Nana Cecchi Movies
- 2001
This performance of Vincenzo Bellini's opera Norma features the vocal talents of Shin Young Hoon and Ildar Abdrazakov. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi
- Starring:
- Shin Young Hoon, June Anderson, (more)
- 2001
A handful of young knights are given the grave responsibility of rescuing one of the most sacred relics in Christianity in this lavish historical epic. In the year 1272, the bloody swath of the Crusades has swept much of Europe, and King Louis IX of France dies after a battle in Tunisia. After the king's demise, the Holy Shroud (the cloth with which Jesus' body was believed to have been wrapped following his crucifixion) goes missing, and four young knights who served under him -- Simon of Clarendon (Edward Furlong), Rainiei di Panico (Marco Leonardi), Vanni delle Rondini (Thomas Kretschmann), and Jean de Cent Acres (Stanislas Merhar) -- take it upon themselves to find the shroud . Travelling with the knights is Giacomo (Raoul Bova), an assistant to Rondini who learned from a wicked blacksmith a valuable secret -- a method for making magical swords that cannot be broken. As the knights scour the land in search of the shroud, they encounter Delfinello (F. Murray Abraham), another searcher attempting to find the shroud, who persuades the knights to join him as he sets sail to the Holy Land in his quest. I Cavalieri Che Fecero L'impresa was shot in Italy with an international cast and crew; while the original version was filmed in Italian, an English-language version of the film was also shot with an eye towards an American release. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Edward Furlong, Raoul Bova, (more)
- 1999
A woman must choose between secure affection and fiery passion in this romantic costume drama. In 1899, Emilie van Thuile (Johanna Ter Steege), a delicate woman prone to fainting, is still getting over the death of her husband, an archeologist, when his assistant Hugo (Anthony Calf) asks for her hand in marriage. Emilie doesn't find Hugo terribly exciting, but she misses the security of a husband and agrees to wed him anyway. She accompanies Hugo to Italy, where he's completing the project that Mr. Van Thuile was working on at the time of his death, the uncovering and reconstruction of an ancient temple. While staying in a nearby spa and hotel, Emilie meets Capt. Aldo (Massimo Ghini), a doctor who has recently returned from military service in Africa. Emilie is captivated by the ruggedly handsome physician, who seems quite interested in her as well. Emilie impulsively runs off with Aldo, despite the warnings of innkeeper DeSantis (Alessandro Haber), who tells Emilie that Aldo is a notorious ladies' man who will abandon her once he's had his way with her. A Woman of the North received its most positive notices for Gianni Giovagnoni's production design and Goert Giltay's cinematography. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Johanna ter Steege, Massimo Ghini, (more)
The tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is always ripe for retelling. In this rendition, the sexy Richard Gere is Sir Lancelot, threatening to supersede the aging King Arthur (Sean Connery) by winning the love of his young wife Guinivere (Julia Ormond). This update of the age-old legend succeeds on the strength of Gere's happy-go-lucky sex appeal, Ormond's gorgeous period costuming, and Connery's unbeatable wry nobility. The script focuses on the triangle of the three principals: the older man's reluctance to relinquish his love and power to the younger man destined to supplant him; the young woman torn between her loyalty to her aged husband and her love for his rival; the young man balancing the demands of loyalty to his sovereign with the rewards of true love. This beautiful production forgoes the legend's usual elements of magic and fantasy, leaving Merlin the Magician completely out of the picture. ~ Laura Abraham, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sean Connery, Richard Gere, (more)
- 1987
- PG
A novice knight and his unlikely allies lead a crusade against evil in this adventure set in 12th century France. Robert Nerra (Eric Stoltz) is a young knight who, after the death of his older brother, abandons the struggle to defend his father's property in a skirmish over land rights and instead sets out to offer his services to King Richard the Lionhearted. As Nerra makes his way through a France racked with poverty and sickness, he encounters a group of orphans who are trying to flee from the Black Prince (Gabriel Byrne), a dark-clad rogue knight who steals children and sells them to Arab slave merchants. At first thinking him to be King Richard himself, the children follow Nerra, and he tries to protect and organize them as best he can. As they march through France, the orphans' numbers grow, and soon Nerra finds himself leading a crusade of children as he at once leads them to safety and fights off the Black Prince's forces. Lionheart was one of the final films from veteran director Franklin J. Schaffner; the film received an unfortunately short-lived theatrical release and went largely unseen until it was released on home video in 1990, a year after Schaffner's death. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eric Stoltz, Gabriel Byrne, (more)
- 1987
In this tragic romance set in Ferrara, Italy in 1938, and at a nearby seaside resort, a wealthy Jewish boy is thwarted in marrying the girl he loves when Mussolini's race laws (enacted to cement the regime's growing alliance with Germany) take effect. Rather than suffer as a Jewess, his intended converts to Catholicism and marries a young fascist. Meanwhile, the town doctor, who is a homosexual, becomes increasingly outcast when he openly falls in love with a boxer. The boxer at first is the man's lover, but when he decides to beat and rob the doctor, no one comes to his aid, and later he commits suicide. This movie is part of a trilogy about prewar Ferrara by director Giuliano Montaldo. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Philippe Noiret, Rupert Everett, (more)
- 1987
Fifteen strangers who have volunteered for an experiment in isolation are forced to deal with an even larger problem in this film from Italian director Giuliano Montaldo. A research group in Germany wants to study the effects of isolation in a nuclear shelter on human subjects and assembles a diverse group of people for the test. The strangers agree to stay in the shelter for 20 days, but are allowed to exit at any time. During their time in the shelter, the group experiences a wide range of social dynamics, but near the end of their stay in the shelter, it is learned that a real nuclear incident is underway and the test group will be forced to stay in their shelter indefinitely. Featured in the cast are Burt Lancaster, Ben Gazzara, and Kate Nelligan. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi
- Starring:
- Burt Lancaster, Kate Nelligan, (more)
In medieval France, knight Rutger Hauer and lady fair Michelle Pfeiffer both run afoul of evil-bishop John Wood. Through the auspices of bishop's confessor Leo McKern, Hauer and Pfeiffer are placed under a curse. During the night, Hauer takes the form of a wolf, while Pfeiffer assumes the form of a hawk by day. The two lovers can only meet one another as humans at dawn and dusk. The only mortal in a position to rescue Hauer and Pfeiffer from their fate is nebbishy pickpocket Matthew Broderick, who acts as liaison between the lovers. With the help of the guilt-ridden McKern--and a convenient solar eclipse--Broderick endeavors to set things aright. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer, (more)
- 1985
- PG
Ettore Scola directed this light comedy starring Jack Lemmon and Marcello Mastroianni that Scola calls "a story about two men who have reached the age where you look back and take stock." Lemmon plays business executive Robert Traven, who returns Naples for the first time since 1946, when he had an affair with an Italian girl named Maria. The girl's brother, Antonio Jasiello (Marcello Mastroianni) recognizes Robert and they sit around, catch up with old times. But when Antonio takes Robert to visit Maria (Giovanna Sanfilippo), Robert discovers Antonio has been writing letters to her in Robert's name for years, building up Robert to legendary status. Since the letters were not kept secret, everyone who knows Maria and Antonio greets Robert as if he were a living legend. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jack Lemmon, Marcello Mastroianni, (more)
- 1983
- NR
Set in an early medieval period, this swashbuckling costume drama pits Christian knights against infidels in an imaginary holy war, and what is more astounding and a tribute to the Italian love of amore, is that the commanders from each side fall in love with "enemy" women and decide to call it a day, pack in their arms, and go off to do better things. Ruggero (Ronn Moss) leads the infidels in some of the best-looking armor this side of Armani, and Rolando (Rick Edwards) is at the forefront of the Christian knights. One of the knights is a misnomer -- he is actually a she, Bradamante (Barbara De Rossi), and when she sees the well-clad Ruggero, she agrees to hand over his sister Isabella (Tanya Roberts) just to get in his good graces. These four protagonists go through a series of adventures and misadventures in a gorgeous setting of Byzantine castles, mountain canyons, and dark forests, all complemented by aesthetic, inventive sets and creative costuming. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rick Edwards, Ronn Moss, (more)
- 1983
Franco Zefferelli directs the Metropolitan Opera production of Puccini's Turandot in this live on-stage recording fromPolygram. Starring legendary performers Placido Domingo, James Levine, and Eva Marton, this opera is presented in the original Italian with English subtitles. Turandot tells the story of a princess in Peking who has pledged to marry the man who can correctly answer three riddles. Those who can not answer correctly meet with bloody consequences. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
This performance of Verdi's opera, Attila features the vocal talents of Evgeny Nesterenko and Silvano Carroli. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi
Rating Systems
Blockbuster
BLOCKBUSTER name, design and related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster L.L.C.
2013 Blockbuster L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Portions of Content Provided by Rovi Corporation. 2013 Rovi Corporation.