Tonino Delli Colli Movies

Janis Paige stars as Fugitive Lady Barbara Clementi in this internationally produced melodrama. When Italian millionaire Ralph Clementi (Eduardo Cianelli) dies mysteriously, suspicion falls upon Clementi's admittedly mercenary American wife Barbara. Insurance investigator Jeff (Tony Centa) is hesitant to jump to the obvious conclusion, determining that Clementi's stepsister Esther (Binnie Barnes) and Barbara's lover Gene (Massimo Serato) also had motive and opportunity. The story concludes with a neat "Postman Always Rings Twice" twist. Released in the U.S. by Republic, Fugitive Lady was produced by future Columbia studio chief Mike Frankovich, the husband of co-star Binnie Barnes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The English-language title of Toto a Colori is Toto in Color -- and it delivers on this promise. For the first time in his film career, that matchless Italian comedian Toto goes through his paces in living Ferraniacolor. There's not much of a plot: Toto performs several of his favorite stage routines before an enthusiastic audience. The best of these include a "human puppet" routine and a sketch involving a female pickpocket. While the color is pleasing to the eye, little is done to exploit its aesthetic value; one would have liked to see a few gags involving garish color schemes, colorful emotional mood-swings, and such. Supporting the star throughout the film's 100 minutes are Isa Barizza, Fulvia Franco, Franca Valeri and Galeazzo Benti. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Il Sacco di Roma (The Sack of Rome) delivers what its title promises. The film is set in 1527, the year of the Spanish invasion of Rome. Before the story gets down to business -- e.g. the sacking and humiliation of the Eternal City -- the plot concentrates on the rivalry between two noble families. The son of one family falls in love with the daughter of the other, but the results are less tragic than in Romeo and Juliet. Somehow, the film finds time for a comic interlude involving amorous sculptor Benevenuto Cellini. Anna Maria Bugliari, Miss Italy of 1953, is arbitrarily inserted into the proceedings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Donatela (Elsa Martinelli) is a poor girl who works as personal secretary to wealthy Guido (Walter Chiari). When Donatela's boss is visited by lawyer Maurizio (Gabriele Ferzetti), he mistakenly believes that she, too, is rich--and automatically falls in love with her. Maurizio's attentions prompt Guido to see Donatela in an entirely new light, and soon he is also ardently pursuing her. These romantic complications are interrupted periodically by the musical contributions of bandleader Xavier Cugat and his vocalist-wife Abbe Lane. Despite its unpretentiousness, Donatela was given the usual big publicity buildup when it was released in the US. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Aimed at the youngsters, this typical Italian fantasy-adventure stars Steve Reeves as Karim, the thief of the title. Karim is not only the strongest, fastest, and smartest of thieves, he also has a magic ring and a cape that makes him invisible. Thus armed, he is well-prepared to face a series of Herculean tests in order to win the hand of the Sultan's beautiful daughter Anima (Georgia Moll). These "tests" purify his past wrongdoings and ultimately lead to a blue rose, the key to winning Anima in marriage. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Aladdin (Donald O'Connor) is a poor young man living in ancient Bagdad, who is given to flights of imagination, and taken with tales of the wealthy and powerful -- in many ways, he's still a boy, and so caught up in his daydreaming that he doesn't realize how his one-time childhood playmate Djalma (Noelle Adam), now a grown young woman, loves him (even if her merchant father thinks he's a worthless loafer). In a moment of indulgence, his mother buys Aladdin an old lamp so that he can have light at night "like a rich man." He accidentally discovers that the lamp contains a genie $Vittorio De Sica), who will grant him three wishes -- but he is so scatterbrained, that he can't figure out exactly how he called the genie in the first place. Aladdin and Djalma both end up headed for Basra and the wedding of the young Prince Malouk (Mario Girotti) to the princess (Michele Mercier), and both are caught up in the plans of the evil Grand Vizier (Fausto Tozzi) to kill the prince and marry the princess himself. Those plans, helped by a malevolent old magician (Raymond Bussieres), include the use of two full-size magical dolls, one a dancing wonder and the other with a deadly embrace. And only Aladdin and his genie, and the brave young prince, can stand in his way. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

This is a typical costume drama and adventure story with plenty of fencing, and swash and buckle but not much ingenuity. Based on a story by Anthony Marshall, a swordsman by the name of Thomas Stanwood (Stewart Granger) finds himself fending off a multitude of attackers before he is captured and realizes he was defending himself against the very duke, Don Carlos (Riccardo Garrone), that he is supposed to be helping. The Duke overlooks the mistake and puts Thomas to guard his intended spouse, Orietta Arconti (Sylvia Koscina). She is a cold, arrogant woman who immediately antagonizes Thomas -- until he begins to realize a few things. Orietta's father was killed by the Duke when he took over their city, so how could she really be on the side of Don Carlos? As certain as night follows day, Thomas and Orietta are going to make an unbeatable pair when it comes to righting the wrongs of the past. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Four different takes on the meaning of love comprise this Italian anthology. "Love and Language," the first tale, centers on the difficulties of a Sicilian immigrant who is unable to master proper Italian. the second tale "Love and Life" centers on a jealous and unhappy wife who becomes so desperate to be free of her constantly philandering husband she takes on a lover of her own. When that doesn't work, she hires a gorgeous maid in hopes of finally getting proof that he is cheating. Unfortunately, things don't turn out quite the way she'd planned. In the third episode, "Love and Art" a nearly exhausted screenwriter hires a secretary to help manage his typing. She's a pretty lass and this makes his insecure wife crazy until he fires the female and hires a male secretary. Unfortunately, he too wants to write for the movies and soon begins making significant improvement to his boss's work making him a big success. The first screenwriter is so happy about this that he doesn't mind when his secretary begins having an affair with his wife. "Love and Death," the final episode centers on the love affair between a middle-aged widower and the grieving young widow he meets at the cemetery. Unfortuantely for his bank statement, the young, impoverished beauty isn't as bereaved as she seems. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide