Alberto Lattuada Movies
Italian writer/director Alberto Lattuada is the son of famed composer Felice Lattuada, who scored several of Lattuada's films. After studying to be an architect at the Berchet School in Milan, Lattuada supplemented his income as a newspaper and magazine writer. He entered the Italian film industry in 1933 as a set decorator, graduating to "assistant in charge of color" in 1935. Five years later, he directed his first film. With Luigi Comencini, Lattuada founded Italy's first film archive, Cinetica Italiana, in 1941; that same year he published a popular coffee-table volume, The Photographic Atlas. Stepping up his directing activities in the postwar years, Lattuada specialized in stylish costume pictures, often adapted from famous novels. His ventures into neorealism--Bandit (1946), Anna (1951)--tended to be slicker and more professional-looking than the similar efforts of his contemporaries. He gave the career of Federico Fellini a boost in 1950, when he and Fellini co-directed the well-received Variety Lights (the film's budget was provided up by a corporation formed by Lattuada, Fellini and their actress wives). The best of Lattuada's subsequent films include The Overcoat (1953) and Fraulein Doktor (1967). He did a great deal of TV work in the 1970s and 1980s, notably the 1985 U.S.-Italian miniseries Christopher Columbus. From 1970 onward, Lattuada kept busy outside the movie industry as an opera director. Alberto Lattuada was once married to actress Carla Del Poggio. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The adolescent students at a German boarding school seek the truth about their mysterious origins in this tense psychological drama adapted from Frank Wedekind's novella Mine-Haha or Physical Education of Young Girls. Thuringia, Germany: The early 1900s. Raised at a secluded school with no knowledge of their past or their origins, Hidella, Melusine, Blanks, Rain, and Irene gradually begin to question their circumstances, as well as the rule of their stern headmistress. When the girls start asking questions and two of them go missing without a trace, Hidella stages a mutiny while a detective works to solve the malevolent mystery. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jacqueline Bisset, Hannah Taylor-Gordon, (more)
- 1994
- R
This feel-good movie, which offers American audiences spectacular views of Central European landscapes, uses gentle humor to tell the story of two common men who place themselves in an uncommon situation. Franco, a recently laid-off co-op stud farmer whose company jilted him out of his settlement money, returns to break into the main offices to look for proof that he was wronged. Instead he ends up stealing their prize bull Corinto with the thought of selling Corinto for a great profit in Hungary. Franco enlists the aid of his quiet friend Loris. Together the three set off on their obstacle-filled journey. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Diego Abatantuono, Roberto Citran, (more)
- 1985
Leading man Gabriel Byrne adds a "Harlequin Romance" dash to the two-part, six-hour TV movie Christopher Columbus. Seeking out a swifter route to the lucrative Indies, Genoa-born Columbus begs King John of Portugal (Max Von Sydow) to finance a westbound expedition. Failing this, he turns to Spain's Queen Isabella (Faye Dunaway), who is entranced by Columbus' near-religious fervor. After the famous 1492 expedition, Columbus is bankrolled for future forays into the New World, which win him both adulation and vilification. Originally telecast May 19 and 20, 1985, Christopher Columbus was filmed on location in Spain, Malta and the Dominican Republic, making full use of a $15 million budget. It isn't an earth-shattering cinematic experience, but is lots more worthwhile (and less ponderous) than the brace of Columbus biopics inflicted upon movie audiences in 1992. Those concerned with political correctness should be satisfied with the film's second half, which explores the more sinister elements of chauvinistic colonization. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
In this Italian drama, Wilma, an aging dance hall girl, befriends La Cicada, a feisty, free-spirited woman who refuses to have sex for money. Together, they go traveling and on the rode take up with the handsome Hannibal, who dreams of opening up his own truck stop/gas station. The two women end up helping him achieve his dream. The place becomes a nightspot which they name La Cicada and turn into a big success. During this time, Wilma marries Hannibal, but Wilma begins worrying that her husband would rather have the young, sexy Cicada. The younger woman proves that he does not want her. When her lovely 18-year-old daughter comes to call, Wilma really gets worried because like her mother, the daughter has also become a whore. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1978
- R
An idyllic May-December romance becomes unraveled when the much-older man begins suspecting that his tender young lover may be his own daughter, the result of an illicit affair many years before. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Francisco Rabal, Anja Pieroni, (more)
- 1975
When the ambitious skirt chaser Saverio (Luigi Proietti) meets serenely nymphomaniac retarded rich Clothilde (Teresa Ann Savoy), he finds he has met his match; he calms down and she wises up. After he has bedded the girls' mother and a housemaid, he tries to figure out how to make use of his connection with this wealthy family to get a large loan -- which he needs for a business deal. However, the lustful designs of the otherwise witless girl overwhelm his own scheming, and he runs off with her. It is not clear whether he has been manipulated into this by the girl's conniving mother Donna Raimonda (Irene Papas), or if he is simply succumbing to his own desires. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- 1975
Based on the story by Mikhail Bulgakov, this Italian film tells the story of Preobrazhensky (Max Von Sydow), a surgeon, who is a professor of medicine in Moscow. Because he occupies a "big" 5-room apartment, after the Russian revolution is thoroughly in place, he is visited by the housing committee, who feels that he should share this spaciousness with several others. In an experiment he implants a dog with the heart and brain of a tramp. The dog gradually transforms into a man (Cochi Ponzoni), but still has some doggy attitudes: for instance, in the original story he chooses to call himself Sharikov (in the film he is called Bobikov). Since Sharik is a common Russian dog name, just as "Rex" might be in the West, it is clear where the man-dog's sympathies lie. Bobikov becomes associated with the local Party officialdom, and begins to terrorize the professor and his assistant, Dr. Bormental (Mario Adorf). After he becomes a member of the housing committee, he wangles a room in the professor's apartment. And after becoming a member of a state committee to deal with stray animals, Bobikov refuses to allow dogs to be killed, only cats. Bulgakov's works were very hard to find in Russia. After perestroika people began reading them for the first time, and were amazed to discover how daringly he criticized the emerging Soviet system. This Italian production is perhaps not the most successful realization of the story: a Russian TV version was made in 1987. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Max von Sydow, Eleonora Giorgi, (more)
- 1973
An obsession with fame leads to life in prison for the window-washer in this Italian farce/satire. Biagio Solise (Giancarlo Giannini) loves working on the windows of the skyscrapers high above Milan but feels overwhelmed on the ground by the tumult and pressure of the crowded streets. He makes some surplus money working as an extra at the La Scala opera house. When a famous diva is murdered, he decides that he wants to be the one who is convicted for the crime; it will make him famous. Though he is innocent of the crime, his frantic improvisations lay a trail for the police that eventually leads to his imprisonment. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- 1971
- R
This comic Italian melodrama recounts the story of a friendship which develops out of a romantic obsession. The Italian communist party was largely independent of the Eastern Bloc, and has played a large political role in that country, particularly on the local level. This story tells of Annibale Pezzi (Adriano Celentano), a hospital patient who is also the local communist party boss, and of Sister Germana (Sophia Loren), the nursing nun who is treating him. Annibale successfully invents one ailment after another in order to avoid having to leave the delightful ministrations of this special woman. Though she is at first antagonistic to him and his beliefs, their mutual respect grows until he is finally able to accept the idea of being discharged. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- 1970
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Emerenziano (Ugo Tognazzi) is the middle aged tax inspector looking for a rich woman to keep from working and provide him with food and sex. He travels to northern Italy where he is taken in by three maiden sisters of less than average beauty. He marries one sister and takes the other two as mistresses. The virginal sisters are slowly transformed in to man hungry mavens, each possessing their own individual sexual talents. Emerenziano is felled by a stroke when he tries to get the maid to play erotic games. He becomes a helpless prisoner subjected to the whims of the love starved females in this erotic dark comedy. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Francesca Romana Coluzzi, Milena Vukotic, (more)
- 1969
Lisa is married to Paolo, an industrial designer, and is shocked to discover that he has been unfaithful to her. While visiting her friend Carla, Lisa pretends that she, too, has a lover and claims to be having an affair with the architect, Franco Raimondi. Ironically, Raimondi is having another adulterous relationship -- with none other than Carla. She confesses her involvement with Raimondi and mocks Lisa for having spun such lies. The embittered Lisa gets her revenge by getting not only Raimondi, but Carla's husband and son, to fall in love with her. She then turns her back on them all and reconciles with Paolo. ~ Nicole Gagne, Rovi
- 1969
- R
Two German spies and a woman physician (Suzy Kendall) are taken by submarine to Scotland where they enter the country at nightfall. Their mission is to assassinate the British Field Marshall Lord Kitchener. The woman's male companions are captured, but she escapes with the knowledge of what boat the Marshall is on. Boarding the submarine, the Germans make plans to bomb the boat with a series of strategically placed land mines. She travels from Russia to Germany to Britain and Spain as she double-crosses double agents in a cat-and-mouse game of espionage. A gruesome scene shows a German gas attack that peels off the flesh of the Allied soldiers as they writhe in agony. James Booth, Capucine, and Kenneth More also star in this World War I drama. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Suzy Kendall, James Booth, (more)
- 1967
Lando Buzzanca plays the legendary lover Don Juan in this erotic Italian comedy drama. Director Alberto Lattuada combines black and white with color photography to distinguish the difference between the action in Sicily and Milan. The plot takes place in the modern world of the 20th century. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lando Buzzanca, Katia Christine, (more)
- 1967
A suave, sophisticated journalist gets hold of a magic ring of invisibility and obtains a secret formula. As a result he finds himself pursued by Chinese agents in this spoof of James Bond thrillers. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Patrick O'Neal, Ira Furstenberg, (more)
- 1966
A husband desperate for an heir, will do anything to produce one in this Italian drama, adapted from the long-banned Machiavelli classic. In desperation, the man sends his devoted wife to a man pretending to be a doctor. He convinces her to drink an infusion of mandrake weed, which he claims will kill the first man she has sex with, and render her fertile simultaneously. Not wanting to kill her husband, she sleeps with another--the doctor in disguise. Afterwards, he reveals his identity and the two fall in love. She feels no remorse as she realizes her husband cares only for an heir and not her. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Philippe Leroy, Rosanna Schiaffino, (more)
In this crime comedy with heavy neorealist influence, Antonio (Alberto Sordi) is a Sicilian auto plant worker who has almost completely forsaken his southern Italian roots by marrying a fair-haired girl from the north and conceiving two children with her. As the movie opens, Antonio prepares to round up the family and take them on a vacation to his native town of Calamo, Sicily. Before he leaves, however, his boss summons him in and asks him to pass along a little gift to Don Vincenzo, a mob boss in Calamo. Antonio agrees to the plan, tentatively at first, but as the family gets closer and closer to the isle of Antonio's childhood, and shares lodging with Antonio's eccentric family, Sicilian pride and enthusiasm well up inside of this family patriarch, and he is,ultimately confronted with a request to carry out a hit for Vincenzo. Dino DeLaurentiis produced and Alberto Lattuada directed. Though the film was long forgotten, it received a U.S. theatrical release by Rialto in 2007 and netted absolutely stunning reviews. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Alberto Sordi, Ugo Attanasio, (more)
- 1962
Based on a Anton Chekhov short story, this slight tale has some good moments as the drama of a young boy's journey unfolds. The lad comes from peasant stock, and one day his family decides it would be best for him to go live with his uncle in the city. The only problem is that the city is all the way across the Russian steppes, and at this time in history, that arduous journey could only be undertaken by horse and carriage. Reminiscent of the American pioneer wagon trains heading West, the tale lacks any attacks from hostile forces but is filled with charming vignettes. In one part of the journey, the boy comes across some fishermen along a river, harpooning their catch for the day. In another segment, he is entertained when some folk dancers do a lively show. But in general, it is too long and unmomentous a journey to hold attention well for nearly two hours. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Charles Vanel, Marina Vlady, (more)
- 1961
In this French drama, a woman preparing to take her vows to become a nun must write a letter describing her past indiscretions. She goes to a priest to confess that she had killed her former lover when she discovered that he had been sleeping with her mother. Her enraged mother gave her two options: she could become a nun, or go to prison. She chose the former, but when the convent refuses to take her, everything falls apart. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1961
L'Improvisto is a suspenseful, effective drama by Alberto Lattuada about the careful planning and execution of a kidnapping. The "ringleader" and instigator of the clever plan is Tomas, a professor from a provincial town. His two cohorts are Claire (Anouk Aimée), his wife, and Juliette (Jeanne Valerie), his mistress. The trio make a rather different ménage à trois with objectives ranging far afield from the romantic. The circumstances of the preparation and carrying out of the deed keep tension coiled throughout. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tomas Milian, Anouk Aimée, (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, Rovi
- Starring:
- Van Heflin, Viveca Lindfors, (more)
- 1956
Wealthy teenager Guendalina (Jacqueline Sassard) is a child of divorce. Oberdan (Raf Mattioli), likewise a teenager, is a boy from a blue-collar family. Escaping from the tribulations of her home life, Guendalina creates a dream world of her own, casting Oberdan as her personal Prince Charming. Despite parental objections, girl and boy fall in love. Interestingly enough, the relationship between Guendalina and Oberdan remains pure and chaste throughout their film, which is more than can be said for their parents. their respective parents behave with marked laciviousness. Guendalina marked the return to the screen after a two-year absence by filmmaker Alberto Lattuada, who pursues his characteristic fascination with pubescent sexual yearnings. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jacqueline Sassard, Sylva Koscina, (more)
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