Gianna Maria Canale Movies
A practioner of the "enigmatic femme fatale" school of screen performing, Italian actress Gianna Maria Canale was signed for a film contract immediately after competing in the 1946 Miss Italy contest. Most of Canale's film appearances were exotic to the point of self-mockery, as witness Theodora Slave Empress (1954) and Queen of the Pirates (1960). She has also appeared in the American-produced war picture Go For Broke (1951), and in the British/American murder mystery The Whole Truth, archly cast as a temperamental Italian film star who is bumped off in reel two. Many of Gianna Maria Canale's earlier films were produced by Riccardo Freda, who later became her husband. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
In this costume drama, an Italian aristocrat becomes a footloose minstrel and wins the love of a king's niece. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1965
An Italian prince recruits a team of wayfarers to battle against sea pirates in this 1965 film. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- 1965
In this Italian swashbuckler ruthless pirates threaten the rule of the Doge of Venice. Fortunately, his brave son puts on a mask, calls himself "The Lion of St. Mark," and rallies together a regiment of mercenaries to stop them. After a few skirmishes with the pirates, the Lion finds himself falling in love for a female pirate. When his mercenaries capture her, he must save her. The grateful woman offers her thanks, but refuses to give up on her pirates. When she learns the Lion's real identity, she rethinks her position. Meanwhile the pirates are vanquished, and the hero's uncle adopts the pirate woman so that she and his nephew may continue their courtship. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1964
Gerard Barray heads the cast of the French swashbuckler Clash of Steel. Upon being ejected from his throne, King Henry of Navarre plots to regain his power. Upon this slight plot peg hangs a tapestry of fantastic swordplay and elaborate battle sequences. The film's 79-minute running time indicates that some of the racier scenes were lost in transit to American theatres. Italian leading-lady Giana Maria Canale provides the well-upholstered love interest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
Rafael Sabatini's swordsman-turned-strolling actor Scaramouche is brought to life by Gerard Barry in this French/Italian/Spanish adaptation. Denied his noble birthright by the villains, the fugitive Scaramouche hides out with a theatrical troupe, stealing the heart of lusty leading lady Gianna Maria Canale. But Scarmouche's true love is the ladylike noblewoman Michelle Giradon, whom he woos and wins after vanquishing principal baddie Alberto de Mendoza. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
This serio-comic drama finds a man (Alberto Sordi) in debt with no easy way to alleviate the situation. He conspires to sell one of his eyes to cover his loses and remain a success in the eyes of his wife. The talent of Sordi prevents this film from being labels as glory to gore as he weighs his options and sets his eye on the prize. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Centurions was initially released in the US The Centurion (some difference). Jacques Sernas heads the cast as a Roman gladiator sent on a diplomatic mission to Greece. Sernas's task is to convince the Greeks to acquiesce to Roman rule, but he is opposed by a group of freedom advocates (among them John Drew Barrymore). The plot congeals when Sernas falls in love with Gianni Santuccio, daughter of the head of the anti-Rome faction. Originally lensed in Italy as Il Conquistatore di Corinto, Centurions has also been exhibited under the literally translated title Conqueror of Corinth. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Steve Reeves once again dons sandals and hoists a sword to come to the dashing rescue of the oppressed masses in this routine Roman tale of the good old days when men were unbelievably muscular, invulnerable fighting machines. Randus (Steve Reeves) is a centurion assigned to Rome's army in Egypt in the first century B.C. who finds out, one fine day, that he is actually the son of the legendary Spartacus. Inspired by this new identity, he decides to continue with his centurion's duties as a cover and dedicate himself to freeing the slaves that labor for the unjust and brutal Cesare Grassus (Claudio Gora). When not overcoming the forces that keep people enslaved, Randus has time for Clodia (Gianna Maria Canale) and some relief from all that fighting. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Reeves, Jacques Sernas, (more)
- 1962
In this swashbuckler, a sensuous female pirate takes over her retired father's ship and sails off for high-seas adventure and romance. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1962
An unexceptional cloak-and-sword adventure yarn by director Bernard Borderie, this tale is set in 16th-century France and features the exploits of a super-macho knight, Pardaillan (Gerard Barray). Pardaillan is in love with the beauteous Violetta (Michele Grellier), currently disguised as a gypsy but actually a noblewoman by birth. When she is literally swept off her feet and kidnapped by the local villainous Duke, the knight swings into action. He ends up with an affable nobleman, a hulking, musclebound sidekick, and another cowardly soul to help him out in his plan to unseat the Duke and retrieve his fair lady. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gérard Barray, Gianna Maria Canale, (more)
- 1961
Even within its category of stock sword-and-sandal films from Italy, this is a weak entry set in the Middle Ages and featuring the adventures of the Crusaders as they capture Jerusalem. Lacking panoramas of battles any larger than a handful of people at a time, some of the oomph is necessarily missing. The story itself is based on the growing love between Tancrid (Francisco Rabal), one of the leading Crusaders, and Glorinda (Sylvia Koscina), the daughter of the king of Persia. Glorinda does not sit home and embroider, she dons armor and goes into battle with the best of them. This may not turn out to be such a good idea, since Tancrid will be among the many enemies she may encounter in her iron-clad persona. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Francisco Rabal, Sylva Koscina, (more)
- 1961
In this adventure, a variation of the classic Dumas story, a band of 19th-century treasure seekers put together a map and go off to the Italian coast to find a fabulous treasure. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1961
Former big-screen Tarzan Gordon Scott appears in one of many sword-and-sandal epics featuring muscle-bound, mini-skirted hero Maciste (aka Goliath, cinematic kin to Steve Reeves's Hercules), sworn to protect the helpless with his strength and swordsmanship. In this horror-tinged outing, the mythical hunk comes to the rescue when an immortal, shape-shifting vampire turns an entire island village into legions of shuffling zombie slaves. Our none-too-bright hero discovers nearly too late that the undead foe has taken on his appearance, which understandably complicates matters. Also known as Goliath and the Island of the Vampires, or simply The Vampires, in its U.S. release. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gordon Scott, Gianna Maria Canale, (more)
- 1961
In this romantic adventure set in Italy around 1815, a courageous soldier endeavors to find a hidden treasure on the island of Monte Cristo. He then escorts the daughter of a murdered explorer on a quest to find the map they need to locate the loot. The daughter doesn't trust the soldier, but after he kills a few of their foes, she changes her mind. Finally, after many adventures, they find the valuable chest, but upon opening it, they find it to be filled with nothing but chains and ropes as the real treasure was aboard a different ship. Somehow the two seekers are not too disappointed as along the way, they have fallen in love. The film is also titled Treasure of Monte Cristo. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rory Calhoun, Patricia Bredin, (more)
- 1961
In this 16th-century swashbuckler, the trouble begins when a sea captain is unjustly sentenced to hang by the evil ruler of the Duchy of Doruzzo and his daughter. Meanwhile, the comely lass who believes herself the doomed captain's daughter is about to be sold to a harem when they are freed by a handsome hero whom the captain hopes will marry his daughter. Father and daughter then become pirates, and the hero is obligated to catch them, but when he falls in love with the girl, he switches allegiance and helps her attack the ruler's palace. The two then lead the other pirates, and the angry peasants in a revolt, resulting in the eventual death of the ruler, who confesses on his deathbed that the female pirate (the captain's supposed daughter) is his real daughter and heir to the Duchy; he then goes on to tell her that years before he had ordered the captain to kill her, but he refused and raised her instead. This confession so angers the other daughter that she goes into a convent; meanwhile the pirate lovers prepare for their wedding. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Two gladiators are captured by an Amazon army, and are forced to fight against invading pirates. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- 1960
This somewhat inaccurate biography of Russia's power-hungry "Mad Monk" concentrates on the attempts on Rasputin's life, including the (almost un-) successful one carried out by a prince. ~ Steve Huey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edmund Purdom, Gianna Maria Canale, (more)
Steve Reeves' second (and last) film portrayal of Hercules is, in certain ways, better than his first. The plot this time is drawn from the legends surrounding the royal house of Thebes, which are most familiar to audiences through the Theban plays of Sophocles. The movie opens with Hercules, his new bride Iole (ylva Koscina), and the young Ulysses (Gabriel Antonini) travelling to Thebes following the end of the quest for the Golden Fleece (depicted in the previous movie, Hercules). Their journey is interrupted when Hercules must do battle with the giant Anteus (Primo Carnera), whose strength seems to exceed his own until he realizes that Anteus is the son of the earth goddess and can't be defeated on land. On their arrival in Thebes, the trio discovers that the kingdom is in the midst of civil war -- Oedipus (esare Fantoni), the old king, is dying, and his two sons, Polynices and Eteocles, are contending for the throne and threatening to destroy each other and the populace. Hercules must leave Iole in the hands of one side in order to try and settle the dispute between the two would-be kings. While en route between the two armed camps, however, he is put under the spell of Omphale (Sylvia Lopez), the Queen of Lydia, who casts out his memory and takes him as a lover, with Ulysses in tow pretending to be his deaf-mute servant. Ulysses must figure out how to keep himself alive, restore Hercules' memory, get them both out of Omphale's grasp before she tires of Hercules and has him killed (as she has her previous lovers), and get them both back to Thebes before the kingdom is burned to the ground. His solution arrives in the form of his father, Laertes, and Hercules' companions from his voyage for the Golden Fleece. They all escape Omphale's clutches and arrive at Thebes as war has broken out between the two brothers and their armies. In a spectacular denouement, Hercules brings his chariot into the middle of the pitched battle, knocking down assault towers and sweeping cavalry before him to halt the battle. Peace is finally restored on a bittersweet note as the two brothers, Polynices and Eteocles, slay each other. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Reeves, Sylvia Lopez, (more)
- 1958
The Silent Enemy is based on Commander Crabb, a book by Marshall Pugh. This is the true story of young Lieutenant Crabb (Laurence Harvey), who in 1941 arrives in Gilbaltar to learn the rudiments of deep-sea diving. Crabb isn't interested in recreation, however; there's a war on, and it is common knowledge that a band of Italian frogmen have been sabotaging the British naval forces. Without official permission, Crabb and a band of hardy volunteers take on the task of scuttling the enemy's guerilla activities. Silent Enemy is at its best during its underwater sequences, in which both British and Italian frogmen deploy an astonishing variety of deep-sea weaponry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laurence Harvey, Dawn Addams, (more)
- 1958
The ancient Roman empire is the setting for this sword-and-sandal costume drama about the villainous Princess Amira (Gianna Maria Canale) who plans to poison the rightful heir to the Armenian throne, her younger brother. She has cast her lot with the Scythians, a foreign tribe who want to expand their territory. But a resistance movement is led by Asclepio (Georges Marchal), and when the Roman tribune Marcus Numidius (Ettore Manni) thunders in to set things right, he has Asclepio's underground force as an ally. Large-scale battles and smaller contests in the gladiatorial arena provide plenty of rousing action. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gianna Maria Canale, Georges Marchal, (more)
- 1958
In this mystery, a movie producer gets bored with his wife and begins an affair with a fiery actress. In the end, he jilts his mistress and returns to his wife. The trouble begins when someone stabs the actress and he is labelled the prime suspect by a detective. Later the producer discovers that the actress is still alive, and that the detective was her husband. A real murder follows and the producer is arrested. His loyal wife launches her own investigation and proves that her husband was innocent. The real killer, the husband of the actress, ends up killed in a car wreck. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stewart Granger, Donna Reed, (more)
