Gianfranco Mingozzi Movies

Gilberta (Piera Degli Esposti) is a widow and piano teacher who, all unbeknownst to her, is mostly supported by her 16-year old son, Enzo (Federico Provvedi). He manages this by selling old, forgotten family bric-a-brac and by cleaning the community swimming pool. To improve their circumstances, Gilberta rents one of the rooms in their lodgings to Toni (Nicola Farron) a handsome young man. Toni takes Gilberta to his bed, and she takes him into her heart. Her son warily accepts the arrangement, but is concerned for his mother. These concerns prove justified when the lodger takes up with a (much younger) music student of Gilberta's. Driven literally mad with her grief at this unendurable abandonment, Gilberta is eventually compelled to ask Enzo to help her end her misery. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

The esteemed Frank Capra made numerous memorable movie classics (including It's A Wonderful Life and Mr. Smith Goes To Washington) and is considered to be one of the great American directors, among the very few whose work set international standards for filmmaking. In this documentary, the Sicilian-born, American-raised director recollects his life and career. Included among his anecdotes are stories of his relations with the founder of the Bank of America, A.P. Giannini, and his recollections of making films with Frank Sinatra. The filmmakers accompany the director as he revisits his birthplace in Sicily for the first time since he left it for America when he was six. Interviews with colleagues and actors flesh out the story, and clips from the great director's films illustrate many of the points being made. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Roger (Fabrice Josso) is a 16-year-old who seeks to lose his virginity in this softcore erotic drama. His initial efforts are unsuccessful, but World War I breaks out and men are seen marching off to battle. Roger goes overboard when he is presented with several amorous opportunities. He soon impregnates the maid, his aunt, and his sister in quick succession. Roger desperately tries to marry off the women to other men to avoid a lurid scandal. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

The time is the late 1920s, and Angelo (Massimo Ranieri) and Tonino (Paolo Ricci) are two brothers traveling around the country in a rattle-trap truck, showing moving pictures to any group of people willing to pay. When they arrive in the region of Emilia-Romagna, Angelo strikes up a relationship with a wealthy marchesa connected to the fascist movement. Tonino, on the other hand, starts to follow the rebellious Giovanni (William Berger), locked up for his anti-fascist stance, and the farmers who have joined in the anti-fascist forces. As the rebels are either murdered or put in prison, Tonino becomes more and more commited to their cause - especially after Giovanni is killed. When a silent movie on the condemned and dying Christ is shown on the brothers' screen, Tonino stops the action to project some slides he has taken that show who murdered Giovanni - in an action that calls for his brother and the rest of the bystanders to finally make a decision on where to place their loyalties. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

A young girl in the 13th century is sent to a nunnery in Portugal. There she is subjected to torture, rape and whippings, but she escapes with a Jewish man named Abraham. She soon takes on a Muslim lover, who leads an invading army that castrates rapists. Amazingly enough, some of this story is actually based on historical fact. ~ Brian Gusse, Rovi

The lives of three young people in their teens are linked through their experiences in this drama from director Gian Franco Mingozzi. A girl wins a pop singing contest and begins a successful career, at the same time taking on various lovers, discarding them at whim with no regard to their feelings. A curious teenage boy spies on the lonely bachelor who lives across the street and observes that he always has a handful of bills, so the boy decides to rob him. When the boy can't go through with the crime, he seeks out the bachelor to teach him something about life that the teen feels he is missing. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi