Suso Cecchi D'Amico Movies

A Roman warrior on a quest to uncover the truth about Jesus of Nazareth becomes enamored with an Israeli beauty after rescuing the woman from a violent mugger in this Biblical-themed period drama starring Dolph Lundgren, F. Murray Abraham, Max Von Sydow, and Mónica Cruz. A solar eclipse has cast darkness over the Roman Empire, and as the frightened population cowers in fear the earth beneath their feet begins to violently tremble. Having recently heard rumors about a mysterious Jewish savior who apparently transcended death, Emperor Tiberius sends fierce warrior Tauro to Jerusalem to solve a mystery that threatens to dissolve their empire. Upon arriving in Jerusalem, Tauro rescues a young beauty named Tabitha and her frail grandmother from a menacing street criminal. But Tabitha is forbidden to look at Romans - much less speak to them - and now after entering into a forbidden romance with Tauro the end of an era fast approaches. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The son of Italian-American parents who had a strong pride in their national heritage, filmmaker Martin Scorsese grew up watching Italian films with his family, and while he contends that the American cinema was always the most important to him, he also has many powerful memories of the classic period of the Italian cinema (the early '40s to the late '60s). A companion piece to his earlier documentary series A Personal Journey With Martin Scorsese Through American Movies, Il Mio Viaggio In Italia offers Scorsese's perspective on Italian film of the past, chronicling the influence and impact it had on him, as well as the rest of the world. From historical epics like Cabiria (1914) and Fabiola (1949) through neo-realist masterpieces such as Roma, Città Aperta (1945) and Ladri di Biciclette (1948) to the masterworks of Luchino Visconti, Federico Fellini, and Michelangelo Antonioni, Scorsese offers a knowledgeable take on Italian filmmaking, offering background on the artists who made the films as well as a perspective on what made these films so special (analyzing their importance both as art and as social and political documents of their place and time). Il Mio Viaggio In Italia was originally produced as a series for Italian television and given a special screening at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival; Scorsese announced at the time that he planned a companion film that would follow his interest in Italian cinema up to the present, investigating a number of lesser-known filmmakers. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Panni Sporchi is a satiric comedy from veteran director Mario Monicelli about the public and private squabbles of a family-owned cough drop company. The Razzi family's business has been the economic backbone of a small Northern Italian city for years, but when Amedo (Paolo Bonacelli), the aging head of the company, is fast-talked into financing an expensive commercial set in ancient Rome by his nephew Camillo (Francesco Guzzo), war breaks out among the family. Furio (Michele Placido), husband of Amedo's daughter (Mariangela Melato) and second in command of the company, is outraged at the cost of the spot and the bad publicity it receives; he's even more upset when Amedo drops dead and the inept Camillo is handed control of the business. Panni Sporchi stars several noted Italian comic actors, many of whom have worked with Monicelli before; the cast also includes Gigi Proietti and Ornella Muti. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A young woman discovers the joys of independence and single living in this frothy Italian comedy. While their neighbors look on with interest, Margherita is first seen breaking up with Riccardo. While she then moves to a friends empty apartment on the bad side of Rome, Riccardo happily gets involved with the ditzy Titti. Margherita's new neighborhood is a cesspool of crime. One night she drives home from the shopping mall where she works and is nearly attacked by two bikers. Fortunately, they see the department store dummy she has stashed in the backseat, mistake it for a man, and race away. She tells no one her secret and soon all her friends begin believing that Margherita has a new man, whom she calls Bruno. This leads real manly prospects to slowly come her way, including Riccardo. But does she really want another man in her life, or is Bruno enough? ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This Italian comedy, set in WW II, follows the road trip of a troupe of traveling boxers upon the roads of Tuscany. The story begins in August 1944 after Italy has been freed by the Allies. Dieci is a boxer living in Florence. He got his name (which means "Ten") because of his proclivity for being easily knocked out. Conditions in Florence are hard; Dieci decides to put together a travelling troupe to help make some money, and find food. Unfortunately no one in his troupe is a boxer. Followed by a lost dog, the group sets off in a broken down, brakeless bus. They are joined by an African-American army deserter and a Shaved Head woman who lost her hair after being caught consorting with a German. They are finally joined by Wilma who seeks revenge upon the partisan who did her wrong. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this wry comedy, if it were not for the fact that screenwriter Giuseppe Marchi (Giancarlo Giannini) is clearly overwhelmed by attacks of guilt at his sometimes caddish behavior, it would be easy to dislike him as he is shown disclosing his inner life to his psychiatrist (Vittorio Caprioli). Instead, he is seen to have suffered a series of acute psychosomatic illnesses which were misdiagnosed so that he suffered a slew of unnecessary abdominal operations. Eventually some shred of self-understanding, coupled with a deep sense of resignation at life's unfairness, prompts him to leave all his travails behind for a simple, if lonely, life in Calabria. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Oci Ciornie was an international co-production tailored for Marcello Mastroianni. It received good reviews in Italy and France, and Mastroianni was awarded "Best Actor" at the Cannes Film Festival. However, some in Russia felt that director Mikhalkov (who previously received wide acclaim for another Chekhov adaptation, (An Unfinished Piece for the Player Piano) tried too hard to cater to foreign tastes rather than to convey Chekhov's mood. So this film conveys more of a foreign idea what Chekhov is about rather than a Russian one. In the story, Romano (Marcello Mastroianni) is living the life of a "kept" man in that he is the penniless husband of a rich aristocratic woman who supports him. Whenever life at home becomes too difficult for him, he goes off to some spa or other for a "rest cure." In addition to resting, the clownish fellow flirts shamelessly with the women he finds at these resorts. During one of his restorative excursions, he meets a shy Russian woman named Anna, whom he is much taken with. When she leaves to return to her life at home, he resolves to follow her and woo her there. With a great deal of buffoonery and ingenuity (such as pretending to be a manufacturer of a special kind of glass), he gets a visa to travel into Russia. There, he finds her unhappily married to a minor official, and before he leaves for Europe he promises to return and marry her. When he gets back home, he finds that his aristocratic wife is experiencing a genuine crisis (her family has lost its money), and he soon forgets about Anna and his promises to her. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Originally titled Speriamo che sia Femmina, Let's Hope It's a Girl is a multifaceted exploration of the pointlessness of sexual stereotypes. Liv Ullmann is a countess who, after her divorce, takes over the family farm. Realizing that she can't rely on the patriarchal society structure for assistance, Ullmann runs the farm herself with the help of her female servants and relatives. When the Count (Philipe Noiret) comes back into her life, he and his male buddies find themselves outclassed by the expertise of the ladies. The flawless cast of Let's Hope It's A Girl includes Catherine Deneuve and Bernard Blier, the latter superb as a doddering old nobleman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this Italian drama, based upon the epic novel by Morante, a half-Jewish mother endeavors to conceal her identity during the Mussolini years, 1941-1947. The story is set in Rome where the mother has worked as a school teacher. It begins when the mother, who has a teenage son, is raped and impregnated by a German soldier. She later bears an epileptic son. She and her sons suffer greatly during the war. The mother too, must suffer through an internal war as her fear of persecution conflicts with the guilt of concealing her religion. More trouble ensues when her oldest son gets involved with the partisans. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Based on a real-life mystery in the newspapers after World War I, this conventional, straightforward story is about a poorly-dressed man who is brought into the police station in Turin for stealing flower pots from the cemetery. He is rather brutally interrogated, and then because he has no idea who he is or where he belongs, he is put into an asylum for the mentally disturbed. After his photograph is published in the newspapers, a woman shows up at the institution claiming that he is Professor Canella, her missing and wealthy husband. The news obtains the release of the amnesiac, but his claim is quickly and hotly contested by another family, arguing that the man is an imposter. As a result, his case goes back to court and in the meantime, the "professor" is put in jail. As the courtroom drama continues, there are various clues that suggest whether or not the amnesiac has been accurately identified and by whom. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Based on an autobiographical novel by Marie Cardinal, this well-acted psychological drama details the tormented relationship between Marie (Nicole Garcia) and her mother, stemming from Marie's childhood on their estate in Algeria. The mother, Eliane (Marie-Christine Barrault) had lost a child before Marie was born, and was consumed with hatred for her husband who was carrying tuberculosis and may have been the cause of the child's death. That hatred was never resolved, and Marie grew up in a bitter and strained household. As both women grow older, Marie marries and raises a family while her mother sinks ever deeper into anger, frustration, poverty, and isolated despair. She vents her destructive emotions on her daughter and is completely resistent to her daughter's attempts to help her, to make her life better. At the beginning of the film, Marie has been hemorrhaging and collapses on the Metro - but instead of following the advice of her doctor (and uncle) and going through surgery, she goes into psychoanalysis, where her past slowly comes to light over a three-year period. The sessions with the psychologist and her on-going relationship with her mother unfold as the events in the film. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Based on a novel by Gabriele d'Annunzio, The Innocent (L'Innocente) is set amongst the aristocracy of 19th-century Italy. Wealthy Tullio (Giancarlo Giannini) thinks nothing of squiring his mistress (Jennifer O'Neill) in full view of his friends and the public. But when Giannini's cast-off wife (Laura Antonelli) begins an affair with a young novelist (based, it is said, on author d'Annunzio), it is too much for the philandering aristocrat. Outside of Erich von Stroheim, few directors were as masterful at combining lavishness with depravity as Luchino Visconti. The Innocent turned out to be Visconti's last film; he died in 1976, shortly before the picture's premiere. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide