José Suárez Movies

In Pamplona, Spain, at the time of the running of the bulls (which takes place during the festival of San Fermin), a pious surgeon who belongs to Opus Dei (a Catholic service organization) tries to ward off the temptations of a lusty nurse by attending Mass frequently and clutching his crucifix. Finally, unable to resist further, he succumbs. Guilt-ridden, on the advice of his priest, he runs off, leaving both the nurse and his secretly unfaithful wife behind. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

We can find predecessors of the Spanish Marianela dating back to the dawn of cinema (take a look at D.W. Griffith's Blind Love, vintage 1910). But there's no such thing as an old story if it's done with finesse. Rodio Ducal plays a disfigured young woman who falls in love with blind Pierre Orcel. Theirs is an idyllic relationship-until word comes down that an operation may restore Orcel's sight. In many respects, Marianela can be seen as a worthy precursor to the better-known Hollywood production Mask (1985). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Young love is explored when a man comes back home to see an old high-school flame. ~ John Bush, Rovi

The Continental cast and scenes of intense violence may earmark Texas, Addio as a spaghetti Western, but the plot of this Italian/Spanish production unspools very much like its Hollywood counterpart. Django star Franco Nero's character provides the link; his two-fisted, taciturn Texas sheriff, Burt Sullivan, is cut from the same unwavering in-his-duty cloth as Gary Cooper's lawmen as he crosses the border to bring wealthy and sadistic Mexican crime boss Cisco Delgado (José Suárez) to justice for the murder of his father. Sullivan's body count may be staggeringly high by the film's fade-out, but his kills are strictly in defense of himself, his greenhorn brother, Jim (Cole Kitosch, aka Alberto Dell'Acqua or Robert Widmark), or later, a group of Mexican revolutionaries led by lawyer Luigi Pistilli that attempts to overthrow Delgado's corrupt regime. Director Ferdinando Baldi (whose Western curriculum vitae includes the more European-flavored Blindman [1971] and Get Mean [1975], with American ex-pat actor Tony Anthony) makes excellent use of the Almeira, Spain, locations (well photographed by future Trinity Is Still My Name director Enzo Barboni); and if his pacing is occasionally draggy, he more than makes up for it with a wealth of well-staged brawls and shoot-outs. His script (written with Django co-scribe Franco Rossetti) is lean and solid, with a hint of noir in its central dark secret regarding Delgado's relationship with Sullivan's family. ~ Paul Gaita, Rovi

Director and co-writer Luigi Zampa, best known for his earlier works as a satirist of favorite targets like bureaucratic labyrinths, takes a stab at the complicity of society and family in the criminal acts of a few individuals. The stage is set by a somewhat dysfunctional family with its sad history told in a series of flashbacks. Emilia Bonelli (Ana Mariscal) is an overly ambitious and driven woman. This dominant personality trait has its effects on her henpecked husband Luigi (Francois Perier), and her daughter Carla (Jacqueline Sassard). Circumstances ultimately lead to the courtroom and an aloof judge in the persona of Andrea Morandi (Jose Suarez). ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

3DLa Sfida3D (3DThe Challenge3D) marked the directorial debut of former screenwriter Francesco Rosi. Based on a true story, the plot concerns a young man named Vito (Jose Suarez), who harbors a grudge against the Neopolitan Mafia. At great personal risk, Vito vows to smash the mobsters who control the region's fruit and vegetable distribution. Unfortunately, the local Mafia chieftan (Pasquale Cenammo) proves to be just too powerful and well-armed for Vito to succeed. Rosanna Schiaffino contributes a powerhouse performance as Vito's wife (and, ultimately, his widow). Despite official protests from certain "business interests", 3DLa Sfida3D earned a Special Jury Prize at the 1958 Venice Film Festival. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi