Senta Berger, (more)
Cast a Giant Shadow is a big-budget, glossy action/adventure story set at the time that Israel became a nation. American Army officer Colonel David Marcus is recruited by the yet-to-exist Israel to help form an army. Marcus is conflicted because of his sudden appreciation for his Jewish heritage. Realizing that each of Israel's Arab nations has vowed to invade the poorly prepared country once the partition has been made, Marcus is made commander of the Israeli forces just before the war begins. The all-star cast includes Kirk Douglas, Senta Berger and Angie Dickinson. Aldo Tonti provides the beautiful photography by Aldo Tonti, and Melville Shavelson directs. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirk Douglas, Senta Berger, (more)
This spy saga differs from the usual Bond-styled fare that was popular at the time. There are plenty of gadgets but the hero Quiller (George Segal) never once uses a gun. Quiller is called on by his superior Pol (Alec Guinness) to infiltrate a Neo-Nazi gang in Berlin after two British agents have been killed on the same mission. After a teacher at a school has hanged himself when he is accused of being a war criminal, Quiller meets the late teachers replacement, the lovely Inge (Senta Berger). He willingly goes home with her before being beaten, drugged, and kidnapped by Nazi thugs, but the head Nazi Oktober (Max Von Sydow) allows Quiller to escape in hopes he will lead them to Pol. Quiller is captured again and given until morning to reveal information or he and Inge will die. George Sanders and Edith Schneider make the most of their limited screen time with fine performances. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Segal, Alec Guinness, (more)
- 1966
Some extra footage was added to segments of two episodes from the television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964-68) to create this feature film-length espionage adventure that was released theatrically in some countries to cash in on the James Bond craze. Ordered by their secret organization U.N.C.L.E. to stop the sinister group THRUSH from obtaining a top-secret nuclear weapon, spies Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) and Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum) travel to Switzerland. Once there, Solo is lured into a trap by a comely enemy agent, Serena (Senta Berger). Kidnapped by THRUSH, Solo is replaced with an exact double who infiltrates U.N.C.L.E. Kuryakin eventually becomes suspicious due to his friend's odd behavior and takes steps to learn the truth, while Solo attempts to escape from captivity and stop THRUSH's plot to get its hands on the weapon. The episodes represented in the film are "The Double Affair," which first aired November 17, 1964, and "The Four Steps Affair," which originally aired February 22, 1965. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Vaughn, Senta Berger, (more)
- 1966
This exciting adventure provides an interesting look into the manufacture and trafficking of opium and heroin. The original story was written by Ian Fleming who died shortly before he was to pen the screenplay. The story is set in Iran and opens as an American undercover agent is murdered in the desert while attempting to buy opium. Two more agents are sent to Teheran to investigate the death and stop the powerful drug ring behind the smuggling. Once there, they run into the dead agent's girlfriend, who soon after suddenly disappears. Unfortunately, they cannot find her and so focus on their other job. To figure out where the drugs are going (and hopefully get a lead on the missing girl) they steal a bunch of opium and lace it with radioactive tracers so they can track it with Geiger counters. They then follow the drugs as they are slowly dispersed throughout Europe. After many twists, turns and blind alleys, the agents eventually succeed. This film was originally made for TV and contains cameos from many stars who worked for little pay because they strongly supported its anti-drug message. Those stars include Grace Kelly (who introduces the film) Omar Sharif, E.G. Marshall, Eli Wallach, Marcello Mastrioanni, and many more. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Senta Berger, Stephen Boyd, (more)
- 1966
Films like Bang, Bang, You're Dead helped kill the movie career of Tony Randall in the mid-1960s. Randall plays an innocent oil company representative who gets tied up with a gang of crooks in Morocco. The head criminals, played by Herbert Lom and Klaus Kinski, plunge Randall into the middle of a complex espionage scheme involving the Red Chinese. There is one good scene in a massage parlor, but otherwise the film isn't wacky enough to be funny or intriguing enough to be taken seriously. Produced by the indefatigable Harry Alan Towers, who exercises his usual prerogative of hiring so many "guest stars" that hopefully the audience won't notice the plot deficiencies, Bang, Bang, You're Dead was sneaked out to theatres under several titles: Bang, Bang, Bang! Marrakesh, Our Man in Marrakesh, and I Spy You Spy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Randall, Senta Berger, (more)
- 1966
In this frilly-costumed comedy, Baron Halbach (Martin Held) and his daughter Dodo (Senta Berger) move freely among the wealthy social elite, stealing jewels. When Dodo falls for the handsome London lawyer Robert (Joachim Fuchsberger), the Baron tries to stop the budding romance. Later, Dodo is caught trying to pull off one last caper before she marries, but Robert successfully wins her case in court. Watch for James Robertson Justice as Robert's father Sir Hammond in this lavish production. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Senta Berger, Martin Held, (more)
