Sergio Castellitto Movies

Falling a little short of either comedy or drama or whatever the intent may have been, this bland film directed by first-timer Luciano Tovoli is about an Italian general (Marcel Mastroianni) sent to Albania along with an army chaplain (Michel Piccoli) to bring back the remains of 3,000 compatriot soldiers. The Italian general runs into a German counterpart (Gerard Klein) with a similar mission, but even among the three of them, it is an impossible task to sort out 3,000 skeletons and 3,000 dog tags and come up with any kind of order -- not a situation that lends itself to hilarity, no matter what one's perspective might be. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Enhanced by glamorous locations and beautiful people, this story is about Gloria (Jo Champa), a fashion model who is searching for a missing babysitter. Gloria has clues about the whereabouts of Sara (Fabienne Babe) from videotapes she liked to make as a sort of a visual journal. Gloria is joined in her search by Vittorio (Sergio Castellito), who is romantically attracted to Sara but also interested in Gloria. As the search continues, it becomes clear that Gloria and Sara are more than just acquaintances. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

ln this comedy, Marina and Romano (Marina Confalone and Sergio Castellitto) are sister and brother, living together in their family's apartment in a Roman suburb. Marina types manuscripts to earn some money, but Romano does not have her industrious bent; he takes life easy and steals dogs on the side (as dog racing is a popular sport where they live). Their lives might have continued uneventfully except for a new neighbor Alfio (Mario Prosperi) who hides a kilo of cocaine under their refrigerator and becomes the object of Marina's romantic illusions. From that point onward, circumstances conspire to separate the siblings as each pursue their own agendas. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

A family history is recalled by the venerable patriarch Carlo (Vittorio Gassman) as he prepares to celebrate his 80th birthday. Young Carlo (Andrea Massimo) marries Beatrice (Stefania Sandrelli) in 1926 but later has an illicit affair with her bohemian artist sister Adriana (Fanny Ardant). Fascism, World War II, and the raising of children and grandchildren mark the passing of a lifetime. Old Carlo lives with his grandson where his recollections are interrupted by the gentle nagging of his beloved Beatrice. This feature received an Oscar nomination in 1987 for "Best Foreign Film." ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Two men answer the call of the ocean in this romantic fantasy adventure. Jacques (Jean-Marc Barr) and Enzo (Jean Reno) are a pair of friends who have been close since childhood, and who share a passion for the dangerous sport of free diving. Professional diver Jacques opted to follow in the footsteps of his father, who died at sea when Jacques was a boy; to the bewilderment of scientists, Jacques harbors a remarkable ability to adjust his heart rate and breathing pattern in the water, so that his vital signs more closely resemble that of dolphins than men (he even considers a school of dolphins as his extended family). As Enzo persuades a reluctant Jacques to compete against him in a free diving contest - determining who can dive deeper and longer without scuba gear - Jacques meets Johanna (Rosanna Arquette), a beautiful insurance investigator from America, and he finds that he must choose between his love for her and his love of the sea. Le Grand Bleu ran 132 minutes in its original French version, but it was trimmed to 118 for American release, with the original score by Eric Serra replaced by music from Bill Conti. While the film did middling business in the U.S., it was a huge success in Europe, and director Luc Besson released an expanded 168 minute version in 1998. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this earnest docudrama, ten episodes depicting the suffering arising out of drug-use are shown. In one story, a pharmacist working an overnight shift helps a boy through drug withdrawal. In another, a mother whose daughter is now free of drugs gives her a pair of valuable coral earrings as a celebratory gift. In another, an newborn is shown suffering from withdrawal: his mother was addicted throughout her pregnancy. Each scene illustrates some aspect of the travails of drug addiction, but never simplistically blames the victims alone for their plight. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Paolo is a divorced father of two who earns his living as a nightclub entertainer. One night, he meets Francesca, a strangely attractive woman, and after some rather peculiar talk about her having had sex with an Indian guru, they head off for his beach house for an assignation. Francesca uses some special secrets taught to her by her guru to turn him into a paralyzed sex-slave. All he can do is talk, while his body is out of his control and his penis remains continually erect. He seems to accept the situation, although it becomes pretty awkward when his children come over for a visit. After that, things take a darker turn. Viewers who saw this film at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival considered it self-indulgent, and too much like Ferrari's earlier La Dernière Femme (1976). ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Bear witness to the rise of the most corrupt and ruthless ruler ever to preside over the Roman Empire as filmmaker Paul Marcus tells the tale of Nero's unlikely ascent to the throne, and his historical fall at the hands of his own vengeful kingdom. After murdering his sister's husband on grounds of conspiracy, the increasingly incoherent Caligula exiles his grieving sibling and sets into motion a devious plan that will one-day find her son Lucius presiding over all of Rome. Beset on all sides by tyranny and bloodlust, Lucius rises to power as Nero while facing the constant wrath of all who oppose his legacy. His paranoia soon reaching a fever pitch, Nero struggles to maintain power as his army, his people, and his own mother, ultimately turn against him. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The innovative Italian neuropsychiatrist Marco Lombardo Radice started at treatment movement which draws its name from the unlikely object of worship found in the Peanuts cartoon series, The Great Pumpkin, and it seems likely that this movie and its story represent some kind of homage to his memory. Arturo's wife walked out on him, and now he devotes all his time to his job. He (Sergio Castillitto) is a professor of psychiatry at the university hospital in Rome, and specializes in children's problems. When Pippi (Alessia Fugardi) is brought in for a consultation, it is alleged that she is an epileptic, but the good doctor thinks otherwise. He convinces her reluctant parents to leave her in his care, and through a series of brilliant manipulations, he manages to cure her. The world of mental illness and how it is handled in Italy are not seen through rose-colored glasses, here, and reviewers found tht what could have been a mere tear-jerker manages to be a convincing, gripping drama. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This Italian film was released in 1995 and slowly made its way around the world; its English title is The Star Maker. Like the Oscar-winning Cinema Paradiso by the same writer-director, Guiseppe Tornatore, it's drenched in the filmmaker's love for cinema. In Sicily in the early 1950s, Joe Morelli (Sergio Castellitto) is a con man who travels by truck from village to village posing as a film company representative. For a fee, he offers the rubes screen tests, using passages from a script of Gone with the Wind and encouraging their hopes with lines such as "Success awaits you!" Morelli's camera brings out people's hidden sides, including a soldier's war trauma, a woman's protests at being accused of prostitution, and a policeman who recites poetry. Begging for a chance at the stardom Morelli purportedly offers, Beata (Tiziana Lodato) asks Morelli to take her with him. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

Two people with a similar fetish for the exotic Asian fabric have an odd relationship in this off-beat French romance set in 1914. In the beginning, Marie enters a Paris department store and carefully heads for the fabric part. With cat-like caution she moves beside a bolt of silk, suddenly pouncing upon it, slashing the fabric with a straight razor and the pressing its cool satiny smoothness to her body until she faints with pleasure. Upon regaining consciousness, Marie finds herself booked for shoplifting and sent to a psycho ward where she meets Doctor Gabriel who asks her surprisingly intimate questions about her fetish for stealing silk in public. He seems to relish every erotic detail. Knowing that she is unable to control her passionate urges, she decides that she needs to be imprisoned. While serving her time and finally leaning to read and write, Dr. Gabriel fights the Germans in North Africa. A wound prompts his discharge and this gives him the chance to pen his case study of Marie, "The Scream of the Silk." The newly literate Marie reads the article, sees herself and sends him a heartfelt letter of thanks. Gabriel responds, confessing that he too is a 'silko-phile' with a similar obsession. Via their letters, the two slowly fall in love while Gabriel's doting housekeeper watches over him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Off-beat is a description scarcely adequate to describe this highly-original Italian comedy-drama that takes place within a woman's womb and centers on the conversations between two developing fraternal twins, known only as Big Guy and Little Guy. The fetuses are played by long-haired grown men who wear beads and have are strategically covered by their umbilical cords. Each of the embryos has a distinct personality complete with built in fears of the strange world awaiting them outside. Big Guy is the aggressive brute who resents having to share his watery home with Little Guy, the intellectual one. Little Guy is small enough to climb up into his mother's fallopian tubes where a peephole allows him some view of the world. He can even watch TV. Armed with such information, he visits Big Guy and together they talk about it all. Sometimes when they sleep, both have fantastic dreams of meeting their beautiful mother. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide