80% (2) Black Sabbath 92 min, Not Rated, [Horror] [Mario Bava] [06 May 1964]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 72%, Rotten Tomatoes: 88%, External Reviews
Awards: 2 wins & 1 nomination.
Actors: Boris Karloff, Lidia Alfonsi, Mark Damon, Michèle Mercier
Writer: Anton Chekhov (freely adapted from three stories by), Aleksei Tolstoy (freely adapted from three stories by), Guy de Maupassant (freely adapted from three stories by), Marcello Fondato (screenplay), Alberto Bevilacqua (screenplay with the collaboration of), Mario Bava (screenplay with the collaboration of)
External Links: Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: Italian, English Country: Italy, France, USA
Plot: A trio of atmospheric horror tales about: A woman terrorized in her apartment by phone calls from an escaped prisoner from her past; a Russian count in the early 1800s who stumbles upon a family in the countryside trying to destroy a particularly vicious line of vampires; and a 1900-era nurse who makes a fateful decision while preparing the corpse of one of her patients - an elderly medium who died during a seance.
Rotten Tomatoes: This anthology features three chilling horror stories. "Il Telefono" is credited to Guy de Maupassant, although he never wrote such a story, and concerns a woman (Michele Mercier) receiving telephone calls from beyond the grave. "Wurdulak", by Alexei Tolstoi, stars Boris Karloff as an aging vampire who can only feed on those he loves. Co-starring Mark Damon and Susy Andersen, it is clearly the best story of the three. The final tale, "La Goccia d'Acqua," is falsely credited to Anton Chekhov. It features Jacqueline Pierreux stealing a ring from a corpse she is preparing for burial, only to be murdered by the old woman's ghost. The American version differs in four major areas: the print is shorter, the stories appear in a different order, there is a linking device with Karloff speaking directly to the audience from a foggy void, and Roberto Nicolosi's musical score is replaced with one by lounge-icon Les Baxter. The American release of the film is also missing a comic coda featuring Karloff riding on horseback (or is he?); this appears in most Eurpoean prints of the film, including Mario Bava's original cut. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
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72% (1) Roaring Years 106 min, [Comedy] [Luigi Zampa] [21 Apr 1962]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 74%, External Reviews
Awards: 1 win.
Actors: Gastone Moschin, Gino Cervi, Michèle Mercier, Nino Manfredi
Writer: Sergio Amidei (story), Vincenzo Talarico (story), Luigi Zampa (story), Ettore Scola (screenplay), Ruggero Maccari (screenplay), Luigi Zampa (screenplay)
External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: Italian Country: Italy
Plot: In the thirties, during the Fascist Dictatorship, an insurance broker, Omero Battifiori, reaches a small country town from Rome seeking for new customers. The main authorities, expecting an incognito inspection from the Fascist Party of the capital, suspect him to be the inspector and a very important member of the Party. The misunderstanding leads to a number of equivocals until Omero reveals his identity.
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69% (1) Cemetery Without Crosses 90 min, Not Rated, [Western] [Robert Hossein] [25 Jan 1969]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 69%, External Reviews
Awards: 1 nomination.
Actors: Daniele Vargas, Guido Lollobrigida, Michèle Mercier, Robert Hossein
Writer: Robert Hossein (scenario), Claude Desailly (scenario), Dario Argento (scenario), Robert Hossein (adaptation), Claude Desailly (adaptation), Dario Argento (adaptation), Robert Hossein (dialogue), Claude Desailly (dialogue), Dario Argento (dialogue)
External Links: Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: French, Italian, Spanish Country: France, Italy
Plot: The Rogers family are rich and powerful cattle and land owners. The Caine brothers - Ben, Thomas and Eli - rebel against them and steal a shipment of gold coins. The Rogers are used to settling their affairs personally and kill Ben, while the other two manage to escape, although their house is burned down. Maria, Ben's wife, has only one wish: to avenge her husband's death. Only one person will help her to achieve this end: Manuel, a lonely gunfighter who accepts to help her due to his past relationship with Maria and Ben. Manuel decides to kidnap Diana, the Rogers' beloved daughter, and Maria obliges her father and his three sons to humble themselves on Ben's grave and ask for forgiveness. However, both the Rogers and the Caines' plans for each other go awry... with tragic and deadly results.
Rotten Tomatoes: This western finds Manuel (Robert Hossein) visiting his friends only to discover the husband has been murdered in a feud between two rival families. He promises the widow he will kidnap the daughter of the other family to avenge the killing. Manuel manages to apprehend the girl, and the widow has the girl raped. She offers the young woman back to her family in exchange for a decent burial for her murdered husband. The family of the kidnapped girl rides into town for the inevitable showdown in this violent story of murder and revenge. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
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64% (1) Casanova 70 113 min, Not Rated, [Drama, Comedy] [Mario Monicelli] [11 Aug 1965]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 64%, External Reviews
Awards: Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins.
Actors: Marcello Mastroianni, Marisa Mell, Michèle Mercier, Virna Lisi
Writer: Agenore Incrocci (story and screenplay), Furio Scarpelli (story and screenplay), Mario Monicelli (story and screenplay), Tonino Guerra (story and screenplay), Giorgio Salvioni (story and screenplay), Suso Cecchi D'Amico (story and screenplay)
External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: Italian Country: Italy, France
Plot: Andrea Rossi-Colombotti, a U.N. official and modern-day Casanova, cannot get aroused unless there's danger in sex, but women and society are too compliant, so he's often impotent. A psychiatrist warns him it will get worse, and he should be celibate. Andrea tries and fails at that, abandons his fiancée, finds the occasional life-threatening liaison, and pursues a woman tethered to a dull but murderous husband. Will Andrea find pleasure and fulfillment, or is he doomed to pursue and then go limp when the pursuit is successful?
Rotten Tomatoes: The film finds army officer Andrea dealing with a particularly strange case of impotence: his libido only gets aroused in the middle of near-death experiences. So while candle-lit dinners leave him cold, a female lion tamer or a General's wife expand his lust to dangerous proportions. After a visit to a psychoanalyst, he fears his vice will lead to an early grave, so he attempts to live as a celibate with the virginal beauty Gigliola, but he is only delaying his inevitable descent back into sin
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53% (1) A Global Affair 84 min, [Comedy] [Jack Arnold] [30 Jan 1964]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 53%, External Reviews
Awards: Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 1 win.
Actors: Bob Hope, Elga Andersen, Michèle Mercier, Yvonne De Carlo
Writer: Jack Arnold (screenplay), Bob Fisher (screenplay), Charles Lederer (screenplay), Arthur Marx (screenplay), Eugene Vale (story)
External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: English Country: USA
Plot: As an employee at the United Nations building in New York City, Bob Hope finds himself in charge of an infant abandoned at the UN. Besides being a bachelor trying to cope with an infant, he must determine which nationality the baby is to have since he was abandoned on international territory. Women from several countries appear at his doorstep trying to tempt him and to get him to choose their country.
Rotten Tomatoes: In this comedy, the head of a United Nations department suddenly becomes a father when he stumbles across an abandoned baby in one of the halls. He tries to find a home for the darling and suddenly finds himself surrounded by assorted exotic beauties all trying to win the baby for their country. In the end, though, the bachelor takes the babe for his own. Songs include: "So Wide the World," "Fais Do Do," and "A Global Affair."
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