Synopsis:
Gemma, daughter of a lodger, is in love with her half-brother, but since she cannot marry him she ends up marrying a teacher. She doesn’t love him and betrays him but is blackmailed by a Romanian countess who forces her to become a prostitute. She’s desperate but in the end she asks her husband for help. She has learned to love him in the meantime.Read More »
Gabriele Ferzetti
-
Mario Soldati – La provinciale AKA The Wayward Wife (1953)
Mario Soldati1951-1960DramaItaly -
Michelangelo Antonioni – L’Avventura aka The Adventure (1960)
1951-1960ArthouseDramaItalyMichelangelo AntonioniQuote:
This ground-breaking film won a Special Jury Prize at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival and established its director, Michelangelo Antonioni, as a major international talent. The plot concerns a yachting trip by a small group of jaded socialites, including Sandro (Gabriele Ferzetti), an aging architect who sold out for easy money long ago, his mistress Anna (Lea Massari), and her friend Claudia (Monica Vitti), who doesn’t fit in with the wealthy jet-setters’ dissolute ethics. When Anna disappears during a tour of a volcanic island, Claudia initially blames Sandro’s emotionally barren behavior toward her. As they search the island, however, Claudia and Sandro grow closer and — when it is apparent that Anna is gone forever — become lovers. Unfortunately, Sandro cannot find anything decent inside himself and betrays Claudia with a local prostitute. Caught in the act, Sandro has a heartrending breakdown on a desolate beach, but Claudia silently forgives him. L’avventura caught many audiences who were expecting a mystery by surprise; as in La notte (1961), The Eclipse (1962), and Red Desert (1964), Antonioni is interested less in developing a logical story than in exploring states of feeling and breakdowns in human connection.Read More » -
Antonio Pietrangeli – Il sole negli occhi aka Empty Eyes (1953)
1951-1960Antonio PietrangeliDramaItalyQuote:
Miseries, grandeur, daily life of Celestina, orphaned country girl who arrives in Rome to be a maid, at first in a well-to-do houshold, then for a couple of loving retirees, then in a wealthy family. She falls in love with a plumber, gets pregnant, attempts suicide, then decides to survive for the child that will come.
The first film by scriptwriter A. Pietrangeli (1919-68), and the beginning of a rich gallery of female characters, which is perhaps his greatest title of glory.Read More » -
Roger Pigaut – Le Guêpier (1976)
1971-1980ComedyFranceRoger PigautThrillerA compulsive gambler must steal a suitcase full of money, which is also coveted by Melba, a cabaret singer. A getaway ensues.Read More »
-
Elio Petri – A ciascuno il suo AKA We Still Kill the Old Way (1967)
1961-1970DramaElio PetriItalyMysterySicilia, late ’60s. Two men are killed during a hunting party. The hurried inquiry indicates that it was a killing made for ‘honor’ reasons. Paolo Laurana is a leftist professor not convinced of the official truth and starts investigating by himself. He finds some help from a solicitor, Mr. Rosello. While investigating, he is fascinated by Luisa, the widow of one of the victims. But the reality is too different from what Laurana could imagine. Reality includes not only the mafia and corrupt politicians, but also Church connections. The reality is that there could be only one end for Laurana. It won’t take long. [IMDb.com]Read More »
-
Mauro Bolognini – Un bellissimo novembre AKA That Splendid November (1969)
1961-1970DramaItalyMauro BologniniQuote:
The story is set in a manor farm on the slopes of Etna near Catania, at the beginning of November, during some days of vacation that are the occasion for a family of the Sicilian bourgeoisie to come together.
Nino is a restless teenager of seventeen, who harbors an unbridled love passion for Cettina, the sister of his mother. The woman, who is married and mature, partly reciprocates the attention of his nephew Nino, but at the same time is interested in an associate of her husband, Sasà, young and handsome. The husband seems to push her toward the partner for the sake of convenience.Read More » -
Luciano Emmer – Camilla (1954)
1951-1960ComedyDramaItalyLuciano EmmerCamilla, a middle-aged Venetian widow, arrives in Rome to take up service as a maid with the Rossetti family, made up of Mario, a doctor, his wife Giovanna and their children Andrea and Cristina. The economic conditions of the Rossetti are not flourishing and this causes tensions and disagreements.Read More »
-
Mario Soldati – La provinciale aka The Wayward Wife (1953)
Drama1951-1960ItalyMario SoldatiDescription: The Wayward Wife (Italian: La provinciale) is a 1953 Italian drama film taken from an Alberto Moravia’s novel and directed by Mario Soldati. It was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival.
Gemma, daughter of a lodger, is in love with her half-brother, but since she cannot marry him she ends up marrying a teacher. She doesn’t love him and betrays him but is blackmailed by a Romanian countess who forces her to become a prostitute. She’s desperate but in the end she asks her husband for help. She has learned to love him in the meantime.Read More »
-
Gianluigi Calderone – Appassionata AKA Passionate (1974)
1971-1980DramaGianluigi CalderoneItalyOrnella Muti Eugenia, the daughter of respected dentist Emilio Rutelli (Gabriele Ferzetti) and former concert pianist Elisa Rutello (Valentina Cortese). Elisa long ago suffered some sort of mental breakdown, and she’s treated shabbily by Eugenia. For his part, Emilio still cares for Elisa, though that doesn’t prevent him from becoming sexually active with his daughter’s best friend Nicola (Eleonora Giorgi). Incest eventually enters into the picture.
Read More »
- 1
- 2