Dino de Laurentiis Movies
Having studied to be a cinematographer, Italian filmmaker Dino De Laurentiis was unable to secure a job in this line and had to settle for a series of menial jobs. When he finally made his full-fledged entry into the movie business at age 20, it was as a producer. World War II prevented De Laurentiis from attaining "boy wonder" status, but after the war he earned international recognition as producer of the neorealist classic Bitter Rice (1946). In partnership with director Federico Fellini in the early 1950s, De Laurentiis produced such films as La Strada (1954) and Nights of Cabiria (1956). When Fellini broke up the partnership, De Laurentiis decided to turn his back on Art and concentrate on Commerce. He produced several popular "spectaculars" of the era, with gladiators, slave girls and outsized battle sequences in abundance. He also set up his own motion picture production center, Dinocitta, as a rival to the long-established Cinecitta studio complex in Rome. A late-'60s slump in the Italian film industry compelled De Laurentiis to move to Hollywood, where he set about to produce self-styled "blockbusters"--often remakes of earlier films or rip-offs of popular genres. Hollywood reporters of the era enjoyed making fun of De Laurentiis' variable epics (and of his "cute" Italian accent), though with such hits as Barberella (1968), Death Wish (1973) and Three Days of the Condor (1975), the producer always had the last laugh. But the law of diminishing returns inevitably exercised itself upon De Laurentiis, and after a string of expensive disasters in the mid-'80s (notably 1984's Dune), his DeLaurentiis Entertainment Group filed for bankruptcy. The producer lost his Wilmington, North Carolina studios, which have since been purchased by the Carolco Company. Though written off by some industry pundits as a has-been, Dino DeLaurentiis always seems to land on his feet; as late as 1993 he was able to sign Madonna for a Basic Instinct clone titled Body of Evidence (1993). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1959
Vittorio Gassman and Alberto Sordi don ill-fitting military uniforms in this anecdotal Italian service comedy. They play a couple of World War I soldiers, adept at sidestepping duty and responsibility, but courageous to the core when in a pinch. The film strives for the boisterous feel of What Price Glory, but at 118 minutes the material wears rather thin. Still, the reputation of director Mario Monicelli helped this uneven production win a Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival. Originally released in Italy in 1959 as La Grande Guerra, The Great War was distributed in the U.S. two years later. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vittorio Gassman, Alberto Sordi, (more)
- 1958
Based on the Alexander Pushkin story The Captain's Daughter, Tempest is set in Russia during the reign of Catherine the Great. A Russian ensign named Peter Griniev (Geoffrey Horne), banished by Catherine (Viveca Lindfors) to a distant outpost, saves the life of Pugachov (Van Heflin), leader of a peasant uprising. Allowed to escape, Griniev tries to warn of the Pugachov's plans, but the Russian generals refuse to listen. When Griniev attempts to remove Pugachov's daughter (Silvano Mangano) from harm's way, he is accused of desertion. This time it is Pugachov's turn to rescue Griniev by convincing Catherine that the boy is innocent of treason. Tempest compensates for its overall dullness with a few brilliantly staged battle sequences. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Van Heflin, Viveca Lindfors, (more)
- 1957
An overbearing woman is determined to force her two kids to turn her struggling rice plantation into a success. Unfortunately, it is located on the Indochinese coast and is being threatened by rough seas; all that stands between the paddies and the ocean is a small seawall. More trouble comes in the form of a government agent who tries to get them to abandon the land. After falling in love with the beautiful daughter, the agent abandons his mission. But then her brother tires of his mother's constant harping and flees to Bangkok and this leads to more problems. Featuring an international cast, much of the film was shot on location in Thailand. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Perkins, Silvana Mangano, (more)
Nights of Cabiria opens with Cabiria (Giulietta Masina) and her boyfriend playfully embracing by the seaside -- and then he shoves her into the water and steals her purse. Cabiria is revived by some local boys and runs off by herself, shouting. What follows is a series of similarly humiliating episodes, in which the defiantly positive prostitute Cabiria is hurt, but never broken. She gets picked up by movie star Alberto Lazzati (Amedeo Nazzari, doing a self-parody) and taken to his palatial estate. However, his mistress shows up and Cabiria gets locked in the bathroom all night with the dog. She then joins her fellow prostitutes for a blessing from the Virgin Mary, and ends up getting drunk and wandering into a local show, where the hypnotist invites her to join him on-stage. The audience heckles her, and she toughly reminds them of her independence and that she owns her own house. There she meets Oscar (François Perier), an accountant who romantically pursues her. Despite the warnings of her fellow prostitute friend, Wanda (Franca Marzi), she prepares to sell all her belongings and accept Oscar's proposal of marriage. After being ruthlessly taken advantage of once again, Cabiria walks off alone with a smirk of hope. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Giulietta Masina, Amedeo Nazzari, (more)
War and Peace is a commendable attempt to boil down Tolstoy's long, difficult novel into 208 minutes' screen time. In recreating the the social and personal upheavals attending Napoleon's 1812 invasion of Russia, $6 million was shelled out by coproducers Carlo Ponti, Dino de Laurentiis and Paramount Pictures. Some of the panoramic battle sequences are so expertly handled by second-unit director Mario Soldati that they appear to be Technicolor-and-Vistavision newsreel footage of the actual events. Still, the film falters dramatically, principally because of a lumpy script and King Vidor's surprisingly lustreless direction. In addition, the casting is wildly consistent: for example, while Audrey Hepburn is flawless as Natasha, Henry Fonda is far too "Yankeefied" as the introspective Pierre. Proving too long and unwieldy for most audiences, War and Peace died at the box office; far more successful was the epic, scrupulously faithful 1968 version, filmed in the Soviet Union. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda, (more)
- 1955
A rich man's attempts to steal away a poor man's wife set the stage for this comic farce, set in Naples in 1860. Luca is a simple but honest man married who runs a mill and his married to Carmela (Sophia Loren), a strikingly beautiful woman. Carmela's face and figure attracts the eye of the Governor (Vittorio De Sica), a Spanish nobleman who has been appointed ruler of Naples. Determined to have Carmela as his own, the Governor has Luca arrested on false charges, and sets out to seduce her while her husband is behind bars. When Carmella resists, the Governor plays his trump card -- he is willing to free Luca, but only under the condition that she sleeps with him first. Carmella is appalled, but dreams up a way to use the situation to her advantage; she slips the Governor a mickey, and after he's asleep, she makes haste to the prison, carrying the Governor's pardon of her husband. However, Carmella arrives to discover a surprise -- Luca has already escaped from the jail. When Luca makes his way home, he discovers the Governor, still fast asleep, and is convinced he's already seduced Carmella; enraged, he sets off to the Governor's mansion, determined to get revenge with the Spaniard's wife. Bella Mugnaia was based on a novel previously filmed as Il Cappello a tre punte in 1934. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sophia Loren, Vittorio De Sica, (more)
- 1954
Unable to find work in Hollywood due to the Blacklist, director Robert Rossen filmed his 1954 production Mambo in Italy. Silvana Mangano stars as Silvia, who hopes someday to become a famous dancer. In the meantime, Silvia is torn between two lovers: Count Enrico (Michael Rennie), who hasn't much longer to live, and Mario Rossi (Vittorio Gassman), an irresponsible adventurer. Gaining success as a dancer after joining the troupe managed by Toni Burns (Shelley Winters), Silvia continues to waver in her affections between her two suitors. By the time she makes her choice, it turns out to be the wrong one. The plotline is rather hard to follow, reportedly because director Rossen was obliged to recut and re-recut the film when it previewed badly. At least Mambo affords modern-day viewers the pleasure of seeing Katherine Dunham, one of the greatest American dancers of the 20th century, in action. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Silvana Mangano, Michael Rennie, (more)
- 1954
Vittorio De Sica, Cesare Zavattini, and Giuseppe Marotta wrote this anthology of tales depicting various aspects of Neapolitan life, with the emphasis of poignancy and comedy: "The Racketeer" features Toto with a gangster as his unwanted house guest; "Pizza On Credit" gave Sophia Loren one of her first starring roles, as a wayward wife who loses her wedding ring; "The Gambler" stars De Sica in a hilarious performance as a compulsive gambler whose rich family won't give him money, so he's reduced to playing cards with the young son of his servant; "Theresa" features Silvana Mangano as a prostitute who discovers that a man really does have to be crazy to marry her. (Two other episodes were cut for the film's U.S. release.) ~ Nicole Gagne, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Totò, Pasquale Cennamo, (more)
- 1954
Italian director Pietro Francisci directed this 1954 drama about the fifth-century invasion of Rome by Attila the Hun. Anthony Quinn stars as the legendary barbaric King of the Huns who wreaked havoc upon Rome, threatening to topple the entire empire. Sophia Loren costars as Honoria, the beautiful young woman whose help is enlisted by Pope Leo I and may be the only person who can end Attila's rampage. Also starring Henri Vidal and Irene Papas, Attila, il flagello di Dio was released in the United States as Attila. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Quinn, Sophia Loren, (more)
Acclaimed Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini drew on his own circus background for the 1954 classic La Strada. Set in a seedy travelling carnival, this symbolism-laden drama revolves around brutish strongman Zampano (Anthony Quinn), his simple and servile girlfriend Gelsomina (Giulietta Masina, Fellini's wife), and clown/aerialist Matto (Richard Basehart). Appalled at Zampano's insensitive treatment of Gelsomina, the gentle-natured Matto invites her to run off with him; but Gelsomina, like a faithful pet, refuses to leave the strong man's side. Eventually Zampano's volcanic temper erupts once too often, leading to tragic consequences. Written by Fellini and Tullio Pinelli and scored by Nino Rota, La Strada was the winner of the first official Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film, awarded in 1956. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Giulietta Masina, Anthony Quinn, (more)
In this Italian bedroom farce, the lusty "Queen of the Nile" is determined to be with her lover, Marc Antony, before he heads off to war. Unfortunately, she has been assigned a new guard. She made love to her previous guard and he ended up executed as had several guards before him. Her new guard does not know this. To see Marc, she has a slave girl impersonate her while she sneaks out. Upon her surreptitious return, she sees the guard making love to her double. The other guards are surprised to see the fellow alive the next day. He proves a useful fellow by saving the queen from a killer. He then saves the queen's imposter from the dungeon. Though the queen tries to seduce him, the guard finds life more appealing than love and demures. Instead he and the slave escape together where they make happy love for many years. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
This very expensive Italian-made adaptation of Homer's "The Odyssey" stars Kirk Douglas as seafaring hero Ulysses. The story begins, as ever, with Ulysses leaving his faithful wife Penelope (Silvano Magnano) behind as he goes off to fight in the Trojan Wars. Having the poor taste to set himself above the gods after a stunning military victory, Ulysses is doomed to journey aimlessly across the sea until he can make amends. Along the way, our hero battles a cyclops, resists the fatal singing of the Sirens, and enjoys a brief interlude with pig-fancying enchantress Circe (also played by Silvano Magnano). Years and years later, Ulysses returns to Penelope, where he must meet and master a final challenge. Acceptable enough when first released in 1954, Ulysses pales in comparison to the high-tech, all-star 1997 TV miniseries version of The Odyssey. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirk Douglas, Silvana Mangano, (more)
- 1953
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
- Starring:
- Gina Lollobrigida, May Britt, (more)
- 1951
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
- Starring:
- Silvana Mangano, Raf Vallone, (more)
- 1951
Two Italian films directed by Mario Soldati were released in Europe within two days of each other. The first was the lighthearted musical comedy Je Suis de la Revue. The vivacious Suzy Delair, more or less playing herself, stars as a popular actress making a personal appearance in Rome. The actress needs a glamorous new outfit for the occasion, but her specially designed dress is stolen by a beautiful sneak thief. While the couturier searches all seven hills of Rome to retrieve the dress, the audience is treated to a series of specialty acts. Among the artists spotlighted are Gallic comedian Fernandel and African-American entertainers Louis Armstrong, Katherine Dunham and the Nicholas Brothers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fernandel, Suzy Delair, (more)
- 1949
Italian director Mario Camerini's most creative years were behind him when he helmed Woman Trouble in 1948. Camerini adheres strictly to formula in this story of an impoverished family man (Massimo Girotti) who turns to thievery to keep food on the table. Despite its neorealist trappings, the film is a standard-issue comedy, with several mirth-provoking setpieces. The film was produced by Dino de Laurentiis, who hadn't yet adopted the theory that "bigger is better." Originally titled Molti Sogni per le Strade, Woman Trouble made it to the U.S. in 1949 on the name value of leading lady Anna Magnani. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Magnani, Massimo Girotti, (more)
- 1948
Originally released as Riso Amaro, Bitter Rice was one of the landmark films of the postwar Italian neorealist movement. Silvana Mangano portrays one of hundreds of women toiling slavishly in the Po Valley rice fields. She is courted by two men: respectable Raf Vallone and no-good fugitive from justice Vittorio Gassman. Mangano chooses Gassman, a decision which brings disaster not only to her but to her co-workers. The rice-field scenes are realistic enough to pass muster as documentary footage, though they tend to be undercut in the English-language version by the amateurish dubbing. Critics were unanimous in their praise for Bitter Rice; their words were, however, ignored by the male fans who came to see the film solely on the strength of the now-famous production still of the buxom Silvana Mangano standing in the rice field wearing tight shorts and torn black stockings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vittorio Gassman, Doris Dowling, (more)
