Lyla Rocco Movies
- 1961
Wearing the title garment, a daring night rider sets off to get revenge upon the wicked, avaricious magistrate responsible for murdering his father and keeping his neighbors in poverty. This Italian chronicle of his exciting exploits is set in Pisa during the 1500s. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
In this grindhouse favorite that blends '60s sexploitation with Euro-Horror, five exotic dancers are travelling through Europe with their manager (Alfredo Rizzo) and an accompanying musician. When bad weather stands them in the middle of nowhere, they seek shelter in a castle that, conveniently enough, has been turned into a hotel by the master of the house, Count Gabor Kernassy (Walter Brandi). With no money to pay their bill, the dancers "work" off their debt by showing off their dance routines (which in turn allows them to show off their figures). However, it turns out that Kernassy isn't the only count who lives at the castle; another member of the Kernassy family, a vampire who has been undead for the past 200 years, also haunts its halls, and the bloodsucker soon discovers that one of the dancers, Vera (Lila Rocco), bears a striking resemblance to the great love of his life from two centuries ago. L'Ultima Preda del Vampiro has been released in the U.S. under a variety of titles (including The Playgirls and the Vampire, Curse of the Vampire, Daughters of the Vampire, Desires of the Vampire, and Last Victim of the Vampire) and a number of different running times, ranging from 66 to 85 minutes (depending how much of the original film's nudity and dancing had been cut), though the complete version is now available on home video. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lyla Rocco, Walter Brandi, (more)
- 1959
At the time of this film, director John Berry was still working in France where he landed after being blacklisted in the early 1950s by the House Un-American Activities Committee. This routine light comedy interspersed with songs is mainly a vehicle for talents like singer Dario Moreno as, not surprisingly, Dario the bank teller who longs to be a singer. Comics (Alberto Sordi as Nando) add touches of humor, while other actors such as Michel Serrault as a police inspector do their best with a script that is slight enough to come off as somewhat bland. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dario Moreno, Magali Noël, (more)
- 1951
Silvana Mangano portrays a fickle club chanteuse who must choose between the love of two men (Raf Vallone and Vittorio Gassman). She chooses neither, entering a convent for the sake of convenience. This overwrought drama was produced by Dino de Laurentiis, and reworked by five screenwriters including such respected names as Dino Risi and Franco Brusati, but comes up as a soggy soap-opera rather than an imposing star-vehicle. Nino Rota's fine score and the always watchable Mangano are its only saving graces. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Silvana Mangano, Raf Vallone, (more)
