Gigi Bonos Movies

This enjoyable parody of classic fairytales about kingdoms and despotic kings is set in the year 1000 and stars Italy's Ugo Tognazzi in top form as Bertoldo, a crafty peasant who has to outwit the king (not necessarily a difficult job) and others in order to stay afloat and alive. Joining him for awhile is Fra Cipolla (Alberto Sordi), a fake priest out to fleece his flock whenever the opportunity presents itself. Among the many comic episodes in the film is one in which Fra Cipolla and Bertoldo, and little Bertoldino (Bertoldo's son) hide some gold coins in a donkey's stomach and then sell the beast -- now with a certain amount of indigestion -- to a peasant family who are amazed at the end results. The king condemns Bertoldo to death by hanging for this trickery, but at the same time -- and much to his undoing -- he agrees to let Bertoldo choose the tree. That is not an easy task. Months later, Bertoldo arrives back at the king's castle carrying a little potted plant, the tree of his choice, requesting that they let it grow. The talents of Sordi, Tognazzi, and Lello Arena as the put-upon king, carry the full two hours of this royal spoof. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Dick Richards directed this French Foreign Legion adventure that's at once parodies and pays tribute to the venerable Hollywood epics that preceded it. Gene Hackman stars as Major William Sherman Foster, a soldier who has been kicked out of West Point but has managed to obtain command of a group of Legionnaires after the end of World War I. His troops have been ordered to accompany an archeological expedition traveling to Morocco headed by Francois Marneau (Max von Sydow). Foster's motley band includes an on-the-lam cat burglar named Marco Segrain (Terence Hill), an ex-guardsman from the deposed Russian monarchy named Ivan (Jack O'Halloran), an adventure-seeking aristocrat named Fred Hastings (Paul Sherman), and an alluring beauty named Simone Picard (Catherine Deneuve). As the band makes their way to Morocco, they cross paths with the fervid and bloodthirsty Arab leader El Krim (Ian Holm), who vows to unite his people to expel foreigners from their land. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

The Italian Man with a Flower in His Mouth bears no relation to the Luigi Pirandello one-act play of the same title. Also known as Flower in His Mouth, and The Masters this thriller stars Jennifer O'Neill as an American schoolteacher, newly arrived in Sicily. No sooner has she assumed her duties in a remote rural town than a series of ritual murders begins. Is Jennifer the catalyst, the cause...or merely the excuse? The film's original Italian title was Gente di Rispetto. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Italo Bombolini (Anthony Quinn) is the mayor of the hillside village of Santa Vittorio. The wine-loving town leader erases a pro-Mussolini slogan when he hears of the fascist being killed and hanged from a meathook. His wife Rosa (Anna Magnani) throws him out of their wine shop when he and his friends celebrate and he gives away too much wine. When he hears the retreating Nazi Army will soon be in town, hundreds of villagers turn out to hide the wine in an old Roman cave. The people work day and night, hiding 1 million bottles just before the Nazis enter the town. SS officers threaten death to anyone who withholds the wine. Italo presents a single bottle to the irate general (Hardy Kruger), as the hapless Germans are powerless to force the villagers to produce the coveted bottles. Not even a pistol to the head of their beloved mayor is effective as the town stands by, watching in complete silence. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide