Lianella Carell Movies
- 1960
Vittorio De Sica plays the bumbling captain of a fruit and vegetable boat, operating in World War II Italy. The manpower shortage has depleted De Sica's crew, obliging him to hire several highly unqualified shipmates. While the captain attempts to keep his head above water (so to speak), second-in-command Folco Lulli does his best to whip his greenhorn crew into able-bodied sailors. Along the way, the plotline is complicated by a few stray Nazis and lady friends. It is to Vittorio De Sica's credit that he brought the same craftsmanship and credibility to Always Victorious that he did to his more worthwhile filmic efforts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
This German-Italian production was also released as Kanonenseranade and The Muzzle. Vittorio De Sica stars as Ernesto DeRossi, captain of a vegetable-transport steamer in WWII Italy. After a desultory confrontation with a British midget submarine (which chooses not to fire upon DeRossi's vessel), the captain becomes convinced that he can mount a one-man defensive against the Allies. Mounting an ancient -- and rather silly-looking cannon -- on his steamer, DeRossi chugs off to do his bit in the war -- an uproariously foredoomed undertaking. The film sags a bit in its final reels, but otherwise represents an amusing change of pace for both DeSica and German director Wolfgang Staudte. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vittorio De Sica, Heinz Reincke, (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)
- 1953
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
- Starring:
- Fosco Giachetti, Doris Duranti, (more)
- 1950
Actor Aldo Fabrizi did double duty as star and director of the Italian seriocomedy Benevuto, Reverendo! Fabrizi plays a ne'er-do-well who robs a church collection box. To avoid detection, he dons the robes of a priest and slips out right under the parishioners' noses. He escapes to another village, where the locals assume that he's the new priest. Forced to keep up the masquerade, Fabrizi ends up taking his clerical responsibilities very seriously. Fabrizi co-scripted Benvenuto, Revendo! with Piero Tellini. The film was distributed worldwide by 20th Century-Fox. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lianella Carell, Giovanni Grasso, Jr., (more)
This landmark Italian neorealist drama became one of the best-known and most widely acclaimed European movies, including a special Academy Award as "most outstanding foreign film" seven years before that Oscar category existed. Written primarily by neorealist pioneer Cesare Zavattini and directed by Vittorio DeSica, also one of the movement's main forces, the movie featured all the hallmarks of the neorealist style: a simple story about the lives of ordinary people, outdoor shooting and lighting, non-actors mixed together with actors, and a focus on social problems in the aftermath of World War II. Lamberto Maggiorani plays Antonio, an unemployed man who finds a coveted job that requires a bicycle. When it is stolen on his first day of work, Antonio and his young son Bruno (Enzo Staiola) begin a frantic search, learning valuable lessons along the way. The movie focuses on both the relationship between the father and the son and the larger framework of poverty and unemployment in postwar Italy. As in such other classic films as Shoeshine (1946), Umberto D. (1952), and his late masterpiece The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1971), DeSica focuses on the ordinary details of ordinary lives as a way to dramatize wider social issues. As a result, The Bicycle Thief works as a sentimental study of a father and son, a historical document, a social statement, and a record of one of the century's most influential film movements. ~ Leo Charney, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lamberto Maggiorani, Lianella Carell, (more)
