Antonella Ponziani Movies

A man who appraises art for a living investigates a band of talented but ruthless criminals in this international thriller. Patrick Donovan (Scot Williams) is an American art historian who travels to Venice at the request of Allart Van Beunigen (Rutger Hauer), the curator of one of the city's most prestigious museums, Galleria dell'Accademia. Van Beunigen wants Donovan to verify that several of his prize works are authentic and not forgeries, but one of them, Giorgione's "The Tempest," is stolen before he can give it an examination. With the city on a flood watch that could destroy the museum's priceless collection, Donovan is forced to play private eye in order to find the lost painting, and finds himself caught in a web of intrigue involving expert art forgers and privileged collectors. Among the characters who cross Donovan's path during his search are Van Beunigen's beautiful daughter Chiara (Natalia Verbeke), her elderly paramour Paul Valenzin (Malcolm McDowell), Paul's sinister personal assistant Tedeschi (Gaetano Carotenuto), sexy hotel manager Dina (Valentina Cervi), multi-millionaire art enthusiast Taddeo Rossi (Paul Guilfoyle), and a police detective (Yura Marin) whose recent investigation ties Donovan to the work of a serial killer. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A woman who is tried of being pushed around discovers the alternative isn't all she thought it might be in this provocative comedy. Claudia (Antonella Ponziani) is a woman in her early thirties who works as a production assistant on a popular talk show, though she doesn't much care for her job. Claudia also isn't so thrilled with her boyfriend Giovanni (Mario De Candia), especially since he's invited a large percentage of his free-thinking extended family to stay at their apartment -- his divorced parents (Macha Meril and Piero Natoli), his sister and her kids, and his father's new significant other (Tasha Rodrigues). To make matters worse, Giovanni is an actor who has been between jobs for some time, and Claudia is the only person living in the flat who has a steady income and a willingness to perform household maintenance. The stresses of both work and her home life are taking a toll on Claudia, who is suffering from a number of minor ailments. Giovanni's mother, a follower of New Age healing techniques, is convinced Claudia's problems are psychosomatic, and when she teaches her a way of ridding her mind of debilitating energies, Claudia is transformed into a new woman. But Giovanni's family soon discovers that the newly empowered Claudia isn't about to put up with them, while Claudia finds her new emotional strength only lasts for so long. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In a working-class neighborhood of post-WWII Turin, Italy, 10-year-old Anna (Tresy Taddei) lives with her mother, Lidia (Antonella Ponziani), a secretary in a factory typing pool. As a partisan during the war, Anna's father died a hero. Anna's Catholic teacher (Maria Monti) awards a medal to the best pupil. Anna hopes to earn the medal, but her mother's politics and activities as a union organizer could prove a stumbling block. Shown at the 1997 Venice Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Two disparate Italian families battle it out on a remote island during summer vacation in this barbed social comedy that sharply comments on the yawning chasm created by ideological and political differences between liberal-but-narrow-minded intellectual elitists and ultra-conservative, ignorant masses. The story's battleground is set upon the island of Ventotene and on either side are adjacent cabins. In one stays the intellectually arrogant Sandro Molino. He brings with him his girl friend Cecilia, her baby, and her father. Cecilia is constantly insecure about her relationship with Sandro while papa Mauro, a failed thespian, fights his ever-encroaching depression. The Molino camp and its many followers spend their days playing music, sipping wine, smoking hashish, grooving on nature and engaging in endless conversations until the prominent Roman gun merchant Ruggero Mazzalupi and his boisterous family show up and spoil everything. The riotous Mazzalupis are as vulgar as the Molinos are tragically hip. The real conflict begins when Sandro threatens to turn Ruggero in for abusing a Senegalese servant. Chaos between the clans erupt, but amidst the cafuffle, two teens still manage to fall in love. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

For some reason, thirty-something banker Luca (Pino Quartullo) wants to become a father, and his girlfriend doesn't. Their disagreements on this subject escalate until they break up. Thereafter, Luca attempts to become a father by resurrecting former relationships, having sex with his old girlfriends, and pricking holes in the condoms he uses. He temporarily quenches his baby frenzy with an endless-loop video of an infant, but that doesn't help long. Luca meets a lesbian couple (Antonella Ponziani and Rosalinda Celentano) who want a child, too, at a sperm bank. Though it looks like they could work out a deal, Luca has become sterile (possibly from worrying too much). Things escalate as the increasingly desperate trio seek to find ways to induce pregnancy, and they decide to rob a sperm bank... ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

In this offbeat love story, Saverio has been living alone for some time in the quite large apartment his parents left to him in their will. Being that Saverio is a dentist, when Alia, a girl who has moved to Italy from Russia, shows up on his threshold with a missing tooth and bearing numerous bruises from a beating, it's only second nature for him to spend the next few hours making a replacement tooth for her. For a while, the optimistic young woman stays in his spacious apartment, as he fall more and more deeply in love with her. One day she leaves quietly and disappears. Devastated, Saverio begins searching for her. His searches put him into contact with the head of a local gang led by Mauro, who is also in love with the girl and is also searching for her. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Based on the novel by Ivan Turgenev, this drama tells of a young Russian noble during the mid 19th century who, although engaged to a young pastry chef, falls for a seductive married noblewoman who has arranged to buy his estate. Timothy Hutton, Nastassja Kinski and Valeria Golino star in this period piece. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

This Italian production was released directly to video, despite the casting of several well-known stars in leading roles. It is also somewhat remarkable for having no less than five alternate titles. In the story, Robert Domenici (Michael York) is a concert pianist suffering from a rare disease which produces super-rapid aging. On a visit to Venice during festival season he decides to take revenge on the world by killing and dismembering former girlfriends. He is nearly impossible to trace, as any description of his appearance rapidly becomes inaccurate. However, he meets his match in the wily Inspector Downey (Donald Pleasance), who persistently pursues him. This mild horror film also features Edwige Fenech, whose uncertain English has great charm. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide