Frank Wolff Movies

This award-winning biographical documentary delves into the spiritual and political career of Martin Niemoller, a Lutheran pastor who became a "personal captive" of Hitler in Sachsenhausen and Dachau, who narrowly escaped SS assassins at the end of World War II, and who was imprisoned briefly in the U.S. after World War II for political reasons. Niemoller was friends with Gandhi and Albert Schweitzer and traveled to Hanoi, Moscow, and Washington promoting the cause of peace. Obviously outspoken and true to his convictions, his attitude in the face of any issue or question was "What would Jesus have said?" Niemoller is interviewed extensively here but died before this award-winning documentary was released in 1985.
~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

This 140-minute documentary takes a close look at the story and historical context of a young Swiss man who was beheaded during WW II for supposedly wanting to kill Hitler. The man's family cannot help clarify the issue since they say he had been pro-Nazi earlier. Other injustices or puzzling omissions come to the fore, such as a German who was against Hitler, survived torture by the SS, and then was not given any state aid when peace was restored. Another sequence shows an extensive U.S. archive of materials that identifies many Nazis and their activities -- but is not available to anyone trying to track down former war criminals. Like other films of this type, the documentary helps to fill in facts about WW II that are little-known, or slow in coming out. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Like his more famous La Morte Accarezza a Mezzanotte (1972), this delirious Italian-Spanish co-production from filmmaker Luciano Ercoli is a star vehicle for his wife, Nieves Navarro, who appeared in several giallo thrillers (among other genre roles) under the name Susan Scott. Navarro plays Nicole, a famous French stripper whose father is stabbed to death on a late-night train. The police question her about some missing diamonds, she begins receiving threatening phone calls, and the poor woman is even assaulted in her own bedroom by a masked maniac with frighteningly blue eyes. Nicole's personal life is hardly less complicated, as she runs off to the seashore with a British eye surgeon (Frank Wolff), causing her insanely jealous boyfriend (Simon Andreu) -- who happens to own a pair of blue contact lenses -- to follow in a murderous rage. The loopy Ernesto Gastaldi screenplay is loaded with some outrageously contrived set pieces, and bears more than a passing resemblance to another one of his scripts, Lo Strano Vizio Della Signora Wardh (1970), in its concluding intrigue. The similarity is notable precisely because that film starred Edwige Fenech, whom Navarro was doing her best to unseat as the queen of giallo heroines at the time, as the lady in distress. She does a fairly good job here, burdened as she is with a demented screenplay and her husband's often overreaching direction. The overall effect isn't likely to win much crossover viewership, particularly in light of an avalanche of the genre's more noteworthy examples on DVD in the early 2000s. Giallo devotees, however, are likely to enjoy the film for its very artifice, as well as a nice score by Stelvio Cipriani and a cast including genre regulars Jorge Rigaud, Jose Manuel Martin, and Luciano Rossi. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Set on a gorgeous island in the Mediterranean, this sexually exploitive film stars Raquel Welch as an everyday housewife whose pangs for an old childhood sweetheart develop into a lustful affair. ~ Rovi

Though not a giallo film in the strictest sense, this crime/revenge film merits attention by fans for its genre cast and an unusual approach to familiar themes. Raf Vallone plays anguished father Avanzio Berzaghi, whose 25-year old daughter Donatella has been kidnapped. Donatella has the mind of a toddler, and her beauty and agreeable naivete make her a perfect choice for Milan's seedy prostitution racket. Frank Wolff is a dedicated Inspector with bad sinuses who shakes down a sleazy pimp and a desperate black prostitute (Beryl Cunningham of The Snake God), as well as visiting scores of local brothels for clues. Tragically, he is too late, and Donatella's corpse is found in a field, still smoking from having been burned alive. Wolff redoubles his efforts, but it is Vallone, using nothing more than his daughter's teddy-bear and a father's lust for justice, who finally tracks down the killers. His laundromat vengeance is brutal, but unsatisfying, leaving him a broken man. Director Duccio Tessari, best known for westerns and a memorable giallo called The Blood-Stained Butterfly, imbues this story with a great deal more humanity than is typical for the genre. The plot, adapted from G. Scerbanenco's novel The Milanese Kill on Saturday, has its problems, but Tessari's focus on character minimizes the inconsistencies, presenting a gritty, powerful portrait of a dehumanizing urban Hell. This neglected gem suffers only from Gianni Ferrio's inexplicably bouncy music, but is otherwise a winner all the way. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

This situation sex comedy falls somewhere in between vulgarity and burlesque. Ulli (Giuliano Gemma) and his six cave-dwelling cronies try to learn all the conveniences of their era -- like building fires, using the wheel, and perfecting the use of tools and weapons. A fire engulfs their tiny island and the men are forced to take a raft to the unknown mainland. There Ulli meets Filli (Senta Berger), and he spends his time trying to make her his monogamous girlfriend by discouraging others who desire her for their own. Ennio Morricone provides the music to this feature, which was a surprising box-office hit in Italy. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

A wealthy shipbuilding family falls apart in the wake of labor unrest and economic crisis. Lorenzo (Mathieu Carriere) is the son who returns home from college and falls in love with his mother, hates his father even more, and makes love to an older family friend Roberta (Joan Collins). After being rejected when he tries to join the student protest movement, he is seduced by the homosexual Crusich (Massimo Serato). As the dockworkers picket, one man (Frank Wolff) commits suicide by diving into an empty holding tank. The family sinks into further disarray as the labor strike continues and the family fortune is depleted. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Outlaw and prisoner Graziano Cassitti (Terence Hill) escapes and takes to the hill country in Sardinia. He continually eludes police and continues his raids on the nearby town, becoming a folk hero fighting against authorities. He takes comfort in the arms of Anania (Helen Ronee) as the two lovers meet under cover of darkness. Spina (Frank Wolf) is the local man who attempts to negotiate between the outlaw and the police while the arrogant criminal grants interviews to a sympathetic press. The story is taken from the real-life adventures of Graziano Mesina, who was jailed and awaiting trial for kidnapping, robbery and murder at the time of this film's release. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

In this grim spaghetti western a murderous robber hijacks a payroll train, murders everyone aboard and then stashes his loot. A gunslinger learns about it and decides he wants the money for himself and so hatches an elaborate plot to get at it. He lures the crook into a rigged poker game, and afterward a gunfight ensues. The quick-drawing gunman makes short work of the robber, then teams up with an insurance agent to look for the hidden fortune. Unbeknownst to them, the robber had an ace up his sleeve and didn't really die during the showdown. As soon as he can, he and his gang ride out for two-fisted, blood-soaked revenge. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Italian filmmaker Sergio Corbucci directed this serious-minded populist spin on the spaghetti western, starring Jean-Louis Trintignant as Silence, whose vocal cords have been slashed by sadistic bounty-hunters. Silence joins with local hillfolk in fighting the corrupt and tyrannical authorities in the town of Snow Mill. Corbucci's sympathies are clearly with his bandit heroes, who are only doing what they must to survive, while the law is represented by a corrupt sheriff, who lets his wealthy patrons run wild, and sadistic scum like Klaus Kinski, who kills the poor because he enjoys it. Politically charged in a way that only a film of its time could be, Il Grande Silenzio's themes of class struggle and violent revolution were a bit too hot for an American release in 1968. Vonetta McGee co-starred with genre regulars Frank Wolff, Luigi Pistilli, and Raf Baldassare. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Struggles over Sardinian grazing land have long been a tradition in the interior of the island where shepherding is a main economic force. This violent tale of kidnapping, extortion and murder finds a family victimized by the abduction of their college-student son. The student's girlfriend runs into a stone wall of silence from the residents before she finally goes to the police. When property rights are signed over to the mastermind of the abduction, he orders himself to be kidnapped to collect on the insurance and property monies. A friend of the family uncovers the real estate scheme linked to the crime, as the family tries to get enough money to see their son returned safely. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Yet another entry in a long series of 1960s Italian sex comedies, this one has some clever moments in its study of four beautiful women (Ursula Andress, Marisa Mell, Virna Lisi, and Claudine Auger) who cheat on their husbands to relieve their marital discontent. Jean-Pierre Cassel also stars in this typical anthology written by Ruggero Maccari and Ettore Scola. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

In this extra-violent spaghetti western, a nameless, enigmatic stranger wanders into a dusty town and causes all kinds of trouble. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi