![Jessica Biel in Candy (2022)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZWUzNWM3YTItMzY1OC00N2NmLTkwNjMtMWU0NGJiYTA5YWIxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTM1MTE1NDMx._V1_QL75_UY207_CR13,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Jessica Biel in Candy (2022)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZWUzNWM3YTItMzY1OC00N2NmLTkwNjMtMWU0NGJiYTA5YWIxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTM1MTE1NDMx._V1_QL75_UY207_CR13,0,140,207_.jpg)
Nineteen sixty-eight has to be considered the apex of psychedelic sexploitation romps, with the release of Candy, adapted from Mason Hoffenberg and Terry Southern’s satirical reworking of Voltaire’s Candide, and Roger Vadim’s Barbarella, based on Jean-Claude Forest’s comic, and partially scripted by Southern (alongside an armada of other credited writers). Both employ a rambling, shaggy-dog structure as an excuse to flagrantly foreground softcore sexual hijinks tinged with a pungent whiff of social commentary, albeit the latter aspect may be easier to discern in Candy’s perverse daisy chain of events.
Southern’s contributions to the Dino De Laurentiis-produced Barbarella can be detected in some of its wittier lines (“A good many dramatic situations begin with screaming!”) and sly pokes at the persistence of class-consciousness. Aside from Southern, the two films are linked by the presence of Anita Pallenberg, style icon and muse of the Rolling...
Southern’s contributions to the Dino De Laurentiis-produced Barbarella can be detected in some of its wittier lines (“A good many dramatic situations begin with screaming!”) and sly pokes at the persistence of class-consciousness. Aside from Southern, the two films are linked by the presence of Anita Pallenberg, style icon and muse of the Rolling...
- 11/21/2023
- by Budd Wilkins
- Slant Magazine
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZTFmZGE2ZTQtMTdjNS00ODJiLWJkYWEtYTRhOTYyNWU0MTQyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZTFmZGE2ZTQtMTdjNS00ODJiLWJkYWEtYTRhOTYyNWU0MTQyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
Ambra Danon, the Italian costume designer who worked on the three La Cage aux Folles films, earning an Oscar nomination for the first one, has died. She was 75.
Danon died April 12 in Rome after a long battle with cancer, her niece, Echo Danon, told The Hollywood Reporter.
The original La Cage Aux Folles (1978), based on Jean Poiret’s 1973 play of the same name, was directed by Édouard Molinaro and released by United Artists. The French-language comedy starred Ugo Tognazzi and Michel Serrault as a gay couple operating a drag nightclub in a French resort town and was a huge box office success.
Danon, who shared her Academy Award nom with five-time nominee Piero Tosi, lost out on Oscar night to Albert Wolsky of All That Jazz. She then returned for the La Cage aux Folles sequels released in 1980 and 1985.
The daughter of Marcello Danon, who produced the first two movies in the series,...
Danon died April 12 in Rome after a long battle with cancer, her niece, Echo Danon, told The Hollywood Reporter.
The original La Cage Aux Folles (1978), based on Jean Poiret’s 1973 play of the same name, was directed by Édouard Molinaro and released by United Artists. The French-language comedy starred Ugo Tognazzi and Michel Serrault as a gay couple operating a drag nightclub in a French resort town and was a huge box office success.
Danon, who shared her Academy Award nom with five-time nominee Piero Tosi, lost out on Oscar night to Albert Wolsky of All That Jazz. She then returned for the La Cage aux Folles sequels released in 1980 and 1985.
The daughter of Marcello Danon, who produced the first two movies in the series,...
- 5/24/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMzE2N2I5NzItYTY3Yi00NDBlLWIzYWEtZDU5OTI4ZDI1NWQ4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,47,500,281_.jpg)
When Jane Fonda was preparing for the galactic striptease that opens the 1968 sci-fi fantasy Barbarella, she plied herself with vodka. She was so terrified that she made sure she was completely drunk before the cameras started rolling. A bat flew in front of the lens, spoiling the shot, and the director, her then-husband Roger Vadim, insisted that she shoot it again the next day.
“The take that was actually used, I was not only drunk. I was hungover too,” Fonda recalled in the 2018 documentary about her, Jane Fonda in Five Acts.
It’s one of the most memorable sequences in an otherwise patchy and eccentric movie that scarcely deserves its cult reputation. Fonda appears to be floating as she pulls off her outfit. In fact, she was lying on a pane of glass with the rest of the spaceship behind her for the shot. While she removes her helmet, gloves and eventually everything else,...
“The take that was actually used, I was not only drunk. I was hungover too,” Fonda recalled in the 2018 documentary about her, Jane Fonda in Five Acts.
It’s one of the most memorable sequences in an otherwise patchy and eccentric movie that scarcely deserves its cult reputation. Fonda appears to be floating as she pulls off her outfit. In fact, she was lying on a pane of glass with the rest of the spaceship behind her for the shot. While she removes her helmet, gloves and eventually everything else,...
- 10/21/2022
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- The Independent - Film
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYzFhZWJhMDUtNzk2OS00N2FiLWIwNTYtNjg3OTBiNjk5OWNiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
Italian producer Domenico Procacci, after shepherding more than 100 movies and several TV series, including Netflix’s upcoming Elena Ferrante adaptation “The Lying Life of Adults,” via his Fandango shingle, is debuting as a director with six-part documentary series “The Team.” Variety speaks to Procacci exclusively about what prompted him to go behind the camera for what he says is just a one-off experience as a director, and debuts the English-language subtitled version of the trailer, above.
The project is a deeply researched reconstruction of the complex – and sometimes comical – dynamics behind the Italian tennis team that won the 1976 Davis Cup and reached the finals for this trophy three other times between 1976 and 1980.
In “The Team,” which is being presented as a work-in-progress at the Torino Film Festival, the protagonists are the team’s players, Adriano Panatta, Corrado Barazzutti, Paolo Bertolucci, Tonino Zugarelli, and its captain, Italian tennis legend Nicola Pietrangeli.
The project is a deeply researched reconstruction of the complex – and sometimes comical – dynamics behind the Italian tennis team that won the 1976 Davis Cup and reached the finals for this trophy three other times between 1976 and 1980.
In “The Team,” which is being presented as a work-in-progress at the Torino Film Festival, the protagonists are the team’s players, Adriano Panatta, Corrado Barazzutti, Paolo Bertolucci, Tonino Zugarelli, and its captain, Italian tennis legend Nicola Pietrangeli.
- 11/28/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
![John Hurt in The Elephant Man (1980)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDVjNjIwOGItNDE3Ny00OThjLWE0NzQtZTU3YjMzZTZjMzhkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
![John Hurt in The Elephant Man (1980)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDVjNjIwOGItNDE3Ny00OThjLWE0NzQtZTU3YjMzZTZjMzhkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
Watching both versions of this 1964 drama of Elephant Man-style exploitation reveals an impressive degree of tenderness and complexity
Marco Ferreri’s 1964 movie La Donna Scimmia (The Ape Woman) is a bizarre satire whose effect depends on keeping you unsure how bizarre and how satirical it is supposed to be. This is due to the vivid streak of sentimental tragicomedy that runs through the film – in fact, through both versions of the film that were made, and that now have now been included on the Blu-ray and digital versions of this release. Producer Carlo Ponti persuaded the director to create a “happy ending” version so the film could be entered for the Cannes film festival, and there is the original version Ferreri shot with its much darker ending. But you have to watch both; this dual narrative gives the film a new tenderness and complexity.
The Ape Woman is inspired...
Marco Ferreri’s 1964 movie La Donna Scimmia (The Ape Woman) is a bizarre satire whose effect depends on keeping you unsure how bizarre and how satirical it is supposed to be. This is due to the vivid streak of sentimental tragicomedy that runs through the film – in fact, through both versions of the film that were made, and that now have now been included on the Blu-ray and digital versions of this release. Producer Carlo Ponti persuaded the director to create a “happy ending” version so the film could be entered for the Cannes film festival, and there is the original version Ferreri shot with its much darker ending. But you have to watch both; this dual narrative gives the film a new tenderness and complexity.
The Ape Woman is inspired...
- 10/7/2021
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZTliYjdiYzEtNWIwNS00NjY5LWFiNDUtNzQyN2U2Nzk5OGI2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
The David di Donatello Awards, which are modeled on the Oscars, were established in the 1950s as Italy’s film industry started thriving amid the country’s postwar reconstruction effort.
Below are some milestones that provide a partial mini-history of postwar Italian cinema.
1956: The first David di Donatello awards ceremony takes place at Rome’s Cinema Fiamma. The gold statuette, which is a replica of Michelangelo’s David, is made by Bulgari. Vittorio De Sica, Walt Disney, and Gina Lollobrigida are among the year’s prizewinners.
1957: The Davids ceremony moves to Taormina’s Ancient Greek Theater, which will host the ceremony for many more years to come. Federico Fellini wins the best director prize for “Nights of Cabiria.”
1958: Anna Magnani wins best actress for George Cukor’s “Wild Is the Wind.” Marilyn Monroe is feted for her role in “The Prince and the Showgirl,” directed by Laurence Olivier.
Below are some milestones that provide a partial mini-history of postwar Italian cinema.
1956: The first David di Donatello awards ceremony takes place at Rome’s Cinema Fiamma. The gold statuette, which is a replica of Michelangelo’s David, is made by Bulgari. Vittorio De Sica, Walt Disney, and Gina Lollobrigida are among the year’s prizewinners.
1957: The Davids ceremony moves to Taormina’s Ancient Greek Theater, which will host the ceremony for many more years to come. Federico Fellini wins the best director prize for “Nights of Cabiria.”
1958: Anna Magnani wins best actress for George Cukor’s “Wild Is the Wind.” Marilyn Monroe is feted for her role in “The Prince and the Showgirl,” directed by Laurence Olivier.
- 5/8/2020
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
![Maria Sole Tognazzi in A Five Star Life (2013)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTQ5Mjk5Mjg3NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMDMwMTUzMjE@._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,26,500,281_.jpg)
Project based on Alicia Giménez-Bartlett’s police novels.
Italy’s Cattleya is producing a TV adaptation of Alicia Giménez-Bartlett’s Petra Delicado novels.
Maria Sole Tognazzi will be the showrunner/director for the series, which will be broadcast by Sky Italia in Italy.
Tognazzi previously directed features Me, Myself & Her (2015) and A Five Star Life (2013). She is the daughter of Italian actor and director Ugo Tognazzi.
Tognazzi is one of the first women to hold such a high-profile role on a big-budget Italian series.
An airdate and number of episodes has not yet been announced.
The Petra Delicado novels revolve...
Italy’s Cattleya is producing a TV adaptation of Alicia Giménez-Bartlett’s Petra Delicado novels.
Maria Sole Tognazzi will be the showrunner/director for the series, which will be broadcast by Sky Italia in Italy.
Tognazzi previously directed features Me, Myself & Her (2015) and A Five Star Life (2013). She is the daughter of Italian actor and director Ugo Tognazzi.
Tognazzi is one of the first women to hold such a high-profile role on a big-budget Italian series.
An airdate and number of episodes has not yet been announced.
The Petra Delicado novels revolve...
- 9/18/2018
- by Gabriele Niola
- ScreenDaily
Stars: Ugo Tognazzi, Michel Serrault, Michel Galabru, Carmen Scarpitta, Remi Laurent | Written by Jean Poiret, Marcello Danon, Francis Veber, Edouard Molinaro | Directed by Edouard Molinaro
Modern audiences may be familiar with The Birdcage, the 1996 Us remake starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane. That film’s success should not have been a surprise because two decades earlier Edouard Molinaro made this French-language breakout hit.
The mainstream press ignored it. The gay media saw it as offensive stereotyping. The public loved it. Is La Cage Aux Folles an Lgbtq cinematic landmark or an exercise in camp mockery? Perhaps it’s a bit of both. One moment you’re congratulating the film for its sophisticated and normalising depictions of gay existence, and the next you’re thrown another crass and tasteless bum joke.
The setting is St Tropez, and we open with a cut-price Scorsese tracking shot, taking us into the titular cabaret club.
Modern audiences may be familiar with The Birdcage, the 1996 Us remake starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane. That film’s success should not have been a surprise because two decades earlier Edouard Molinaro made this French-language breakout hit.
The mainstream press ignored it. The gay media saw it as offensive stereotyping. The public loved it. Is La Cage Aux Folles an Lgbtq cinematic landmark or an exercise in camp mockery? Perhaps it’s a bit of both. One moment you’re congratulating the film for its sophisticated and normalising depictions of gay existence, and the next you’re thrown another crass and tasteless bum joke.
The setting is St Tropez, and we open with a cut-price Scorsese tracking shot, taking us into the titular cabaret club.
- 4/13/2018
- by Rupert Harvey
- Nerdly
Can radical theater make a good movie? Elio Petri continues his string of biting social comment movies with a black comedy about rich people, thieves, and the notion of ownership — it’s a caustic position paper but also a funny satire, with quirky yet believable characters. Ugo Tognazzi is terrific as scheming capitalist, as much a prisoner of his wealth as a poor clerk is of his poverty.
Property is No Longer a Theft
Blu-ray + DVD
Arrow Video USA
1973 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 126 min. / Street Date March 28, 2017 / La proprietà non è più un furto / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95
Starring: Ugo Tognazzi, Flavio Bucci, Daria Nicolodi, Mario Scaccia, Orazio Orlando, Julien Guiomar, Cecilia Polizzi, Jacques Herlin, Ada Pometti, Salvo Randone.
Cinematography: Luigi Kuveiller
Film Editor: Ruggero Mastroianni
Original Music: Ennio Morricone
Production design / Costume design: Gianni Polidori
Written by Elio Petri, Ugo Pirro
Produced by Claudio Mancini
Directed by Elio Petri
Essere o Avere?...
Property is No Longer a Theft
Blu-ray + DVD
Arrow Video USA
1973 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 126 min. / Street Date March 28, 2017 / La proprietà non è più un furto / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95
Starring: Ugo Tognazzi, Flavio Bucci, Daria Nicolodi, Mario Scaccia, Orazio Orlando, Julien Guiomar, Cecilia Polizzi, Jacques Herlin, Ada Pometti, Salvo Randone.
Cinematography: Luigi Kuveiller
Film Editor: Ruggero Mastroianni
Original Music: Ennio Morricone
Production design / Costume design: Gianni Polidori
Written by Elio Petri, Ugo Pirro
Produced by Claudio Mancini
Directed by Elio Petri
Essere o Avere?...
- 4/8/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
She's beautiful, desired and enjoys a social mobility in the improving Italian economy... but she's also a pawn of cruel materialist values. Stefania Sandrelli personifies a liberated spirit who lives for the moment, but who can't form the relationships we call 'living.' Antonio Pietrangeli and Ettore Scola slip an insightful drama into the young Sandrelli's lineup of comedy roles. I Knew Her Well Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 801 1965 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 115 min. / Io la conoscevo bene / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date February 23, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Stefania Sandrelli, Mario Adorf, Jean-Claude Brialy, Joachim Fuchsberger, Nino Manfredi, Enrico Maria Salerno, Ugo Tognazzi, Karin Dor, Franco Nero. Cinematography Armando Nannuzzi Production design Maurizio Chiari Film Editor Franco Fraticelli Original Music Piero Picconi Written by Antonio Pietrangeli, Ruggero Maccari, Etore Scola Produced by Turi Vasile Directed by Antonio Pietrangeli
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Did a new kind of woman emerge in the 1960s?...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Did a new kind of woman emerge in the 1960s?...
- 3/15/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Love is most definitely not a many splendored thing in the bedazzled artifice of Rome’s swinging 60s, at least as far as the good time gal depicted in Antonio Pietrangeli’s obscure 1965 title I Knew Her Well is concerned. A director lost in the shadows of other 60s Italian auteurs, where names like Antonioni, Fellini, Petri, Pasolini, Risi, or Visconti dominate contemporary conversations of the cinematic period, Criterion enables the resuscitation of Pietrangeli, a director whose filmography, notable for his complex portraits of women (sort of like the Italian version of later period Mizoguchi), is deserving of wider renown.
Adriana (Stefania Sandrelli) is a young, beautiful woman who thrusts herself into the burgeoning social scene of Rome after fleeing her rural roots. A series of random lovers finds her elevating her occupational merits through a variety of professions before she begins to land opportunities as a model and budding actress,...
Adriana (Stefania Sandrelli) is a young, beautiful woman who thrusts herself into the burgeoning social scene of Rome after fleeing her rural roots. A series of random lovers finds her elevating her occupational merits through a variety of professions before she begins to land opportunities as a model and budding actress,...
- 2/23/2016
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
The Eighth Annual Robert Classic French Film Festival — co-produced by Cinema St. Louis and the Webster University Film Series — celebrates St. Louis’ Gallic heritage and France’s cinematic legacy. The featured films span the decades from the 1920s through the early 1990s, offering a comprehensive overview of French cinema.
The fest is annually highlighted by significant restorations, and we’re especially pleased to present Jacques Rivette’s long-unavailable epic Out 1: Spectre Additional restoration highlights include Jean-Luc Godard’s A Married Woman and Max Ophüls’ too-little-seen From Mayerling To Sarajevo. Both Ophüls’ film and Louis Malle’s Elevator To The Gallows – with a jazz score by St. Louis-area native Miles Davis — screen from 35mm prints. All films will screen at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (47- E. Lockwood)
Music fans will further delight in the Rats & People Motion Picture Orchestra’s accompaniment and original score for Carl Th. Dreyer’s...
The fest is annually highlighted by significant restorations, and we’re especially pleased to present Jacques Rivette’s long-unavailable epic Out 1: Spectre Additional restoration highlights include Jean-Luc Godard’s A Married Woman and Max Ophüls’ too-little-seen From Mayerling To Sarajevo. Both Ophüls’ film and Louis Malle’s Elevator To The Gallows – with a jazz score by St. Louis-area native Miles Davis — screen from 35mm prints. All films will screen at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (47- E. Lockwood)
Music fans will further delight in the Rats & People Motion Picture Orchestra’s accompaniment and original score for Carl Th. Dreyer’s...
- 2/16/2016
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Michel Galabru (right) and Louis de Funès in 'Le gendarme et les gendarmettes.' 'La Cage aux Folles' actor Michel Galabru dead at 93 Michel Galabru, best known internationally for his role as a rabidly reactionary politician in the comedy hit La Cage aux Folles, died in his sleep today, Jan. 4, '16, in Paris. The Moroccan-born Galabru (Oct. 27, 1922, in Safi) was 93. Throughout his nearly seven-decade career, Galabru was seen in more than 200 films – or, in his own words, “182 days,” as he was frequently cast in minor roles that required only a couple of days of work. He also appeared on stage, training at the Comédie Française and studying under film and stage veteran Louis Jouvet (Bizarre Bizarre, Quai des Orfèvres), and was featured in more than 70 television productions. Michel Galabru movies Michel Galabru's film debut took place in Maurice de Canonge's La bataille du feu (“The Battle of Fire,...
- 1/5/2016
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Stars: Marcello Mastroianni, Michel Piccoli, Philippe Noiret, Ugo Tognazzi, Andréa Ferréol, Solange Blondeau, Florence Giorgetti, Michèle Alexandre, Monique Chaumette, Henri Piccoli | Written by Marco Ferreri, Rafael Azcona | Directed by Marco Ferreri
La Grande Bouffe is a film about food, about decadence and about over indulgence. Not knowing much about the film before watching it, little did I know that I’d feel I’d been the one eating too much, just by watching the movie. Typical of an Arrow Academy release, Marco Ferreri’s film is an education, and one you won’t easily forget…
When four friends Marcello (Marcello Mastroianna), Michel (Michel Piccoli), Philippe (Phillippe Noiret) and Ugo (Ugo Tognazzi) meet for a weekend at Philippe’s villa they plan to eat themselves to death. Indulging in sex with prostitutes, and most importantly never-ending eating the villa around them decays as their over indulgence takes over.
In many ways...
La Grande Bouffe is a film about food, about decadence and about over indulgence. Not knowing much about the film before watching it, little did I know that I’d feel I’d been the one eating too much, just by watching the movie. Typical of an Arrow Academy release, Marco Ferreri’s film is an education, and one you won’t easily forget…
When four friends Marcello (Marcello Mastroianna), Michel (Michel Piccoli), Philippe (Phillippe Noiret) and Ugo (Ugo Tognazzi) meet for a weekend at Philippe’s villa they plan to eat themselves to death. Indulging in sex with prostitutes, and most importantly never-ending eating the villa around them decays as their over indulgence takes over.
In many ways...
- 8/18/2015
- by Paul Metcalf
- Nerdly
To mark the release of La Grande Bouffe on 17th August, we’ve been given 3 copies to give away on DVD. Four friends, played by international superstars Marcello Mastroianni (Fellini’s 8½), Michel Piccoli (Belle de jour), Ugo Tognazzi (Barbarella) and Philippe Noiret (Cinema Paradiso) retreat to a country mansion where they determine to eat themselves
The post Win La Grande Bouffe on Blu-ray appeared first on HeyUGuys.
The post Win La Grande Bouffe on Blu-ray appeared first on HeyUGuys.
- 8/10/2015
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Marco Ferreri's 1973 film is something else: jaded, perverted, and drenched in ennui, says Peter Bradshaw. Starring Marcello Mastroianni, Ugo Tognazzi, Michel Piccoli and Philippe Noiret, it is ostensibly about four men who get together to eat themselves to death. La Grande Bouffe – aka Blow Out – is a still-jawdropping satire of decadence and conceit. It is re-released in cinemas today Continue reading...
- 7/2/2015
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Laura Antonelli: 'Malizia' actress. Laura Antonelli: 'Malizia' sex symbol who led troubled life found dead (Note: This Laura Antonelli article is currently being revised and expanded.) Laura Antonelli, for a brief while an international star thanks to scandalous sex-themed movies such as Malizia and The Divine Nymph, and who later became enmeshed in scandal and personal turmoil, was found dead by her housekeeper on Monday morning, June 22, '15, at her home in Ladispoli, in the outskirts of Rome. Antonelli had reportedly suffered a fatal heart attack. She was 73. Long after her cinema heyday, in the early '90s Antonelli made headlines following a botched plastic surgery that left her face somewhat disfigured. Also at that time, she found herself accused of drug trafficking by Italian authorities. Both incidents led to lengthy, traumatizing judicial battles. From gym teacher to 'girl bomb' Born Laura Antonaz on Nov. 28, 1941, in Pula, in the then Italian province of Istria,...
- 6/22/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
As you can probably tell, this list feels more arbitrary than others. That’s not by design, but the unfortunate premise of the list leaves some room for interpretation. As we move forward, we will start seeing the films that, if you asked a lay person to give an example, would probably be a response. In other words, more people have heard of them, which, in turn, often makes them more “definitive.” Don’t worry, though – there are still some underseen and underappreciated gems the rest of the way through.
40. Werckmeister Harmonies (2000)
Directed by: Béla Tarr
It’s certainly not the swiftest film on the list, but you can’t expect much quick plot development from Béla Tarr. Wreckmeister Harmonies takes place in a tiny Hungarian town surrounded by nothing. The winter is incredibly cold, but it never snows. Yet the townspeople are excited in the middle of town as...
40. Werckmeister Harmonies (2000)
Directed by: Béla Tarr
It’s certainly not the swiftest film on the list, but you can’t expect much quick plot development from Béla Tarr. Wreckmeister Harmonies takes place in a tiny Hungarian town surrounded by nothing. The winter is incredibly cold, but it never snows. Yet the townspeople are excited in the middle of town as...
- 8/24/2014
- by Joshua Gaul
- SoundOnSight
Robin Williams dead at 63, possible suicide: Oscar winner for ‘Good Will Hunting’ Robin Williams, Best Supporting Academy Award winner for Gus Van Sant’s Good Will Hunting, was found dead at his northern California home earlier today, August 11, 2014. According to online reports, the cause of death is believed to be suicide via asphyxiation. Williams (born in Chicago on July 21, 1951) was 63. Robin Williams was nominated for three other Academy Awards, all in the Best Actor category: Barry Levinson sleeper hit Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Peter Weir’s Dead Poets Society (1989), and Terry Gilliam’s The Fisher King (1991), opposite Jeff Bridges. One of his biggest box office hits was Mrs. Doubtfire (1994), in which he spends much of the movie in drag. Sally Field co-starred. Among Robin Williams’ other movies are George Roy Hill’s The World According to Garp (1982), in which Williams delivered one of his most restrained performances; Penny Marshall’s Best...
- 8/11/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Perks of Using the Star System: Tognazzi’s Tale a Tad Too Familiar
Maria Sole Tognazzi, daughter of famed actor/director Ugo Tognazzi, visits the mid-life crisis mode of the single female for her third feature, A Five Star Life. Featuring one of Italy’s most noted leading ladies, Margherita Buy, this rather reserved exercise feels far too buttoned up to make any lasting impression, genuine as everyone involved seems to be. The plotting, the scenario, and the eventual outcome are all far too familiar, (unique occupations aside) to register as anything more than standard cliché. Several subplots seem like a bid to pad out the running time rather than furthering the development of supporting characters.
A single, childless fortysomething woman, Irene (Buy) seems to have a dream job as a luxury hotel inspector. Sailing into extravagant lodges, she plays a mystery guest, ticking off demerits on the service and presentation.
Maria Sole Tognazzi, daughter of famed actor/director Ugo Tognazzi, visits the mid-life crisis mode of the single female for her third feature, A Five Star Life. Featuring one of Italy’s most noted leading ladies, Margherita Buy, this rather reserved exercise feels far too buttoned up to make any lasting impression, genuine as everyone involved seems to be. The plotting, the scenario, and the eventual outcome are all far too familiar, (unique occupations aside) to register as anything more than standard cliché. Several subplots seem like a bid to pad out the running time rather than furthering the development of supporting characters.
A single, childless fortysomething woman, Irene (Buy) seems to have a dream job as a luxury hotel inspector. Sailing into extravagant lodges, she plays a mystery guest, ticking off demerits on the service and presentation.
- 7/23/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Film-maker behind ground-breaking international smash hit that brought domestic gay relationships to the mainstream
Édouard Molinaro, the French film director behind the pioneering gay farce La Cage aux Folles, has died at the age of 85 from lung failure.
La Cage aux Folles, itself based on a play by Jean Poiret, starred Michel Serrault and Ugo Tognazzi as a long-term gay couple, one of whose children plans to get married to a stuffy politician's daughter. The pair must conceal their relationship when the prospective in-laws come for dinner. The film was released in 1978 to considerable box office success, in the Us as well as Europe, and broke new ground in the mainstream acceptance of a screen portrayal of domestic gay relationship. It was remade in 1990 as The Birdcage with Nathan Lane and Robin Williams in the lead roles.
Molinaro's feature debut was 1958's Back to the Wall, a blackmail yarn starring Jeanne Moreau and Gérard Oury,...
Édouard Molinaro, the French film director behind the pioneering gay farce La Cage aux Folles, has died at the age of 85 from lung failure.
La Cage aux Folles, itself based on a play by Jean Poiret, starred Michel Serrault and Ugo Tognazzi as a long-term gay couple, one of whose children plans to get married to a stuffy politician's daughter. The pair must conceal their relationship when the prospective in-laws come for dinner. The film was released in 1978 to considerable box office success, in the Us as well as Europe, and broke new ground in the mainstream acceptance of a screen portrayal of domestic gay relationship. It was remade in 1990 as The Birdcage with Nathan Lane and Robin Williams in the lead roles.
Molinaro's feature debut was 1958's Back to the Wall, a blackmail yarn starring Jeanne Moreau and Gérard Oury,...
- 12/9/2013
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
Molinaro-Directed Subtitled Comedy Blockbuster Led to Two Sequels and One Highly Popular U.S. Remake
‘La Cage aux Folles’ film: Edouard Molinaro international box office hit (photo: Ugo Tognazzi and Michel Serrault in ‘La Cage aux Folles’) (See previous post: “‘La Cage aux Folles’ Director Edouard Molinaro Dead at 85.”) But Edouard Molinaro’s best-known effort — comedy or otherwise — remains La Cage aux Folles (approximate translation: "The Cage of the Queens"), which sold 5.4 million tickets when it came out in France in 1978. Perhaps because many saw it as a letdown when compared to Jean Poiret’s immensely popular 1973 play, Molinaro’s movie ended up nominated for a single César Award — for eventual Best Actor winner Michel Serrault. Somewhat surprisingly, in the next couple of years La Cage aux Folles would become a major hit in the United States and other countries. Released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in the U.S. in 1979, the film grossed $20.42 million at the North American box office — or about $65 million in 2013 dollars, a remarkable sum for a subtitled release.
- 12/8/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Italian neorealist film director and screenwriter who made Last Days of Mussolini, starring Rod Steiger
Carlo Lizzani, who has died aged 91, after falling from a balcony at his home, was a screenwriter and director of Italian neorealist cinema who made more than 40 feature films, as well as documentaries and television series.
His first professional experiences in the film world were as an actor, playing cameos in two powerful neorealist films: Il Sole Sorge Ancora (The Sun Still Rises, 1946), directed by Aldo Vergano; and Caccia Tragica (Tragic Hunt, 1947), Giuseppe De Santis's first feature film.
In 1947 Roberto Rossellini summoned Lizzani to Berlin where he was preparing to shoot Germania Anno Zero (Germany Year Zero). Lizzani did research with East German locals which Rossellini would find useful when the film was being made without a definitive shooting script. Lizzani said later: "Rossellini filmed the story of the boy [Edmund] as if growing up...
Carlo Lizzani, who has died aged 91, after falling from a balcony at his home, was a screenwriter and director of Italian neorealist cinema who made more than 40 feature films, as well as documentaries and television series.
His first professional experiences in the film world were as an actor, playing cameos in two powerful neorealist films: Il Sole Sorge Ancora (The Sun Still Rises, 1946), directed by Aldo Vergano; and Caccia Tragica (Tragic Hunt, 1947), Giuseppe De Santis's first feature film.
In 1947 Roberto Rossellini summoned Lizzani to Berlin where he was preparing to shoot Germania Anno Zero (Germany Year Zero). Lizzani did research with East German locals which Rossellini would find useful when the film was being made without a definitive shooting script. Lizzani said later: "Rossellini filmed the story of the boy [Edmund] as if growing up...
- 10/15/2013
- by John Francis Lane
- The Guardian - Film News
Chicago – 1978’s release of the French farce “La Cage Aux Folles” was a cultural event in New York City, where it played for months to audiences who had never seen anything like it. History has somewhat reappraised the film, especially so after the release of the Mike Nichols’ remake “The Birdcage,” and seen it as more than mere popular entertainment, crediting it with opening minds to lifestyles previously closeted.
Seeing it in 2013, in the newly released Criterion release, has a weird time capsule quality to it in that I think the film is more of an “important one” than actually works on its own merits. It’s an interesting chapter in the expression of gay characters in major films but it’s inconsistent in terms of comedy and character for this viewer. The special features on the new release make the case that it’s a great work but even...
Seeing it in 2013, in the newly released Criterion release, has a weird time capsule quality to it in that I think the film is more of an “important one” than actually works on its own merits. It’s an interesting chapter in the expression of gay characters in major films but it’s inconsistent in terms of comedy and character for this viewer. The special features on the new release make the case that it’s a great work but even...
- 10/2/2013
- by [email protected] (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Italian writer, poet and film-maker who adapted and directed his own novels for the screen
The distinguished Italian novelist, poet and film-maker Alberto Bevilacqua has died aged 79. Bevilacqua was one of the most respected new Italian writers of the 1960s and won fame with two novels, both of which he adapted and directed successfully for the screen: La Califfa (The Lady Caliph), published in 1964 and filmed in 1970, and Questa Specie d'Amore (This Kind of Love), published in 1966 and filmed in 1972.
Bevilacqua was born in Parma and raised in a poor family. In his youth he wrote the novel Una Città in Amore (City of Love), which was reworked and published much later, about his adolescence in Parma and how he and his family took part in the Resistance movement. In 1955 he wrote a book of stories about local life in Parma, La Polvere sull'Erba (Dust in the grass), which was...
The distinguished Italian novelist, poet and film-maker Alberto Bevilacqua has died aged 79. Bevilacqua was one of the most respected new Italian writers of the 1960s and won fame with two novels, both of which he adapted and directed successfully for the screen: La Califfa (The Lady Caliph), published in 1964 and filmed in 1970, and Questa Specie d'Amore (This Kind of Love), published in 1966 and filmed in 1972.
Bevilacqua was born in Parma and raised in a poor family. In his youth he wrote the novel Una Città in Amore (City of Love), which was reworked and published much later, about his adolescence in Parma and how he and his family took part in the Resistance movement. In 1955 he wrote a book of stories about local life in Parma, La Polvere sull'Erba (Dust in the grass), which was...
- 9/15/2013
- by John Francis Lane
- The Guardian - Film News
Moviefone's Top DVD of the Week
"Star Trek Into Darkness"
What's It About? J.J. Abrams' second "Star Trek" installment follows the Enterprise crew when they're called back home and find an unstoppable force of terror within their own organization. Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) leads the Enterprise against a one man weapon of mass destruction. Why We're In: This sequel is exhilarating from start to finish with tons of spectacle and a solid narrative. Abarams' film perfectly mixes classic references that will excite any "Star Trek" fan, but won't make newbies feel left out. "Star Trek Into Darkness" was one of Moviefone's Best Movies of 2013 (So Far).
Watch: Get a behind-the-scenes look at the special effects of "Star Trek Into Darkness" (Video)
Rt & Follow to win a @StarTrekMovie #IntoDarkness Blu-ray & movie poster autographed by Jj Abrams and cast! Rules: http://t.co/8i1T01cxD0
- moviefone (@moviefone) September 10, 2013
Moviefone's...
"Star Trek Into Darkness"
What's It About? J.J. Abrams' second "Star Trek" installment follows the Enterprise crew when they're called back home and find an unstoppable force of terror within their own organization. Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) leads the Enterprise against a one man weapon of mass destruction. Why We're In: This sequel is exhilarating from start to finish with tons of spectacle and a solid narrative. Abarams' film perfectly mixes classic references that will excite any "Star Trek" fan, but won't make newbies feel left out. "Star Trek Into Darkness" was one of Moviefone's Best Movies of 2013 (So Far).
Watch: Get a behind-the-scenes look at the special effects of "Star Trek Into Darkness" (Video)
Rt & Follow to win a @StarTrekMovie #IntoDarkness Blu-ray & movie poster autographed by Jj Abrams and cast! Rules: http://t.co/8i1T01cxD0
- moviefone (@moviefone) September 10, 2013
Moviefone's...
- 9/10/2013
- by Erin Whitney
- Moviefone
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Sept. 10, 2013
Price: DVD $29.95, Blu-ray $39.95
Studio: Criterion
Ugo Tognazzi (l.) and Michel Serrault take it as it comes in La Cage aux Folles.
A modest French comedy that became a breakout art-house smash in America, Edouard Molinaro’s 1978 film La Cage aux Folles inspired a major Broadway musical and the blockbuster remake The Birdcage.
Renato (La grande bouffe’s Ugo Tognazzi) and Albin (Diabolique’s Michel Serrault)—a middle-aged gay couple who are the manager and star performer at a glitzy drag club in St. Tropez—agree to hide their sexual identities, along with their flamboyant personalities and home decor, when the ultraconservative parents of Renato’s son’s fiancée come for a visit. This elegant comic scenario kicks off a wild and warmhearted farce about the importance of nonconformity and the beauty of being true to oneself.
Filled with period color, hilarious performances and ahead-of-its-time social message,...
Price: DVD $29.95, Blu-ray $39.95
Studio: Criterion
Ugo Tognazzi (l.) and Michel Serrault take it as it comes in La Cage aux Folles.
A modest French comedy that became a breakout art-house smash in America, Edouard Molinaro’s 1978 film La Cage aux Folles inspired a major Broadway musical and the blockbuster remake The Birdcage.
Renato (La grande bouffe’s Ugo Tognazzi) and Albin (Diabolique’s Michel Serrault)—a middle-aged gay couple who are the manager and star performer at a glitzy drag club in St. Tropez—agree to hide their sexual identities, along with their flamboyant personalities and home decor, when the ultraconservative parents of Renato’s son’s fiancée come for a visit. This elegant comic scenario kicks off a wild and warmhearted farce about the importance of nonconformity and the beauty of being true to oneself.
Filled with period color, hilarious performances and ahead-of-its-time social message,...
- 6/19/2013
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Odd List Aliya Whiteley Feb 19, 2013
Covering 85 years of cinema, Aliya provides her pick of 25 stylish, must-see French movies...
I’m going to kick this off in best New-Wave style by pointing out that we should be praising each great director’s body of work rather than showcasing favourite movies in a list format; after all, France came up with the concept of the auteur filmmaker, stamping their personality on a film, using the camera to portray their version of the world.
Yeah, well, personality is everything. So here’s a highly personal choice, arranged in chronological order, of 25 of the most individualistic French films. They may be long or short, old or new, but they all have one thing in common – they’ve got directorial style. And by that I don’t mean their shoes match their handbags.
The Passion Of Joan Of Arc (1928)
There are no stirring battle scenes,...
Covering 85 years of cinema, Aliya provides her pick of 25 stylish, must-see French movies...
I’m going to kick this off in best New-Wave style by pointing out that we should be praising each great director’s body of work rather than showcasing favourite movies in a list format; after all, France came up with the concept of the auteur filmmaker, stamping their personality on a film, using the camera to portray their version of the world.
Yeah, well, personality is everything. So here’s a highly personal choice, arranged in chronological order, of 25 of the most individualistic French films. They may be long or short, old or new, but they all have one thing in common – they’ve got directorial style. And by that I don’t mean their shoes match their handbags.
The Passion Of Joan Of Arc (1928)
There are no stirring battle scenes,...
- 2/18/2013
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Brace yourselves. This list of the Top 100 Greatest Gay Movies is probably going to generate some howls of protest thanks to a rather major upset in the rankings. Frankly, one that surprised the hell out of us here at AfterElton.
But before we get to that, an introduction. A few weeks ago we asked AfterElton readers to submit up to ten of their favorite films by write-in vote. We conducted a similar poll several years ago, but a lot has happened culturally since then, and a number of worthy movies of gay interest have been released. We wanted to see how your list of favorites had changed.
We also wanted to expand our list to 100 from the top 50 we had done previously. We figured there were finally enough quality gay films to justify the expansion. And we wanted to break out gay documentaries onto their own list (You'll find the...
But before we get to that, an introduction. A few weeks ago we asked AfterElton readers to submit up to ten of their favorite films by write-in vote. We conducted a similar poll several years ago, but a lot has happened culturally since then, and a number of worthy movies of gay interest have been released. We wanted to see how your list of favorites had changed.
We also wanted to expand our list to 100 from the top 50 we had done previously. We figured there were finally enough quality gay films to justify the expansion. And we wanted to break out gay documentaries onto their own list (You'll find the...
- 9/11/2012
- by AfterElton.com Staff
- The Backlot
Each week within this column we strive to pair the latest in theatrical releases to worthwhile titles currently available on Netflix Instant Watch. This week we offer alternatives to Men in Black 3, Moonrise Kingdom and The Intouchables.
Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones reprise their roles as agent J and agent K in the time-traveling tale that features Josh Brolin as 1960- era K. Jemaine Clement co-stars; Barry Sonnenfeld directs.
Like your sci-fi funny?
Futurama (1999) The Simpsons creator Matt Groening took his observational and absurd humor into space for this witty and wacky cartoon series. 21st century pizza boy Philip J. Fry stumbles into a cryogenic tube and wakes up 1000 years later, where he discovers a world peopled with jaded robots, noble mutants, and bizarre aliens. Each week offers a new misadventure and plenty of jokes that reward re-watching. Billy West and Katey Sagal co-star. Seasons 1-6 now streaming.
Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones reprise their roles as agent J and agent K in the time-traveling tale that features Josh Brolin as 1960- era K. Jemaine Clement co-stars; Barry Sonnenfeld directs.
Like your sci-fi funny?
Futurama (1999) The Simpsons creator Matt Groening took his observational and absurd humor into space for this witty and wacky cartoon series. 21st century pizza boy Philip J. Fry stumbles into a cryogenic tube and wakes up 1000 years later, where he discovers a world peopled with jaded robots, noble mutants, and bizarre aliens. Each week offers a new misadventure and plenty of jokes that reward re-watching. Billy West and Katey Sagal co-star. Seasons 1-6 now streaming.
- 5/24/2012
- by [email protected] (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Director Alberto Lattuada’s keenly observed erotic comedy Come Have Coffee with Us is most definitely a product of its time (and patriarchal culture). Produced in Italy in 1970, this vibrantly shot film walks a fine line between sexism and the burgeoning feminist movement of the ‘60’s. Paronzini (played with much charm by La Cage aux Folles’ Ugo Tognazzi), a middle-aged tax inspector in a small Italian city, decides it’s time to leave his comfortable bachelor existence for a wealthy wife. He sets his sights on three single middle-aged sisters whose father (a wealthy taxidermist) recently passed away. The three women live a happy yet modest and cloistered life on an expansive estate. Fortunata (Angela Goodwin), the oldest sister, is the most prudish of the trio. Tarsilla (Francesca Romana Coluzzi) is the more adventurous middle child. Camilla (Milena Vukotic), the youngest, is naïve and childlike.
After seeking Paronzini’s advice on some tax matters,...
After seeking Paronzini’s advice on some tax matters,...
- 2/10/2012
- by Bradley Harding
- Planet Fury
Another in a series of remasters of the lesser-known Italian auteur Alberto Lattuada, Come Have Coffee with Us is a distinctly Mediterranean take on what in any other hands would be a sex farce. Fastidious, handsome war veteran Emerenziano Paronzini (Ugo Tognazzi, La Cage aux Folles) relocates to a small Lombardy town and sets his sights on the wealthy Tarsilla sisters, whose father and benefactor has recently died. Though not as "ugly" as the subtitles would have us believe, the sisters are certainly not conventionally beautiful, and certainly not young. The oldest is a stuffy, middle-aged virgin. The middle one is a childlike harpist, given to shrieks and giggles. And the youngest is a giantess and librarian, who is also being pursued by a young, poor Romeo for trysts at the local church.
Read more...
Read more...
- 1/24/2012
- by David M. DeLeon
- JustPressPlay.net
When the 64th Cannes film festival opens on 11 May, no one will get closer to the stars than Gilles Traverso – a photographer for the local papers, whose family have had unique access to the world's greatest actors for 70 years
From the first, the Cannes film festival was a media event. The films in competition had to be seen indoors, in a sacrosanct darkness from which photographers were excluded. By way of compensation, festivities in the open air gave the paparazzi a diversion. Convoys of horse-drawn carriages or open-topped cars crawled through town displaying the stars, with flower petals fluttering from on high. Photo ops cannily accentuated national stereotypes: Yves Montand stationed himself on a bench poring over Le Monde, Glenn Ford more energetically bounced on a trampoline or rode in a go-cart, and Ugo Tognazzi gave a cooking demonstration in the surf, ladling spaghetti out of a vat.
The stars were offered to the cameras,...
From the first, the Cannes film festival was a media event. The films in competition had to be seen indoors, in a sacrosanct darkness from which photographers were excluded. By way of compensation, festivities in the open air gave the paparazzi a diversion. Convoys of horse-drawn carriages or open-topped cars crawled through town displaying the stars, with flower petals fluttering from on high. Photo ops cannily accentuated national stereotypes: Yves Montand stationed himself on a bench poring over Le Monde, Glenn Ford more energetically bounced on a trampoline or rode in a go-cart, and Ugo Tognazzi gave a cooking demonstration in the surf, ladling spaghetti out of a vat.
The stars were offered to the cameras,...
- 4/30/2011
- by Peter Conrad
- The Guardian - Film News
Coming Friday to theaters is a mind-bending action flick, a kid-friendly comedy, a politically fraught biopic, and a family comedy out of France. As such, our list of correlating Instant Watches is full of action, laughs, and stars galore!
—
Sucker Punch
Zack Snyder returns to ass-kicking with this twisted tale of an institutionalized girl who retreats into an alternate reality, where she can become her own savior.
Pack your weekend with action and heroines with these pulse-pounding flicks:
Aliens: Collector’s Edition (1986) This gritty follow-up to Alien centers on Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), the badass who inspired many imitators and a two more sequels. While each of the Alien movies is worth a watch, this one scored Weaver an Oscar nod. Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen, and Bill Paxton co-star; James Cameron directs.
The Fifth Element (1997) The heroine of Luc Besson’s candy-colored sci-fi adventure isn’t just...
—
Sucker Punch
Zack Snyder returns to ass-kicking with this twisted tale of an institutionalized girl who retreats into an alternate reality, where she can become her own savior.
Pack your weekend with action and heroines with these pulse-pounding flicks:
Aliens: Collector’s Edition (1986) This gritty follow-up to Alien centers on Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), the badass who inspired many imitators and a two more sequels. While each of the Alien movies is worth a watch, this one scored Weaver an Oscar nod. Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen, and Bill Paxton co-star; James Cameron directs.
The Fifth Element (1997) The heroine of Luc Besson’s candy-colored sci-fi adventure isn’t just...
- 3/24/2011
- by Kristy Puchko
- The Film Stage
Versatile French actor whose work ranged from popular comedy to melodrama
Annie Girardot, who has died aged 79 after suffering from Alzheimer's disease, was an extremely versatile performer whose distinguished career stretched from the Comédie-Française, through popular comedies and melodramas to the French New Wave and beyond. Jean Cocteau, in whose play La Machine à Ecrire (The Typewriter) she starred, called her "the finest dramatic temperament of the postwar period". Hardly ever considered a sex goddess like her near contemporaries Jeanne Moreau and Brigitte Bardot, the petite Girardot, with her strongly etched features, often set off by short hair, and a warm deep voice was, nevertheless, able to create an erotic charge when needed.
Ironically, following her screen debut in 1956, and after nine French films in four years, she came to international prominence when her voice was dubbed into Italian in Luchino Visconti's Rocco e i Suoi Fratelli (Rocco and His Brothers,...
Annie Girardot, who has died aged 79 after suffering from Alzheimer's disease, was an extremely versatile performer whose distinguished career stretched from the Comédie-Française, through popular comedies and melodramas to the French New Wave and beyond. Jean Cocteau, in whose play La Machine à Ecrire (The Typewriter) she starred, called her "the finest dramatic temperament of the postwar period". Hardly ever considered a sex goddess like her near contemporaries Jeanne Moreau and Brigitte Bardot, the petite Girardot, with her strongly etched features, often set off by short hair, and a warm deep voice was, nevertheless, able to create an erotic charge when needed.
Ironically, following her screen debut in 1956, and after nine French films in four years, she came to international prominence when her voice was dubbed into Italian in Luchino Visconti's Rocco e i Suoi Fratelli (Rocco and His Brothers,...
- 3/2/2011
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
We at Mubi think that celebrating the films of 2010 should be a celebration of film viewing in 2010. Since all film and video is "old" one way or another, we present Out of a Past, a small (re-) collection of some of our favorite of 2010's retrospective viewings.
***
Bouteille cassée (Father Piet Verstegen M. Afr., 1952)
One morning, TO1..., comrade Möller's phone rang and a young woman with a refreshingly spunky voice said something like, Hi!, I'm that student your friend told you about—the one who's working on a documentary about the White Fathers retirement home. Today I'll have a look at the order's film collection—do you have time to come along? I could need your advise and the monk who takes care of it as well. Of course he had time—and finally the opportunity to see some of the works discussed in a hefty tome he'd bought almost...
***
Bouteille cassée (Father Piet Verstegen M. Afr., 1952)
One morning, TO1..., comrade Möller's phone rang and a young woman with a refreshingly spunky voice said something like, Hi!, I'm that student your friend told you about—the one who's working on a documentary about the White Fathers retirement home. Today I'll have a look at the order's film collection—do you have time to come along? I could need your advise and the monk who takes care of it as well. Of course he had time—and finally the opportunity to see some of the works discussed in a hefty tome he'd bought almost...
- 1/14/2011
- MUBI
Italian director Mario Monicelli, 95, jumped to his death from a Rome hospital window on Monday, according to a Reuters report citing Italian media.
Monicelli directed such classics as "I Soliti Ignoti," ("Big Deal on Madonna Street"), "The Great War," "For Love and Gold," and the "My Friends" series with Ugo Tognazzi and Philippe Noiret. He made about 70 films and wrote nearly all the screenplays himself.
...
Monicelli directed such classics as "I Soliti Ignoti," ("Big Deal on Madonna Street"), "The Great War," "For Love and Gold," and the "My Friends" series with Ugo Tognazzi and Philippe Noiret. He made about 70 films and wrote nearly all the screenplays himself.
...
- 11/30/2010
- Moving Pictures Magazine
![Mario Monicelli](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZDVmMTBiYzAtYzc4NC00ZDBlLWI0MGMtODVlNTg3Y2ZhZmU5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDUzOTQ5MjY@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
![Mario Monicelli](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZDVmMTBiYzAtYzc4NC00ZDBlLWI0MGMtODVlNTg3Y2ZhZmU5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDUzOTQ5MjY@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
Mario Monicelli, 95, who directed some of postwar Italy's most famous films and launched the careers of some of the country's greatest actors, jumped to his death from a Rome hospital window on Monday, Italian media said. Monicelli directed such classics as "I Soliti Ignoti," (Big Deal on Madonna Street), "The Great War," "For Love and Gold," and the "My Friends" series with Ugo Tognazzi and Philippe Noiret. The reports said he jumped from the fourth floor of Rome's San Giovanni hospital, where he was being treated for terminal prostate cancer. Read more...
- 11/30/2010
- The Wrap
By Ali Naderzad - July 31, 2010
Here in Paris--the Montparnasse and Odeon neighborhoods especially--there are legion movie theatres of all sizes and denominations. Careful where you walk, you might bump into one.
I like them all: the modern multiplexes and the arthouse cinemas near La Sorbonne, such as le Champo. I prefer the big loud and bright theatres because the sound is better and the screens are large. But where else can you see films by Michael Powell ("The Red Shoes" which I saw at Film Forum a year ago is now showing here) or Ettore Scola but at these neighborhood theatres? And besides, they deserve major credit for their extraordinary resiliency. The Champo has been opened since the late 1930s.
Tonight, a group of us is going to Le Champo to see Scola's "The Terrasse." Of note, is the extraordinary cast: Marcelo Mastroianni, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Serge Reggiani, Ugo Tognazzi and Vittorio Gassman.
Here in Paris--the Montparnasse and Odeon neighborhoods especially--there are legion movie theatres of all sizes and denominations. Careful where you walk, you might bump into one.
I like them all: the modern multiplexes and the arthouse cinemas near La Sorbonne, such as le Champo. I prefer the big loud and bright theatres because the sound is better and the screens are large. But where else can you see films by Michael Powell ("The Red Shoes" which I saw at Film Forum a year ago is now showing here) or Ettore Scola but at these neighborhood theatres? And besides, they deserve major credit for their extraordinary resiliency. The Champo has been opened since the late 1930s.
Tonight, a group of us is going to Le Champo to see Scola's "The Terrasse." Of note, is the extraordinary cast: Marcelo Mastroianni, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Serge Reggiani, Ugo Tognazzi and Vittorio Gassman.
- 7/30/2010
- by Screen Comment
- Screen Comment
When studios put out themed DVD collections for whatever occasion, the final result rarely does the subject in question justice. When they seek to honor independent flicks they typically just go for the most popular ones and not the best. For foreign films they’ll select the few that actually made ripples and not the underdog that had to fight for every theater screen. However, when MGM compiled its Cinema Pride Collection in honor of June being Gay Pride month they hit the nail on the head – and they hit it dead on. The collection not only features some of the favorites within the gay community but it features a few highly acclaimed heavy hitters as well. This may just be one of the best box sets a studio has ever released that isn’t based on one actor or director’s filmography. It has variety and it has quality in spades.
- 6/13/2010
- by Lex Walker
- JustPressPlay.net
![Ugo Tognazzi](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMzAxOTkyODAzOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwODc4MjM5OA@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR3,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Ugo Tognazzi](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMzAxOTkyODAzOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwODc4MjM5OA@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR3,0,140,207_.jpg)
The Rome Film Festival, which runs Oct. 28-Nov. 5, will pay tribute to Ugo Tognazzi on the 20th anniversary of his death with the world premiere of "Ritratto di mio padre" (Portrait of My Father), a documentary by his daughter Maria Sole Tognazzi.
In addition, every film in competition in the fest's various sections will be preceded by a montage of Tognazzi's greatest performances spanning his entire career.
The fest will also screen the actor's son Ricky Tognazzi's new film "Il padre e lo strainer," based on the novel of the same name by Giancarlo De Cataldo and starring Alessandro Gassman and Ksenia Rappoport.
In addition, every film in competition in the fest's various sections will be preceded by a montage of Tognazzi's greatest performances spanning his entire career.
The fest will also screen the actor's son Ricky Tognazzi's new film "Il padre e lo strainer," based on the novel of the same name by Giancarlo De Cataldo and starring Alessandro Gassman and Ksenia Rappoport.
![Ugo Tognazzi in Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man (1981)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZWFiMzc0ZTEtNzQ0MC00ZTk1LWFhMzMtMzBjNDA4NTcwOWQ3XkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR5,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Ugo Tognazzi in Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man (1981)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZWFiMzc0ZTEtNzQ0MC00ZTk1LWFhMzMtMzBjNDA4NTcwOWQ3XkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR5,0,140,207_.jpg)
Rome -- The Rome International Film Festival said Thursday it would honor the late director and actor Ugo Tognazzi at its next edition, with a tribute that will include the premiere of "Il padre e lo straniero" ("The Father and the Foreigner"), directed by Tognazzi's son Ricky Tognazzi.
The film, based on a novel from Giancarlo de Cataldo, stars Alessandro Gasman and Ksenia Rappoport in the lead roles.
The homage will take place on the 20th anniversary of the death of the elder Tognazzi, who the festival referred to as one of the "leading Italian actors of the 20th century."
In a prolific 40-year career, Tognazzi was featured in more than 150 films and television dramas. He is best known for winning the Best Actor prize in Cannes in 1981 for the title role in "La tragedia di un uomo ridicolo" ("The Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man"), and for his 1967 Golden Globe...
The film, based on a novel from Giancarlo de Cataldo, stars Alessandro Gasman and Ksenia Rappoport in the lead roles.
The homage will take place on the 20th anniversary of the death of the elder Tognazzi, who the festival referred to as one of the "leading Italian actors of the 20th century."
In a prolific 40-year career, Tognazzi was featured in more than 150 films and television dramas. He is best known for winning the Best Actor prize in Cannes in 1981 for the title role in "La tragedia di un uomo ridicolo" ("The Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man"), and for his 1967 Golden Globe...
- 6/3/2010
- by By Eric J. Lyman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
One of Italy's leading screenwriters, he worked on 140 films
One of Italy's most respected and prolific screenwriters, Furio Scarpelli, who has died aged 90, worked on the scripts of about 140 films, sometimes without a credit, and received three shared Oscar nominations, for I Compagni (The Organiser, 1963), Casanova '70 (1965) and Il Postino (1994). Scarpelli enjoyed a lengthy writing partnership, from 1949 until 1985, with Agenore Incrocci, also known as Age. The pair collaborated on the 1958 film I Soliti Ignoti (Big Deal on Madonna Street), about a team of makeshift thieves, which owed much of its success to the brilliant comic characterisations. The film, starring Vittorio Gassman and Marcello Mastroianni, helped to launch the genre of commedia all'italiana ("comedy Italian-style").
Scarpelli was born in Rome. His Neapolitan father, Filiberto, was a satirical writer who founded a humorous magazine, Il Travaso delle Idee. Furio began his own career as a cartoonist. It was after the second world war,...
One of Italy's most respected and prolific screenwriters, Furio Scarpelli, who has died aged 90, worked on the scripts of about 140 films, sometimes without a credit, and received three shared Oscar nominations, for I Compagni (The Organiser, 1963), Casanova '70 (1965) and Il Postino (1994). Scarpelli enjoyed a lengthy writing partnership, from 1949 until 1985, with Agenore Incrocci, also known as Age. The pair collaborated on the 1958 film I Soliti Ignoti (Big Deal on Madonna Street), about a team of makeshift thieves, which owed much of its success to the brilliant comic characterisations. The film, starring Vittorio Gassman and Marcello Mastroianni, helped to launch the genre of commedia all'italiana ("comedy Italian-style").
Scarpelli was born in Rome. His Neapolitan father, Filiberto, was a satirical writer who founded a humorous magazine, Il Travaso delle Idee. Furio began his own career as a cartoonist. It was after the second world war,...
- 5/17/2010
- by John Francis Lane
- The Guardian - Film News
DVD Playhouse—July 2009
By
Allen Gardner
Do The Right Thing: 20th Anniversary Edition (Universal) Spike Lee’s groundbreaking fable about race relations in an ethnically mixed Brooklyn neighborhood during a sweltering New York summer remains as potent, timely and prescient as it was in 1989. Lee is among the cast, which also includes John Turturro, Danny Aiello, Samuel L. Jackson, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, and Rosie Perez (to name a few), that provide the tableaux-like framework for this stunning work. Criminally ignored by Oscar (it wasn't even nominated for Best Picture, but did garner nods for Supporting Actor Danny Aiello and Lee’s screenplay), it endures as a timeless classic. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Commentary by Lee, Ernest Dickerson, Wynn Thomas, Joie Lee; Documentary; Deleted and extended scenes; Featurettes. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS 5.1 surround.
Coraline (Universal) A young girl moves into an old Victorian house with her parents...
By
Allen Gardner
Do The Right Thing: 20th Anniversary Edition (Universal) Spike Lee’s groundbreaking fable about race relations in an ethnically mixed Brooklyn neighborhood during a sweltering New York summer remains as potent, timely and prescient as it was in 1989. Lee is among the cast, which also includes John Turturro, Danny Aiello, Samuel L. Jackson, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, and Rosie Perez (to name a few), that provide the tableaux-like framework for this stunning work. Criminally ignored by Oscar (it wasn't even nominated for Best Picture, but did garner nods for Supporting Actor Danny Aiello and Lee’s screenplay), it endures as a timeless classic. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Commentary by Lee, Ernest Dickerson, Wynn Thomas, Joie Lee; Documentary; Deleted and extended scenes; Featurettes. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS 5.1 surround.
Coraline (Universal) A young girl moves into an old Victorian house with her parents...
- 7/14/2009
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Clips (not suitable for work) from Marco Ferreri's acclaimed masterpiece. A Palme d’Or nominee and winner of the Fiprexci Prize at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival, La Grande Bouffe is one of the best known and most controversial arthouse films of all time. Directed by Marco Ferreri (Tales Of Ordinary Madness) and starring four of the finest European actors of their generation – Marcello Mastroianni (La Dolce Vita), Michel Piccoli (Atlantic City), Philippe Noiret (Cinema Paradiso) and Ugo Tognazzi (Barbarella) – La Grande Bouffechronicles, in unflinching and often hilarious detail, an outrageous weekend-long orgy of gluttonous debauchery undertaken by four middle-aged friends.
La Grande Bouffe - review
Read More
tags: arthouse, film clips, world cinema...
La Grande Bouffe - review
Read More
tags: arthouse, film clips, world cinema...
- 6/23/2009
- by Leigh
- Latemag.com/film
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.