Laura Solari Movies
- 1968
This gripping crime thriller from director Carlo Lizzani was based on a true story. A daring gang of bandits pull off a series of risky heists in Milan, murdering several innocent bystanders in the film's exciting opening getaway scene. Lizzani then moves the story backwards in time, painting a portrait of Milan as a seething hotbed of vice. Gian Maria Volonte gives an increasingly flamboyant performance as the gang's egomaniacal leader, whose Nazi-like belief in his own superiority proves to be the flaw which foils his plans. Tomas Milian, in a rare nonvillainous turn, shines as the dedicated young police inspector who brings Volonte down, and gun moll Carla Gravina has an amusing (if stereotypical) scene in which Volonte teaches her to drive. The thrilling car chase is among the best in the Italian crime genre, and even Riz Ortolani's typically annoying musical score does not detract from the film's appeal. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gian Maria Volontè, Don Backy, (more)
- 1963
This unexceptional Duel of the Titans takes place on two different levels at once. The legendary brothers Romulus and Remus go at it to see who will ultimately survive and found the city of Caesars. And the slightly less legendary but still impressive Steve Reeves (Romulus) and Gordon Scott (Remus) are brought into a kind of body-building competition. Romulus and Remus are shown from their earliest beginnings as abandoned babes on the Tiber River, destined to face all sorts of challenges. First come their adventures after they are adopted by a female wolf as her own offspring. Then they later handle catastrophes like an erupting volcano or hand-to-paw combat with an irate bear. Once the two brothers have reached adulthood, they become enemies, as Remus seeks to aggrandize his power and Romulus seeks to cut him down to size. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Reeves, Gordon Scott, (more)
- 1961
The first of the "Dr. Mabuse" films not directed by Fritz Lang, the French/German/Italian Return of Dr. Mabuse stars Wolfgang Preiss in the title role. Supposedly dead and buried, Mabuse returns to his criminal activities, once more using hypnotized flunkeys to carry out his dirty work. While the doc's longtime foe Inspector Lohmann (Gert Froebe) probes and prods in his usual methodical fashion, hotshot American detective Lex Barker and dauntless girl reporter Daliah Lavi take the more direct approach to weed out Mabuse. This time around, the diabolical doctor wants to sabotage a nuclear reactor, then take over the world (he never does anything by halves). Return of Dr. Mabuse was released in Europe as Im Stahlnetz des Dr. Mabuse, Le Retour Du Docteur Mabuse and FBI Contro Dr. Mabuse; in some American cities, it was shipped out as Phantom Fiend. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Audrey Hepburn became a star with this film, in which she played Princess Anne, weary of protocol and anxious to have some fun before she is mummified by "affairs of state." On a diplomatic visit to Rome, Anne escapes her royal retainers and scampers incognito through the Eternal City. She happens to meet American journalist Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck), who, recognizing a hot news story, pretends that he doesn't recognize her and offers to give her a guided tour of Rome. Naturally, Joe hopes to get an exclusive interview, while his photographer pal Irving (Eddie Albert) attempts to sneak a photo. And just as naturally, Joe falls in love with her. Filmed on location in Rome, Roman Holiday garnered an Academy Award for the 24-year-old Hepburn; another Oscar went to the screenplay, credited to Ian McLellan Hunter and John Dighton but actually co-written by the blacklisted Dalton Trumbo. The 1987 TV movie remake with Catherine Oxenberg is best forgotten. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, (more)
- 1948
Scorned Flesh first saw the light of day in Italy under the title Statua Vivente. Fosco Giachetti plays a sailor who intends to break a few female hearts while on leave. Putting the make on shy young Laura Solari, Giachetti at first regards the girl as yet another conquest. Imagine his surprise when he realizes he's actually fallen in love with her! On the eve of their wedding, Solari is killed, sending the grief-stricken Giachetti off on a bender. While drowning his sorrows in a seedy dive, he meets a hard-bitten woman who happens to be the exact double of his lost love (and who happens to also be played by Laura Solari). In Vertigo fashion, Giachetti tries to make his new girlfriend over in the image of his deceased fiance -- and like Vertigo, his efforts are doomed to tragic failure. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laura Solari, Fosco Giachetti, (more)
- 1938
The Italian historical melodrama The Cuckoo Clock was acquired for US distribution by MGM-who promptly shelved the film for several months in reflection of mounting anti-Mussolini sentiments in the US. Vittorio De Sica heads the cast of this complex mystery, in which a huge, American-manufactured cuckoo clock is purchased by a European banker for the express purpose of smuggling gold into England. After agreeing to help the banker in his scheme, an elderly nobleman (secretly a spy) is murdered and his body is stuffed into the clock. The captain of the ship transporting the clock is accused of the killing, but during a spectacular courtroom trial the actual culprit reveals his guilt-and his essentially patriotic motives. Set during the early 19th century, The Cuckoo Clock is lovely to look at but a bit thin dramatically. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vittorio De Sica, Guglielmo Sinaz, (more)
