Isabella Rossellini Movies

Visionary Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin takes viewers on a surreal journey into the psyche of a desperate gangster backed into a dangerous corner in this surreal, psycho-sexual take on Homer's Odyssey. Late one night, a criminal bursts into the living room of a large house and waits nervously for the arrival of their leader Ulysses Pick (Jason Patrick). Ulysses has a knack for getting out of tense situations, and with the cops all around they need him now more than ever. But when Ulysses arrives with a teenage girl and a bound young man in tow, some of his henchmen start to think it's time for a new boss to take over. An already tense situation turns downright surreal as Ulysses begins venturing through the labyrinthine house in search of his wife Hyacinth (Isabella Rossellini), who remains locked in her room somewhere on an upper floor. Meanwhile, Hyacinth's father offers cryptic commentary on the unfolding events, and the harder Ulysses searches for a wife the more secrets he begins to uncover about his eccentric family. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A man who certainly qualifies as one of the most original artists in history, Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1526-93) turned many a head with his unusual portraits of emperors and their courtiers - unusual, because Arcimboldo decided to forsake realism for caricature, with heads and busts comprised entirely of fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Contrary to what one might expect, these feats earned Arcimboldo high praise and favor, In lieu of a beheading or jail sentence, and simultaneously revealed the depth and breadth of the painter's influence by the Age of Exploration. As narrated by Isabella Rossellini, this program examines Arcimboldo's colorful life and inimitable work, not simply as a court painter, but as a depicter of nature and a festival creator as well. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Guy Maddin directed this surreal short film without dialogue starring his frequent collaborator Isabella Rossellini. In the film, a mysterious woman (Rossellini) wanders into a building that's been taken over by eccentric men with a variety of electrical equipment. The woman is captured and strapped into a primitive electric chair, where she's given shocks by a man who controls the current through tap dancing. As the tableaux becomes more bizarre with the presence of dancing girls and shirtless men operating inexplicable apparatus, the woman wavers between pain and ecstasy as the power passes through her body. Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair was produced on a commission from the Rotterdam Film Festival; the film was originally intended to be screened on the side of an office building as part of the festival's Urban Screens program, and was later similarly presented in New York City. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A depressed young man moves back in with his parents and finds his life turned upside down as he struggles to choose between the beautiful daughter of a close family friend and the scintillating but volatile next-door neighbor whose passion helps to reignite his lust for life. The third screen outing for writer/director James Gray and actor Joaquin Phoenix following We Own the Night and The Yards, Two Lovers co-stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Isabella Rossellini, and Vinessa Shaw. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Libya was once a nation with a large and thriving Jewish community; today, only a tiny number of Jews remain there, and this documentary from filmmaker Vivienne Roumani-Denn (herself a Libyan Jew) explains the tragic legacy of the nation's Jewish community. While Jews were a part of Libya's culture since before the birth of Christ, events during the 20th Century were to decimate both the numbers and the spirit of the nation's Jews. During World War II, Italy took control of Libya, where Jews did not fare well under Mussolini's fascist regime. Britain wrested control of Libya from Italy, but the pogroms against the Jewish community only grew worse. Finally, Libya gained independence, but when the Arab states gained power and influence in the Middle East, most of Libya's remaining Jewish population fled, with only a small number of families remaining to uphold the nation's heritage. The Last Jews of Libya received its North American premiere at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

With his English-language political thriller The Feast of the Goat, action helmer Luis Llosa cinematizes Mario Vargas Llosa's sweeping, epic novel about the myriad of events leading up to the assassination of a real-life tyrannical despot. The story opens in 1992, when a Dominican émigré attorney, Urania Cabral (Isabella Rossellini) leaves her new home in the U.S. and heads back to her native country, for the first occasion in decades. She intends to confront her father, 80-year-old Augustin (Tomas Milian), about his former employment in the government of the supremely corrupt dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo (Tomas Milian). The film then flashes back to the events surrounding the assassination of Trujillo on a highway in late May of 1961, by delving into the lives and motives of each of the participants - from Amadito (Juan Diego Botto), whom Trujillo forced to execute his future brother-in-law, to that victim's father (Murphy Guyer), to Antonio (David Zayas), the brother of an incriminating witness whom Trujillo's men executed. One by one, as their stories are disinterred, the assassins gather on a nighttime road, brandishing guns, and prepare to shoot Trujillo and throw his body into the trunk of a car. Paul Freeman, Stephanie Leonidas and Richard Bekins co-star; Llosa co-authored the script with Augusto Cabada and Zachary Sklar. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Tonya Neely (Viola Davis) is a neighborhood activist on the south side of Chicago, trying to get her community to rally to tear down Eden Court, the dangerous housing project where she lives. After a family tragedy, she sent her youngest daughter, Cammie (Serena Reeder), off to live with friends in a middle-class neighborhood, where she could go to a better school. Leo Waters (Anthony LaPaglia), the architect who designed Eden Court many years ago, lives a seemingly idyllic life with his wife, Julia (Isabella Rossellini), his teenage daughter, Christina (Hayden Panettiere), and his son, Martin (Sebastian Stan), who has just returned home after dropping out of college. Leo's family is on the verge of a crisis. Julia's unhappiness with their marriage leads her to clean the house obsessively. Christina is only 15, but she is eager to explore her budding sexuality. Martin is understandably cynical about his home life, and confused about his own desires. When Tonya contacts Leo, hoping to convince him to sign the petition to tear down Eden Court, it sets a chain of events in motion that will force both families to confront the issues that they've tried so hard to avoid. The Architect, which also features performances by Paul James, Walton Goggins, Tijuana Ricks, Lauren Hodges, and Malcolm Goodwin, was directed by Matt Tauber, adapted from a play by Scottish playwright David Greig. The film had its world premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

On the eve of the release of actress Isabella Rossellini's book In the Name of the Father, the Daughter, and the Holy Spirits: Remembering Roberto Rossellini, the famous daughter of the acclaimed filmmaker teams with Canadian director Guy Maddin to pay loving homage to the man who crafted such cinematic classics as Viaggio in Italia and Roma, Città Aperta. In addition to crafting an affectionate portrait to her father, Rossellini and Maddin attempt to capture the cinematic feel of the filmmaker's most prolific period by incorporating the influences of such key figures as Federico Fellini, Alfred Hitchcock, Charlie Chaplin, David O. Selznick, and, of course, the legendary Ingrid Bergman into the film as well. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Despite its late start in January of 2005 after a hiatus of eight months, the fourth season of Alias more than made up for lost time with a plethora of trials, tribulations, jaw-dropping revelations, big-time betrayals, and near-death experiences for the series' secret-agent heroine, Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner). Reeling from the disillusionment and embarrassment of her demotion, Sydney quits the CIA flat; however, it turns out that this is part of a master plan hatched by new CIA director Hayden Chase (Angela Bassett) to arrange Sydney's membership in Authorized Personnel Only (APO), a top-top secret black-ops organization. Sydney's co-workers at APO include several longtime associates: her father, Jack (Victor Garber); her partner and sometime lover, Michael Vaughn (Michael Vartan); her steadfast previous partner Dixon (Carl Lumbly) -- and, much to our heroine's surprise, her duplicitous ex-chief, Sloane (Ron Rifkin), who has proven time and again that he can't be trusted. For her first APO assignment, Sydney is sent to Rio, where she has a fateful encounter with her latest adversary, Tamasaki (Rick Yune), a self-styled 21st century samurai. Previously a recurring character, Sydney's half-sister, Nadia Santos (Mía Maestro), becomes a full regular this season, the better to throw a monkey wrench into Sydney's volatile relationship with her father, Jack -- and to share with Jack a startling secret about Sydney's supposedly dead, supposedly traitorous mother. At the same time, Vaughn has a great deal of difficulty overcoming the treachery of his former wife, Lauren, and an equal amount of difficulty assimilating new and disturbing information about his own father. Major developments this season include a huge revival of interest in the Rambaldi code, which when broken may spell the doom of humankind; the surprising temporary recruitment of another of Sydney's longtime enemies, Julian Sark (David Anders), for a special APO mission; a grim prognostication that Sydney and Nadia are destined to duke it out to the death; and the resurrection of a long-presumed-dead central character, who will reveal anew to Sydney that she can never completely rely upon anyone or believe in anything, not even the evidence of her own eyes. Though the season ends with the good news that Sydney and Vaughn are engaged, any hopes for lasting happiness are dashed by still another shocking revelation -- and a spectacular car crash. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A handful of New Yorkers find their paths crossing in ways that force them to examine their lives in this contemporary drama produced by Ismail Merchant. Isabel (Elizabeth Banks) is a twentysomething photographer who is supposed to marry her boyfriend, Jonathan (James Marsden), in a month. But Isabel has found herself wondering if marriage is the right thing for her. Meanwhile, her mother, Diana (Glenn Close), a well-known film actress, has learned her husband has been seeing another woman, and while they have an open relationship, Diana finds this hurtful. Over the course of the day, Diana meets Alec (Jesse Bradford), a handsome young actor, and Isabel is introduced to Peter (John Light), a journalist, and both women begin to question their current relationships. The first feature for director Chris Terrio, Heights also stars Michael Murphy, Eric Bogosian, Thomas Lennon, and Rufus Wainwright. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

First-time filmmaker Abby Epstein directs Until the Violence Stops, an hour-long documentary capturing the impact of V-Day in five different international communities. Following the success of Eve Ensler's award-winning play The Vagina Monologues, V-Day was created as a global movement to end violence against women and girls. In 2002, hundreds of V-Day benefit events occurred all over the world in order to raise both awareness and funds. This program focuses on specific V-Day events in New York, California, the Philippines, South Dakota, and Kenya. Includes appearances by founder Eve Ensler along with celebrity activists Jane Fonda, Glenn Close, and Isabella Rossellini. Until the Violence Stops was shown at a special screening of the Sundance Film Festival prior to its commercial-free broadcast premiere on Lifetime Television in February of 2004. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi