Riccardo Freda

Spain 1650.
A noble knight is involved, in spite of himself, in a conspiracy against King Philip IV, hatched by the French ambassador and by the treacherous prime minister.
Thanks to his courage and to the extreme skill as a swordsman, through a series of incredible adventures, the knight is able to get rid of all intrigue, to reveal the plot to the sovereign, to get the love of a beautiful woman, formerly his enemy, and, making himself believe dead after a mock execution, to take revenge of his enemies.Read More »

Jean Valjean, pursued through the years for a minor infraction by the implacable policeman Javert, attempts to create a life for himself and for his adopted daughter Cosette amid the revolutionary struggles of France.

The film, based on the novel by Victor Hugo, was released divided into two episodes: the first was titled Caccia all’uomo, the second, Tempesta su Parigi.Read More »

The beautiful Beatrice Cenci, daughter of the noble Francesco, falls in love with the intendant Olimpio. But she has to face the jealousy of her violent and morbid father, and the hostility of her stepmother Lucrezia.Read More »

Two orphaned sisters are caught up in the turmoil of the French Revolution, encountering misery and love along the way.Read More »

Fourth film by Freda, “Aquila Nera” is a “cappa e spada” adventure set in 19th century Russia (Pushkin’s tale is the source material): Tzar’s Army Officer Dubrowskij becomes an outlaw to avenge his father’s death and leads a pesant’s revolt against a greedy nobleman.Read More »

The Emperor of China, facing harsh attacks from the Tartars, enlists the help of the Grand Khan of the Mongols. But he betrays the Emperor and intend to despatch this usurper of the Celestial Empire. In truth, the Grand Khan need only kill the rightful heirs to the throne, Prince Kalaf and Princess Li-Ling to definitely insure power for himself. But with the arrival of the hero Maciste, the tyrant is forced to change his plans.Read More »

Synopsis:
In Dublin, a young woman is brutally murdered in her home by a maniac that throws acid in her face and then slits her throat with a razor. Her mangled body is later discovered in the boot of a limousine owned by the Swiss Ambassador Sobiesky. The Ambassador, who was the dead woman’s lover, refuses to cooperate with the police due to his diplomatic immunity. John Norton, an ex-cop famed for his brutal working methods, is brought in to help and gets too deeply involved when he stars an affair with the Ambassador’s beautiful step-daughter, Helen. Meanwhile, the brutal killings continue…Read More »

PLOT & Review:
Benvenuto Cellini (1500-71) knows no obstacles (or scruples) when he has to create a work of art or win the heart (and the rest) of a woman.
R. Freda does a genuinely popular cinema, practicing many genres, from drama to horror. Faced with a film of adventure, as here, he can be concise and engaging.
(Morandini)Read More »

Quote:
However trivial – or downright ridiculous – the plot may become, Freda shows a mastery of sheer cinematic style that puts most of the more highly-touted Italian directors to shame. Like Minnelli or Sirk, Mizoguchi or Ophuls, Visconti or Fellini, he is in love with the visual and sensuous possibilities of the camera itself. The breathtaking decor and costumes (by Vittorio Nino Novarese, who went on to dress the most elephantine of Hollywood epics) are as strong a dramatic presence as the actors themselves. That’s no slight against the cast: Gassman was as great an actor as Marcello Mastroianni; Sanson and Canale are as strong as they are sensual, as gutsy as they are glamorous – a world away from the insipid sex objects that decorate most action movies!Read More »