Franco Rossi Movies

This umpteenth film version of Henryk Sienkewicz's warhorse novel Quo Vadis? was produced for Italian Television. Francesco Quinn (son of Anthony) stars as the arrogant Roman legionnaire whose brutish, libertine outlook on life is softened by the love of early Christian girl Cristina Raines. Even allowing for the overproduced 1951 MGM version, this Quo Vadis? is a 200-minute wallow in excess. Accordingly, Klaus Maria Brandauer overplays Nero in an unbridled manner that hasn't been seen since the heyday of Bela Lugosi; at times, we shudder in fear that Brandauer's histrionics may level the papier-mache sets. Quo Vadis? debuted in the US on cable TV in 1986, where it was telecast in two parts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Babylon is a gritty, neorealist account of the lives of a group of West Indian youths living in London. Blue (Brinsley Forde) is the Rastafarian leader of a Sound System (a mobile disc-jockey team who spin reggae records at clubs, parties, and other gatherings) who is trying to prepare for an upcoming Sound System competition. Blue's love of music is one of the few positive outlets in his life; with the crime and violence of London's slums, the verbal and physical attacks by racist whites, and the jealousy of other DJs, Blue is reaching the end of his rope. That rope begins to fray when Blue is fired from his job, is brutally attacked by police officers, and discovers that his DJ equipment has been destroyed by angry neighbors. Unlike most films about reggae music and culture, Babylon doesn't explore the sunny side of Jamaican life or West Indian gangland culture; instead, it looks at how the implicit radicalism of reggae mirrored political and social concerns in the urban areas outside Jamaica where the music was so enthusiastically embraced. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Among the spice plantations of Columbia are to be found any number of abused peasant farmers. Normally, the great landlords expect the church to support them and at the same time keep the natives quiet. In this Italian family comedy, the ruthless spice masters are instead saddled with two of the most radical revolutionary priests imaginable, Padre G. (Terence Hill) and Padre Pedro (Bud Spencer), who straighten things out using little more than fisticuffs, righteousness, and more than a little slapstick. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, a lovely woman lives and loves freely. Her many lovers do not mind and all are happy until one of the men gets possessive and knocks her around. As the woman recovers in the hospital, her physician suggest she try monogamy for a while. She does, but it is not as much fun and so returns to her freewheeling ways. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This gang-directed comedy combines the talents of Dino Risi, Franco Rossi, and Luigi Filippo Sonego. In "A Decisive Day," Nino Manfredi plays a shy company employee who wins the heart of a longtime flame only to discover she is married. Franco Rossi directs "Complex Of The Nubian Slave" starring Ugo Tognazzi and Claudie Lange. An Italian bigwig faces social ruin when he discovers his wife once appeared nude in a sword-and-sandal epic. Luigi Filippo directs "Toothsome Guglielmo" starring Alberto Sordi in the final episode. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

In this comedy anthology, the sex-capades of several Italian couples are chronicled. In "The Scandal," a dull and insensitive husband is unaware that his lonely wife has been flirting with a young buck at a vacation resort. When the husband finally finds out, he gets jealous and the marriage is renewed. In "Sin in the Afternoon," a movie producer is frustrated because his wife refuses to touch him, and so he winds up picking up a comely woman off the street and taking her to a motel. "The Victim" chronicles the relationship between an insanely jealousy woman and her beleaguered husband, whom she drives away. She, seeking revenge, begins an affair with his best friend. In the final episode, "Modern People," a deeply indebted cheese maker is given the option of paying the debt in cash or allowing the debtor an evening of lovemaking with his gorgeous wife. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Three different takes on love are presented in this episodic Italian film. The first story begins as a prostitute is involved in an auto wreck and ends up in a body cast. While recuperating, she attempts to seduce a young priest preparing to take his final vows. He does not succumb and instead tries to save her. By the story's end, she has become a nun, and he has left the clergy. The second tale follows a widow as she takes her husband's corpse back to Sicily. En route she makes a few new friends who turn out to be those who killed her husband, who unbeknownst to her was a notorious mafioso. In the last story, a young woman marries a troubled middle-aged man. To help him, she suggests he take a lover. She then finds out he has had one for a long time. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Enrico (Enrico Maria Salerno) is fast getting burnt out with his stressful city life, and so he takes off for Tahiti in this perceptive drama by popular Italian director Franco Rossi. When Enrico first arrives in Tahiti, he is more than a little distracted by the island's beautiful women and enters into various interludes with a range of attractive females. While that is an effective way to forget the pressures of his recent, hectic life, he soon discovers that the scenery, character, and pace of the island itself are weaving their own soothing magic on his tattered nerves. When it comes right down to it, will he ever want to leave this paradise that Gauguin found so intriguing? ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

An intentionally shocking drama about the down, often violent side of existence on the fringe, this story by Franco Rossi follows the same themes and attitudes found in the work of Pier Paolo Pasolini. Aldo (Gianni Garko) and Bruno (Spiros Fokas) grew up as close friends in the same neighborhood in Rome but as they got older they drifted apart. Aldo has turned to petty crime and his girlfriend, a hooker, is actually supporting him. Bruno is introduced back into the life of his friend though he himself is not a part of the shady, destructive world that surrounds Aldo. Ultimately, Bruno cannot resist the effect of Aldo and his low-life friends, leading to a few wrong decisions and eventual tragedy. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Amiel per la Pelle (Friends for Life) is largely told from a child's-eye point of view. The heroes of the piece are Mario (Geronimo Meynier) and Franco (Andrea Seire), young classmates and inseparable buddies. After several "Our Gang"-style adventures, the boys' friendship is threatened when Mario reveals a secret that Franco confided in him. The film originally ended on a somber note, though reportedly some prints contained a happier finale. The performances by the two young stars are appealingly natural; conversely, the adult players, especially Luigi Tosi, tend to go overboard. Amiel per la Pelle was an entry in the Venice Film Festival. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This Italian crime melodrama may remind some viewers of the methodical American TV series Dragnet. In trailing a gang of counterfeiters, the authorities follow the trail of clues to a small town. Here the creation of "funny money" is the principal industry --and the job is made easier because the counterfeiters have been able to get their hands on the same type of paper used for legal tender. Police inspector Moroni (Fosco Giachetti) continues to dog the criminals' trail to Naples, where the film comes to a rousing conclusion. A few arbitrarily inserted dance sequences involving a sexy young girl were added to hype the film's box-office appeal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide