Franco Volpi Movies
The distinguished career of Italian actor Franco Volpi spanned over 60 years. Primarily performing on stage and television, Volpi also made the occasional film. He got his start working in the Renzo Ricci and Laura Adani theater companies in the 1930s following graduation from the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Milan. After the end of WW II, he worked closely with the prominent Andreina Paganani and Ruggero Ruggeri troupes where he earned much acclaim, particularly for his interpretations of the plays of George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde. During the '50s and '60s, Volpi turned to television dramas and it was in this domain that he gained the most fame. In film, he was acclaimed for his portrayal of the villainous Minister in the tremendously popular suspense comedy Johnny Stecchino(1992). Volpi died of cancer at age 75. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1991
- R
Comedian Roberto Benigni wrote and directed this Italian farce, in which he stars as Dante, a bus driver who is the exact double of the infamous gangster Johnny Toothpick (Benigni again). After Dante meets Johnny's girlfriend Maria (Nicoletta Braschi), he travels to her Palermo villa, where it quickly becomes apparent that Maria is setting up Dante to take the fall for Johnny's illicit behavior. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, (more)
- 1971
French comic Louis De Funes stars as Henri, who has a very unfortunate accident while on his way to arrange some sort of shady deal on the Italian border. He has tried desperately not to let his better impulses get control of him; nonetheless, he has already picked up a hitchhiker (Olivier De Funes) and a married woman in distress (Geraldine Chaplin) when his car runs off the road, falls over a cliff, and lands in the crown of a tree. The efforts of this threesome to cope with the situation and get rescued constitute the body of this film. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Geraldine Chaplin
- 1970
Evans (Louis De Funes) stars in this situation comedy about a man in charge of a female ballet troupe. The only other man in the house is his nephew Philippe (Olivier De Funes). One of the former residents becomes pregnant, and anonymous note labels the nephew as the father. Evans seeks out the girl only to find she has another child as well. He soon gets roped into becoming a nursemaid to the squalling infant and the year old child. The part of the nephew is played by Louis' son, and the film features several songs and dances. the role of Evans is played with a more restrained manner by the popular French comic. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Louis de Funès, Noëlle Adam, (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)
