Franco Brusati Movies

This wickedly funny Italian comedy centers upon a lascivious, fun-loving old uncle who hands out blood-test certificates to potential lovers to prove that he is "clean" and wreaks all sorts of havoc when he must temporarily stay with his wealthy but emotionally constipated nephew. At first the nephew is appalled by his uncle's lust for wild-living, but in time he becomes utterly fascinated by the old man. Soon the previously staid young man finds himself drawn into his uncle's crazy life-style and begins learning the value of living life to the fullest. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This effective drama about crisis and change in an unorthodox family is directed by Franco Brusati, best known for his earlier Bread and Chocolate. Marta (Hella Petri) lives in a large country estate after retiring from her career as an opera singer. She is not alone. Two women live with her, Claudia (Eleonora Giorgi) and Anna (Mariangela Melato), of uncertain familial ties, though perhaps nieces. Claudia and Anna are established in a lesbian affair and both depend on Marta like daughters would depend on a mother. Marta's brother Nicky (Erland Josephson) and his lover Picchio (David Pontremoli) arrive one day because Marta wants to take the two couples for a brief trip to Venice. Circumstances conspire to change those plans as one crisis after another, as well as a tragedy, make Claudia, Anna, and Nicky rethink their dependent behavior. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Vittorio De Sica directs the lyrical war drama Il Giardino dei Finzi-Contini (The Garden of the Finzi-Continis), based on a book by Giorgio Bassani. In Ferrara, Italy, at the beginning of WWII, anti-Semitism is spreading. Mussolini has passed several laws that forbid Jews from going to public schools, joining the army, or marrying non-Jews. While many middle-class Jewish families flee the country, the Finzi-Continis believe it's safe inside their sprawling estate. As a wealthy, aristocratic Jewish family, they think their luxurious garden walls will protect them from fascism. Micol Finzi Contini (Dominique Sanda) and her brother (Helmut Berger) invite their Jewish friends to join them in the estate for parties, tennis, and games while the war ravages on. Middle-class Jew Giorgio (Lino Capolicchio) attends the parties with his friend Malnate (Fabio Testi). Giorgio and Micol are childhood sweethearts, but she begins to reject him in favor of Malnate. She also refuses to accept that there's a war going on. Eventually they can pretend no longer, and the war closes in on them. The Garden of the Finzi-Continis won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1971. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Childhood sweethearts Jolanda (Virna Lisi) and Franco (George Segal) meet once again after a separation of nearly 15 years. The two immediately rekindle the romance on an adult level. Franco is a dedicated physician working hard to have a successful career and longtime security, while Jolanda is a free-spirited woman who embraces radical causes and lives from day to day. Comedy ensues when this odd couple experiences life from each other's point of view. Jolanda releases animals from a research hospital in protest over their capture. Franco is always chasing the fast-moving Jolanda around in order to extricate her from the consequences of her many activities in this convulsively funny romantic comedy. The exasperated Franco is torn between the love for Jolanda and the stoic professionalism of his medical career. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Director Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet was touted at the time of its release (successfully, if the box-office receipts are any indication), as something of a "youth trip" movie. This is because Zeffirelli broke the long-standing tradition of casting over-aged, sometimes grey-haired players in the title roles. Seventeen-year-old Leonard Whiting plays Romeo, with 15-year-old Olivia Hussey as Juliet. The youthfulness and inexperience of the leading players works beautifully in the more passionate sequences (some of these breaking further ground by being played in the nude). Among the younger players are Michael York as Tybalt and John McEnery as Mercutio. The duel between Romeo and Tybalt starts out as a harmless, frat-boy exchange of insults, then escalates into tragedy before any of the participants are fully aware of what has happened. Photographed by Pasqualino DeSantis on various locations in Italy, Romeo and Juliet was one of the most profitable film adaptations of Shakespeare ever produced. Its most lasting legacy is its popular main theme music, composed by Nino Rota. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A group of starving Roman artists provides the focus of this episodic drama that tells the often tragic story of each of them. One commits suicide after learning that his only patron is his homosexual lover. Another, a female singer, is a nymphomaniac. A third member gives up art in favor of marrying a German woman who is two decades older than he. As the original group begins to diminish, it is replenished by new, more idealistic young artists. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Despite their questionable behavior during WWII, the Italians were generally cast in a sympathetic light in war films of the 1950s. In Siluri Umani (Human Torpedoes), Raf Vallone stars as a member of an elite Italian navy unit. Their mission: to attack a British convoy in motorboats armed with explosive warheads. The only way by which these courageous guerillas can avoid being blown up themselves is to jump from their boats at the last minute. It goes without saying the some don't make it. Siluri Umani is based on an actually military maneuver which occurred in March of 1941. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Le Infedeli is graced by two internationally popular leading ladies: Italy's Gina Lollobrigida and Sweden's Mai Britt. The two actresses are but small portions of a larger plot mosaic, all about keeping up appearances no matter what the provocation. A group of "respectable" people are all partly responsible for the suicide of a servant girl. They are pounced upon by a wily blackmailer (Pierre Cressoy), who knows that these people will pay dearly rather than inform on themselves or others. The villain's comeuppance may seem a bit extreme, but it's undeniably satisfying. This Carlo Ponti-Dino DeLaurentiis production also features Irene Papas and Marina Vlady. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Silvana Mangano portrays a fickle club chanteuse who must choose between the love of two men (Raf Vallone and Vittorio Gassman). She chooses neither, entering a convent for the sake of convenience. This overwrought drama was produced by Dino de Laurentiis, and reworked by five screenwriters including such respected names as Dino Risi and Franco Brusati, but comes up as a soggy soap-opera rather than an imposing star-vehicle. Nino Rota's fine score and the always watchable Mangano are its only saving graces. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, a braggart and his new bride head for a honeymoon in Italy. There they go to the small village the groom claims to have freed all by himself. Unfortunately, the villagers are most unhappy to see him. Before he can safely continue his honeymoon, he must clear his name with them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This docu-drama offers glimpses from the lives of people enjoying a carefree Sunday afternoon upon a sunny Roman beach and features the film debut of Marcello Mastroianni. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide