Austria’s refreshingly outré official submission to this year’s Oscars race (it didn’t advance to the shortlist) is a captivating exploration of glamour, schmoozing and the soul-draining superficialities of what Joni Mitchell called the star-making machinery. As with their previous features, directors Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel handle all the top-line production duties themselves on Vera, shooting on 16mm and using mostly nonprofessional actors in a blend of drama and documentary. But their latest outing is also a leap into more structured fiction, and at its center is a woman who’s no stranger to the camera.
Vera Gemma, who won the Orizzonti Award for best female performance upon the film’s Venice premiere, has been a reality star, stripper, lion tamer, writer and director, as well as an actor. She grew up on movie sets, at the feet of her famous dad, Giuliano Gemma, a beloved luminary...
Vera Gemma, who won the Orizzonti Award for best female performance upon the film’s Venice premiere, has been a reality star, stripper, lion tamer, writer and director, as well as an actor. She grew up on movie sets, at the feet of her famous dad, Giuliano Gemma, a beloved luminary...
- 2/9/2024
- by Sheri Linden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Italian multi-hyphenate Vera Gemma, who is the daughter of iconic Spaghetti Western star Giuliano Gemma, grew up in the shadow of her father’s fame. But in “Vera” — Austria’s candidate for the best international feature Oscar, directed by Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel — she’s the one in the spotlight.
The moving but never maudlin portrait of the burden of being born into celebrity launched from the 2022 Venice Film Festival’s cutting-edge Horizons section, where it had the rare distinction of winning awards for both best director and actress before going on to garner more praise on the fest circuit.
Below, Gemma speaks to Variety about how the film mirrors her real life, navigating her father’s legacy and making carbonara for Quentin Tarantino.
How did this film about you originate?
We met while they were making a doc titled “Mister Universo” about an animal tamer and I was...
The moving but never maudlin portrait of the burden of being born into celebrity launched from the 2022 Venice Film Festival’s cutting-edge Horizons section, where it had the rare distinction of winning awards for both best director and actress before going on to garner more praise on the fest circuit.
Below, Gemma speaks to Variety about how the film mirrors her real life, navigating her father’s legacy and making carbonara for Quentin Tarantino.
How did this film about you originate?
We met while they were making a doc titled “Mister Universo” about an animal tamer and I was...
- 12/13/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Premiering at the 2022 Venice Film Festival in the Horizons sidebar (where it was awarded Best Director and Best Actress), Tiza Covi and Rainer Frimmel‘s latest film Vera is a unique hybrid docu-fiction portrait of actress Vera Gemma, daughter of famed Spaghetti Western star Giuliano Gemma. Exploring the darker side of nepotism in an industry which unfortunately rewards superficial tendencies, Vera’s origins have allowed for a certain livelihood but also has been her albatross. Through semi-autobiographical flourishes, she plays herself in a narrative which further blurs the lines of reality.
I spoke with directors Tiza Covi and Rainer Frimmel, as well as star Vera Gemma to discuss Vera, Austria’s official submission in the category of Best International Feature for the 96th Academy Awards.…...
I spoke with directors Tiza Covi and Rainer Frimmel, as well as star Vera Gemma to discuss Vera, Austria’s official submission in the category of Best International Feature for the 96th Academy Awards.…...
- 11/20/2023
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Screen is profiling every submission for best international feature at the 96th Academy Awards.
Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...
Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...
- 10/5/2023
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
Screen is profiling every submission for best international feature at the 96th Academy Awards.
Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...
Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...
- 10/2/2023
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
After the lackluster reception of Inferno, the second entry in his supernaturally inclined Three Mothers trilogy, Dario Argento pivoted back to the giallo genre that he’d helped put on the world-cinema map with the release of The Bird with the Crystal Plumage back in 1970. Not content to merely “return to form,” and plagued by some personal demons of his own, Argento unleashed the supreme meta-giallo Tenebrae, an endlessly reflexive murder mystery about the solving of murder mysteries.
The notion that Tenebrae is primarily concerned with the conditions of its own making is signaled straight away. The first thing we see is a copy of a book also called Tenebrae. A voiceover narrator declaims a passage that describes murder as a liberating, creative act. What’s more, the scene introduces two of the most elemental bits of giallo iconography: the black gloves worn by the killer and a shiny cutthroat razor.
The notion that Tenebrae is primarily concerned with the conditions of its own making is signaled straight away. The first thing we see is a copy of a book also called Tenebrae. A voiceover narrator declaims a passage that describes murder as a liberating, creative act. What’s more, the scene introduces two of the most elemental bits of giallo iconography: the black gloves worn by the killer and a shiny cutthroat razor.
- 9/26/2023
- by Budd Wilkins
- Slant Magazine
After helping to pioneer Italy’s budding giallo genre throughout the 1970s with influential titles like The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, The Cat o’ Nine Tails, Four Flies on Grey Velvet, and Deep Red, Dario Argento took a brief sabbatical from the lurid thrillers to explore supernatural elements in Suspiria and Inferno. When the latter failed at the box office, he made a triumphant return to gialli in 1982 with Tenebrae (sometimes spelled Tenebre; originally released in the US as Unsane).
While his American contemporaries were trying to come up with inventive instruments of death to propel slasher films, Argento was designing more lavish ways to film his kill scenes. Suspiria remains his crowning achievement, but Tenebrae finds the filmmaker bringing his honed visual panache to the giallo sandbox in which he made a name for himself. The result stands not only as one of Argento’s strongest efforts but also a landmark giallo work.
While his American contemporaries were trying to come up with inventive instruments of death to propel slasher films, Argento was designing more lavish ways to film his kill scenes. Suspiria remains his crowning achievement, but Tenebrae finds the filmmaker bringing his honed visual panache to the giallo sandbox in which he made a name for himself. The result stands not only as one of Argento’s strongest efforts but also a landmark giallo work.
- 9/26/2023
- by Alex DiVincenzo
- bloody-disgusting.com
Antonio Margheriti made several space epics about ‘errant planets’ posing dangers to Earth; this one gets all the attention via star casting. Claude Rains’ bombastic but brilliant scientist advises space command to blow up the planetoid, and then chooses attack day to go see its interior for himself. Toy rockets, overripe dialogue and thunderous acting from Rains ensue, leading to a finale in an ‘alien brain cave’ made of colored plastic tubes. This critical ‘triumph of the imagination’ indeed makes something entertaining out of very, very little. The presentation includes a half-hour docu hosted by Tim Lucas, a graduate class listed as ‘Italo Space Intro 101.’
Battle of the Worlds
Blu-ray
The Film Detective
1962 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 84 min. / Street Date August 9, 2022 / Il pianeta degli uomini spenti / Available from The Film Detective
Starring: Claude Rains, Bill Carter, Umberto Orsini, Maya Brent, Jacqueline Derval, Renzo Palmer, Carlo d’Angelo, Carol Danell, Jim Dolen, Joe Pollini,...
Battle of the Worlds
Blu-ray
The Film Detective
1962 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 84 min. / Street Date August 9, 2022 / Il pianeta degli uomini spenti / Available from The Film Detective
Starring: Claude Rains, Bill Carter, Umberto Orsini, Maya Brent, Jacqueline Derval, Renzo Palmer, Carlo d’Angelo, Carol Danell, Jim Dolen, Joe Pollini,...
- 7/26/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
UK correspondent Lee Broughton returns with coverage of a well-realised Spaghetti Western, Michele Lupo’s irony-laden semi-comedy Ben & Charlie. The film’s eponymous anti-heroes are played by fan favourites Giuliano Gemma and George Eastman and the duo receive great support from a number of familiar faces including Marisa Mell, Aldo Sambrell and Giacomo Rossi Stuart.
Ben & Charlie
Region-Free Blu-ray
Explosive Media GmbH
1972 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 113 min. / Amigo, Stay Away; Amico, stammi lontano almeno un palmo / Street Date, 28 October 2021 / Available from Explosive Media / £22.99
Starring: Giuliano Gemma, George Eastman, Vittorio Congia, Luciano Lorcas, Giacomo Rossi Stuart, Remo Capitani, Nello Pazzafini, Marisa Mell, Aldo Sambrell, Roberto Camardiel.
Cinematography: Aristide Massaccesi
Production Designer: Dario Micheli
Film Editor: Antonietta Zita
Original Music: Gianni Ferrio
Written by Luigi Montefiori and Sergio Donati
Produced by Lucio Bompani
Directed by Michele Lupo
Charlie (George Eastman) patiently waits outside of a Mexican prison so that he can give his...
Ben & Charlie
Region-Free Blu-ray
Explosive Media GmbH
1972 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 113 min. / Amigo, Stay Away; Amico, stammi lontano almeno un palmo / Street Date, 28 October 2021 / Available from Explosive Media / £22.99
Starring: Giuliano Gemma, George Eastman, Vittorio Congia, Luciano Lorcas, Giacomo Rossi Stuart, Remo Capitani, Nello Pazzafini, Marisa Mell, Aldo Sambrell, Roberto Camardiel.
Cinematography: Aristide Massaccesi
Production Designer: Dario Micheli
Film Editor: Antonietta Zita
Original Music: Gianni Ferrio
Written by Luigi Montefiori and Sergio Donati
Produced by Lucio Bompani
Directed by Michele Lupo
Charlie (George Eastman) patiently waits outside of a Mexican prison so that he can give his...
- 5/21/2022
- by Lee Broughton
- Trailers from Hell
Welcome back to Let’s Scare Bryan to Death, where this month we’re diving into a heaping helping of giallo. Now, I’ve never been shy about sharing my misgivings with the giallo subgenre. My inability to get over the cognitive dissonance instilled by the wonky dubbing and the convoluted mystery elements usually keep me from truly loving Italian horror’s most famous import. But although I’m too often underwhelmed by the overall product, I find at least something to like about any giallo I watch. So I’m always up for trying a new one, especially if I get a chance to see the great John Saxon wearing a very silly fedora.
With that in mind, I’m very grateful to this month’s guest, Mark O. Estes, as he’s introducing me to Tenebrae, the 1982 offering from giallo maestro Dario Argento. You may know Estes as...
With that in mind, I’m very grateful to this month’s guest, Mark O. Estes, as he’s introducing me to Tenebrae, the 1982 offering from giallo maestro Dario Argento. You may know Estes as...
- 3/30/2022
- by Bryan Christopher
- DailyDead
Lee Broughton returns with a review of Michele Lupo’s fine-looking Spaghetti Western, Arizona Colt. Giuliano Gemma stars as the eponymous anti-hero-cum-bounty killer who goes head-to-head with Fernando Sancho’s villainous Mexican bandit. The show’s collateral damage comes in the shapely form of fan favourite Rosalba Neri while its highly reluctant love interest is played by none other than Corinne Marchand, of Cleo from 5 to 7 fame.
Arizona Colt
Region Free Blu-ray
Wild East
1966 / Color / 2.35:1 widescreen / 116 min. / Il Pistolero di Arizona, The Man From Nowhere / Street Date 9 February 2021 / Available from Wild East / 16.95
Starring: Giuliano Gemma, Fernando Sancho, Corinne Marchand, Roberto Camardiel, Rosalba Neri, Nello Pazzafini, Jose Manuel Martin, Andrea Bosic.
Cinematography: Guglielmo Mancori
Film Editor: Antonietta Zita
Art director: Walter Patriarca
Original Music: Francesco De Masi
Written by Ernesto Gastaldi, Luciano Martino
Produced by Elio Scardamaglia
Directed by Michele Lupo
A sadistic bandit, Gordo (Fernando Sancho), expands his gang...
Arizona Colt
Region Free Blu-ray
Wild East
1966 / Color / 2.35:1 widescreen / 116 min. / Il Pistolero di Arizona, The Man From Nowhere / Street Date 9 February 2021 / Available from Wild East / 16.95
Starring: Giuliano Gemma, Fernando Sancho, Corinne Marchand, Roberto Camardiel, Rosalba Neri, Nello Pazzafini, Jose Manuel Martin, Andrea Bosic.
Cinematography: Guglielmo Mancori
Film Editor: Antonietta Zita
Art director: Walter Patriarca
Original Music: Francesco De Masi
Written by Ernesto Gastaldi, Luciano Martino
Produced by Elio Scardamaglia
Directed by Michele Lupo
A sadistic bandit, Gordo (Fernando Sancho), expands his gang...
- 3/23/2021
- by Lee Broughton
- Trailers from Hell
[This October is "Gialloween" on Daily Dead, as we celebrate the Halloween season by diving into the macabre mysteries, creepy kills, and eccentric characters found in some of our favorite giallo films! Keep checking back on Daily Dead this month for more retrospectives on classic, cult, and altogether unforgettable gialli, and visit our online hub to catch up on all of our Gialloween special features!]
While Tenebrae wasn’t my first foray into Italian horror (that honor would go to Suspiria), it was my very first experience with Giallo cinema, which is probably why it’s always been my favorite entry in this subgenre of mystery thrillers. I first watched Tenebrae on a whim somewhere between the ages of 14 and 16, and while I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t totally “get it” at the time, there was something endlessly fascinating about it all the same that completely hooked me as a viewer and as a horror fan.
As I got older, I tucked Tenebrae away somewhere in the back of my brain, and it wasn’t until I went to Coachella 2008, of all places, when the film would find its way back into my life. It was on the final night of Coachella when I decided to ditch out on Roger Waters...
While Tenebrae wasn’t my first foray into Italian horror (that honor would go to Suspiria), it was my very first experience with Giallo cinema, which is probably why it’s always been my favorite entry in this subgenre of mystery thrillers. I first watched Tenebrae on a whim somewhere between the ages of 14 and 16, and while I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t totally “get it” at the time, there was something endlessly fascinating about it all the same that completely hooked me as a viewer and as a horror fan.
As I got older, I tucked Tenebrae away somewhere in the back of my brain, and it wasn’t until I went to Coachella 2008, of all places, when the film would find its way back into my life. It was on the final night of Coachella when I decided to ditch out on Roger Waters...
- 10/31/2020
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Guest reviewer Lee Broughton tackles Tonino Valerii’s Spaghetti Western-cum-political conspiracy thriller. By brazenly transposing key aspects of John F. Kennedy’s assassination onto the assassination of James A. Garfield in 1881, Valerii gives both western and conspiracy film fans much food for thought. A career best performance by Giuliano Gemma, repurposed sets from Once Upon a Time in the West and great turns by a plethora of Sergio Leone’s regular supporting actors bring a sense of gravitas to this intriguing show.
A Bullet for the President
Region Free Blu-ray
Wild East
1969 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 112 min. / Il prezzo del potere, The Price of Power / Street Date November 25, 2019 / 18.45
Starring: Giuliano Gemma, Warren Vanders, Van Johnson, Maria Cuadra, Ray Saunders, Fernando Rey, Antonio Casas, Benito Stefanelli, Jose Suarez, Jose Calvo, Manuel Zarzo, Michael Harvey, Norma Jordan, Angel Alvarez.
Cinematography: Stelvio Massi
Film Editor: Franco Fraticelli
Original Music: Luis Bacalov
Production Designer: Carlo Leva...
A Bullet for the President
Region Free Blu-ray
Wild East
1969 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 112 min. / Il prezzo del potere, The Price of Power / Street Date November 25, 2019 / 18.45
Starring: Giuliano Gemma, Warren Vanders, Van Johnson, Maria Cuadra, Ray Saunders, Fernando Rey, Antonio Casas, Benito Stefanelli, Jose Suarez, Jose Calvo, Manuel Zarzo, Michael Harvey, Norma Jordan, Angel Alvarez.
Cinematography: Stelvio Massi
Film Editor: Franco Fraticelli
Original Music: Luis Bacalov
Production Designer: Carlo Leva...
- 7/18/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
A Pistol For Ringo & The Return Of Ringo: Two Films by Duccio Tessari will be available on Blu-ray April 24th From Arrow Video
The original Ringo films introduced another iconic hero to the spaghetti western; a clean-cut sharp shooter who was markedly different to Clint Eastwood’s Man With No Name.
In A Pistol For Ringo, the eponymous hero, played by Giuliano Gemma (Day of Anger, Tenebrae), infiltrates a ranch of Mexican bandits to save a beautiful hostage (Nieves Navarro, Death Walks on High Heels). In The Return Of Ringo, the gunslinger, now a veteran of war, disguises himself as a Mexican in order to take revenge on outlaws who have stolen his property and taken his wife.
Hugely successful upon their original release, thanks in part to the skilled direction of Duccio Tessari (The Bloodstained Butterfly, Death Occurred Last Night), the Ringo films proved influential on the Italian western,...
The original Ringo films introduced another iconic hero to the spaghetti western; a clean-cut sharp shooter who was markedly different to Clint Eastwood’s Man With No Name.
In A Pistol For Ringo, the eponymous hero, played by Giuliano Gemma (Day of Anger, Tenebrae), infiltrates a ranch of Mexican bandits to save a beautiful hostage (Nieves Navarro, Death Walks on High Heels). In The Return Of Ringo, the gunslinger, now a veteran of war, disguises himself as a Mexican in order to take revenge on outlaws who have stolen his property and taken his wife.
Hugely successful upon their original release, thanks in part to the skilled direction of Duccio Tessari (The Bloodstained Butterfly, Death Occurred Last Night), the Ringo films proved influential on the Italian western,...
- 3/6/2018
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Stars: Lee Van Cleef, Giuliano Gemma, Walter Rilla, Christa Linder, Yvonne Sanson, Lukas Ammann, Andrea Bosic, Ennio Balbo, José Calvo, Giorgio Gargiullo | Written by Ernesto Gastaldi, Tonino Valerii, Renzo Genta | Directed by Tonino Valerii
When it comes to cult Italian movies we tend to know them for two things, horror and the Spaghetti Western. This is probably why Arrow Video looked to the western for one of their latest releases with Day of Anger. Starring Lee Van Cleef who had somewhat of a career comeback with the Italian westerns is it about time to take another look at this movie?
Scott Mary (Giuliano Gemma) is at the bottom of the social ladder in the perfect little town of Clifton. Bullied and made to do the jobs like cleaning out the toilets, picking up trash and sweeping the floors he dreams of a better life. When an ageing gunfighter Frank Talby...
When it comes to cult Italian movies we tend to know them for two things, horror and the Spaghetti Western. This is probably why Arrow Video looked to the western for one of their latest releases with Day of Anger. Starring Lee Van Cleef who had somewhat of a career comeback with the Italian westerns is it about time to take another look at this movie?
Scott Mary (Giuliano Gemma) is at the bottom of the social ladder in the perfect little town of Clifton. Bullied and made to do the jobs like cleaning out the toilets, picking up trash and sweeping the floors he dreams of a better life. When an ageing gunfighter Frank Talby...
- 4/16/2015
- by Paul Metcalf
- Nerdly
In the enduring, boundless shadow of Sergio Leone’s legacy, a deluge of neglected and forgotten Italian genre titles languish undeservedly, ready for rediscovery. Arrow Video has dusted off a masterful example long overdue, Tonino Valerii’s 1967 sophomore feature, Day of Anger (aka Gunlaw). Valerii worked as Leone’s assistant on A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More before launching his own directorial career, re-fashioning the villainous energy of Lee Van Cleef in the actor’s effort to break out on his own. Scripted by Italian genre regular Ernesto Gastaldi (who worked with many masters of giallo film, including Mario Bava, and Sergio Martino), the overtly familiar narrative does little to hamper the enjoyable performances of Van Cleef and Giuliano Gemma, replete with several memorable action sequences and set pieces that assist in elevating the title to its deserved reputation.
Lowly street cleaner Scott Mary (Giuliano Gemma...
Lowly street cleaner Scott Mary (Giuliano Gemma...
- 4/7/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Mvd Entertainment Group will distribute 'cult titles' from the UK's Arrow Video with deluxe restored material, pioneering packaging solutions and newly commissioned artwork:
Launch titles include Tonino Valerii's 'spaghetti western', "Day of Anger" aka "Gunlaw" (1967) starring Lee Van Cleef and Giuliano Gemma, available March 17, Michael Armstrong's "Mark of the Devil" (1970) available March 24 and "Blind Woman's Curse" (1970) available March 31.
"...with music by Riz Ortolani punctuated by gunfire, 'Day Of Anger', presented here in an exclusive high-definition restoration from the original 'Techniscope' negative stars Lee Van Cleef ('The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'), as master gunfighter 'Frank Talby' and Giuliano Gemma as street cleaner 'Scott Mary', relentlessly bullied by the people of the small town of 'Clifton'. When Talby rides into town, Scott seizes the opportunity to lift himself out of the gutter, and possibly even surpass Talby's own skills. But what is Talby doing in Clifton in the first place?...
Launch titles include Tonino Valerii's 'spaghetti western', "Day of Anger" aka "Gunlaw" (1967) starring Lee Van Cleef and Giuliano Gemma, available March 17, Michael Armstrong's "Mark of the Devil" (1970) available March 24 and "Blind Woman's Curse" (1970) available March 31.
"...with music by Riz Ortolani punctuated by gunfire, 'Day Of Anger', presented here in an exclusive high-definition restoration from the original 'Techniscope' negative stars Lee Van Cleef ('The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'), as master gunfighter 'Frank Talby' and Giuliano Gemma as street cleaner 'Scott Mary', relentlessly bullied by the people of the small town of 'Clifton'. When Talby rides into town, Scott seizes the opportunity to lift himself out of the gutter, and possibly even surpass Talby's own skills. But what is Talby doing in Clifton in the first place?...
- 1/29/2015
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
UK residents have been enjoying Arrow Video Blu-ray releases of cult films like Maniac Cop and The Funhouse for years, and soon horror hounds living stateside can enjoy the diligent distributor’s offerings now that Arrow Video is expanding to the Us. To commemorate their growth, Arrow Video has announced upcoming North American Blu-ray releases of Mark of the Devil, Blind Woman’s Curse, and more.
Making their Blu-ray debuts in the Us, 1970’s Mark of the Devil will come out on March 17th and 1971’s Blind Woman’s Curse (aka Black Cat’s Revenge on March 24th. Arrow Video will also release the Blu-ray of Blood and Black Lace on April 14th and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Miss Osbourne to Blu-ray on April 21st. All four releases will include a DVD copy, as well. We have the official press release with full details, as well as...
Making their Blu-ray debuts in the Us, 1970’s Mark of the Devil will come out on March 17th and 1971’s Blind Woman’s Curse (aka Black Cat’s Revenge on March 24th. Arrow Video will also release the Blu-ray of Blood and Black Lace on April 14th and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Miss Osbourne to Blu-ray on April 21st. All four releases will include a DVD copy, as well. We have the official press release with full details, as well as...
- 1/14/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Handsome star of spaghetti westerns including A Pistol for Ringo
When the spaghetti western was born in the early 1960s, some of the Italian lead actors disguised their names under American-sounding ones (though nobody was fooled). Among those competing successfully with bona fide Yanks such as Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef were Terence Hill (born Mario Girotti), Bud Spencer (Carlo Pedersoli) and Montgomery Wood, a temporary pseudonym taken by Giuliano Gemma, who has died in a car accident aged 75.
The strikingly handsome Gemma was one of the brightest stars of the once deprecated, now revered, genre. After five years in sword-and-sandal epics (also known as peplum films), usually supporting muscle men, Gemma made a name for himself (even if, initially, it wasn't his own) in two westerns directed by Duccio Tessari: A Pistol for Ringo (1965) and The Return of Ringo (1965). Their big box-office success granted Gemma stardom and...
When the spaghetti western was born in the early 1960s, some of the Italian lead actors disguised their names under American-sounding ones (though nobody was fooled). Among those competing successfully with bona fide Yanks such as Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef were Terence Hill (born Mario Girotti), Bud Spencer (Carlo Pedersoli) and Montgomery Wood, a temporary pseudonym taken by Giuliano Gemma, who has died in a car accident aged 75.
The strikingly handsome Gemma was one of the brightest stars of the once deprecated, now revered, genre. After five years in sword-and-sandal epics (also known as peplum films), usually supporting muscle men, Gemma made a name for himself (even if, initially, it wasn't his own) in two westerns directed by Duccio Tessari: A Pistol for Ringo (1965) and The Return of Ringo (1965). Their big box-office success granted Gemma stardom and...
- 10/22/2013
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
Italian actor Giuliano Gemma has died, in a car accident in Rome. He was 75. Gemma—whose distinctive features included a scar on his cheek, which he received after an explosive device he found while playing as a child during World War II went off in his face—initially broke into movies as a stuntman. He appeared in more than 70 films during his long career, including credited appearances in the William Wyler-Charlton Heston version of Ben-Hur (1959), the Vittorio De Sica-Sophia Loren segment of the 1962 anthology film Boccaccio ’70, and Luchino Visconi’s epic masterpiece The Leopard (1953 ...
- 10/3/2013
- avclub.com
December was Tarantino Month here at Sos, and since January is dedicated to westerns, I thought it would be best to whip up some articles spotlighting films that influenced Tarantino’s Django Unchained. Since I began my list back in December, I’ve noticed similar lists popping up online – all of which are somewhat suspect, since they recommend some terrible films. For my money, all of the movies listed below are essential viewing for fans of Django Unchained, and come highly recommended.
Note: This is the third of a three part article.
****
I Giorni dell’ira (Blood and Grit) (Day of Anger) (Gunlaw) (Days of Wrath)
Directed by Tonino Valerii
Written by Ernesto Gastaldi, Tonino Valerii, Renzo Genta
Italy, 1967
Day of Anger is a spaghetti western directed by Tonino Valerii, who began his career as Sergio Leone’s assistant and would later direct My Name Is Nobody (1973). Lee Van Cleef stars as Frank Talby,...
Note: This is the third of a three part article.
****
I Giorni dell’ira (Blood and Grit) (Day of Anger) (Gunlaw) (Days of Wrath)
Directed by Tonino Valerii
Written by Ernesto Gastaldi, Tonino Valerii, Renzo Genta
Italy, 1967
Day of Anger is a spaghetti western directed by Tonino Valerii, who began his career as Sergio Leone’s assistant and would later direct My Name Is Nobody (1973). Lee Van Cleef stars as Frank Talby,...
- 1/3/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Born in the Big Apple in january of 1951, Sheldon Lettich moved with his family to the West Coast at a young age. After finishing High School, he joined the Marine Corps, serving his country for four years, one of them as a Radio Operator in Vietnam.
Partially based upon his experiences in Southeast Asia, he co-authored Tracers, a play seen in the Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago and London stages, to great acclaim; It subsequently won the prestigious Drama Desk and L.A. Drama Critics Awards.
The writing of screenplays seemed like a natural progression and his writing eventually began attracting the attention of many Hollywood producers.
Since then, Lettich has become known as expert in testosterone-driven action extravaganzas, many of the films starring some of the silver screen´s best-loved slugfest protagonists: Sylvester Stallone (Sheldon shared screenwriting credit with Sly in the third cinematic episode of the Rambo series,...
Partially based upon his experiences in Southeast Asia, he co-authored Tracers, a play seen in the Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago and London stages, to great acclaim; It subsequently won the prestigious Drama Desk and L.A. Drama Critics Awards.
The writing of screenplays seemed like a natural progression and his writing eventually began attracting the attention of many Hollywood producers.
Since then, Lettich has become known as expert in testosterone-driven action extravaganzas, many of the films starring some of the silver screen´s best-loved slugfest protagonists: Sylvester Stallone (Sheldon shared screenwriting credit with Sly in the third cinematic episode of the Rambo series,...
- 11/29/2012
- by Marco
- AsianMoviePulse
Cate Blanchett in Joe Wright’s Hanna In the last few weeks, Cate Blanchett’s name has been mentioned in connection to Woody Allen’s next film not to be shot in Copenhagen. According to Forbes.com, Allen has indeed made offers not only to Blanchett, but also to Sally Hawkins, best known for almost getting an Academy Award nomination for her Berlin Film Festival hit Happy-Go-Lucky. The Forbes article adds that "there’s no word at all" on Bradley Cooper. The Hit and Run / The Hangover star had been rumored as another possibility for Allen’s film. Still untitled (as usual), Allen’s next will be shot in San Francisco and New York City. Allen’s latest, To Rome with Love, took in $3.7 million in Italy this past weekend, topping the box-office chart in that country. It opens in the Us on June 22. To Rome with Love features Allen himself,...
- 4/26/2012
- by Anna Robinson
- Alt Film Guide
Roberto Benigni, To Rome with Love According to English-language reports, Italian critics have given a mixed reception to Woody Allen's To Rome with Love (formerly known as Nero Fiddled and Bop Decameron, and currently known as A Roma con amore in Rome itself). They've reportedly complained that writer-director Allen presents a view of Rome and Italians that is both idealized and stereotyped. At the To Rome with Love press conference held earlier today, Allen provided quite a bit of idealization ("Rome is a city unlike any other in the world…"), while one of the film's stars, Roberto Benigni, provided a defense of the filmmaker's portrayals. As an example of how real-life Italians are just like Italians in American movies, Benigni claimed that during the shoot, an ambulance whizzing by came to an abrupt halt. Its occupants got out, asked to pose for pictures with Benigni, and then rushed out...
- 4/14/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Brian Grazer, Penélope Cruz Brian Grazer and Penélope Cruz backstage during the 84th Academy Awards, held at the former Kodak Theatre at the Hollywood and Highland Center on February 26, 2012. Grazer was one of the show's producers; Cruz was a presenter. (Photo: Richard Harbaugh / ©A.M.P.A.S.) A Best Supporting Actress Oscar winner for Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008), Cruz was nominated for two other Academy Awards: Best Actress for Pedro Almodóvar's Volver (2006) and Best Supporting Actress for Rob Marshall's Nine (2009). Cruz had a major worldwide hit last year, Marshall's Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, with Johnny Depp, and will next be seen in Woody Allen's To Rome with Love, featuring Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Roberto Benigni, Judy Davis, Alec Baldwin, Alison Pill, Greta Gerwig, Giuliano Gemma, Riccardo Scamarcio, and Ornella Mutti; and in Sergio Castellitto's Venuto al mondo (literally, "Come to...
- 4/9/2012
- by D. Zhea
- Alt Film Guide
Woody Allen’s next film, heretofore known as ‘Nero Fiddled’, was officially re-titled yesterday and given a new name that should see it resonate better in its international territories, and so from here on out we’ll know it as ‘To Rome With Love’.
We now have the first eleven images to share with you, some images of the film itself and others including Allen on set, as well as the full cast line-up (which is excellent) and the full soundtrack details (which are just a little bit impeccable).
The romantic-comedy is made up of four vignettes, two of which revolving around American characters and two around Italian characters, with the main cast including the likes of Allen himself, Alec Baldwin, Penélope Cruz, Ellen Page, Jesse Eisenberg, Roberto Benigni, Judy Davis, Greta Gerwig, and Alison Pill.
The newly re-titled To Rome With Love will open in Italy on 20th April...
We now have the first eleven images to share with you, some images of the film itself and others including Allen on set, as well as the full cast line-up (which is excellent) and the full soundtrack details (which are just a little bit impeccable).
The romantic-comedy is made up of four vignettes, two of which revolving around American characters and two around Italian characters, with the main cast including the likes of Allen himself, Alec Baldwin, Penélope Cruz, Ellen Page, Jesse Eisenberg, Roberto Benigni, Judy Davis, Greta Gerwig, and Alison Pill.
The newly re-titled To Rome With Love will open in Italy on 20th April...
- 3/20/2012
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Delitto d’Amore (translated into English as Crime of Love) is a forgotten Italian film from the 1970s being given a second chance by the distribution company Raro Video—think the Criterion Collection but with a markedly Italian accent (and lower budget). It is a time capsule of a film, capturing a moment of history that probably few outside of Italy know much about, during which people from Sicily and southern Italy emigrated in droves to the north to work in the industrial center of Milan. One such Sicilian is Carmela (Stefania Sandrelli), who against the will of her strict and violent brother, falls in love with one of her factory coworkers, a northern Italian named Nullo (Giuliano Gemma). The values of the north are much more loose and free than the south, especially when it comes to their extremely different treatment of women. Scenes showing the contrast between how...
- 12/2/2011
- by Lee Jutton
- JustPressPlay.net
I understand it’s an important find and all, but you’ve gotta admit this “gay caveman” story that made the news last week is also pretty hilarious. A gay caveman? That’s a stand-up comedy routine, not an archaeological discovery!
AfterElton.com already took on the problems with how the media reported the story, plus we also provided our own proof that us ‘mos have always been around – even during the Stone Age.
Nevertheless, since the word “caveman” somehow never fails to bring to my mind the image of a hot Abercrombie & Fitch model posing in a loincloth, the story inevitably got me to thinking of the dozens of Hollywood-ized interpretations of early humans that moviegoers have been treated to over the past several decades.
True, the majority of these interpretations aren’t exactly, shall we say, accurate (to my knowledge, they didn’t actually have laser-whitening capabilities back...
AfterElton.com already took on the problems with how the media reported the story, plus we also provided our own proof that us ‘mos have always been around – even during the Stone Age.
Nevertheless, since the word “caveman” somehow never fails to bring to my mind the image of a hot Abercrombie & Fitch model posing in a loincloth, the story inevitably got me to thinking of the dozens of Hollywood-ized interpretations of early humans that moviegoers have been treated to over the past several decades.
True, the majority of these interpretations aren’t exactly, shall we say, accurate (to my knowledge, they didn’t actually have laser-whitening capabilities back...
- 4/13/2011
- by Chris Eggertsen
- The Backlot
Undisputed III blew me out of the water so the chance to talk to direc tor Isaac Florentine was something I just couldn't pass up. This email exchange revealed him to be articulate in a way that so few subjects are about the business of action film.
Fans often view sequels (particularly action film sequels) with lowered expectations. Have you found anyone who dismissed the film outright simply because it is a sequel?
If: Almost everyone I talked to dismissed the sequels with the usual arguments. It's low budget, no names, Stv junk, you name it. You sometimes have to twist people's arms to get them to look at them. Once they do they are taken by surprise and the first reaction is how come the films did not go to theaters. This always makes me laugh.... Undisputed II originally was done a few years ago as filler to give...
Fans often view sequels (particularly action film sequels) with lowered expectations. Have you found anyone who dismissed the film outright simply because it is a sequel?
If: Almost everyone I talked to dismissed the sequels with the usual arguments. It's low budget, no names, Stv junk, you name it. You sometimes have to twist people's arms to get them to look at them. Once they do they are taken by surprise and the first reaction is how come the films did not go to theaters. This always makes me laugh.... Undisputed II originally was done a few years ago as filler to give...
- 6/15/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Salma Hayek, an Academy Award nominee back in 2003 for Frida, attends the premiere of the restored Luchino Visconti classic The Leopard / Il gattopardo, starring Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon, and Claudia Cardinale. The event was held at the Palais des Festivals during the 63rd Annual International Cannes Film Festival on May 14, 2010, in the south of France. Both Delon and Cardinale were present. (Photo by Tony Barson/WireImage.) Adapted by Visconti, Suso Cecchi d’Amico, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Enrico Medioli, and Massimo Franciosa, from Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa’s novel, The Leopard (1963) also features Paolo Stoppa, Romolo Valli, Pierre Clémenti, Terence Hill, and Giuliano Gemma. Visconti was one of the [...]...
- 5/19/2010
- by Zhea D.
- Alt Film Guide
Kate Beckinsale shows up the premiere of the restored Luchino Visconti classic The Leopard / Il gattopardo, starring Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon, and Claudia Cardinale. The cinematic event was held at the Palais des Festivals during the 63rd Annual International Cannes Film Festival on May 14, 2010, in the south of France. (Photo by Venturelli/WireImage.) The Leopard (1963) also features Paolo Stoppa, Romolo Valli, Pierre Clémenti, Terence Hill, and Giuliano Gemma. Both Delon and Cardinale were in attendance at the premiere. Adapted by Visconti, Suso Cecchi d’Amico, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Enrico Medioli, and Massimo Franciosa, The Leopard is based on Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa’s classic novel. Among Luchino Visconti’s other film classics are [...]...
- 5/19/2010
- by Zhea D.
- Alt Film Guide
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, one of the greatest Bollywood stars, attends the premiere of Luchino Visconti’s restored classic The Leopard / Il gattopardo, a period drama starring Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon, and Claudia Cardinale. The screening was held at the Palais des Festivals during the 2010 Cannes Film Festival on May 14. (Photo by Getty Images.) In addition to Lancaster, Delon, and Cardinale, The Leopard (1963) also features Paolo Stoppa, Romolo Valli, Pierre Clémenti, Terence Hill, and Giuliano Gemma. Both Delon and Cardinale were in attendance at the premiere. Adapted by Visconti, Suso Cecchi d’Amico, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Enrico Medioli, and Massimo Franciosa, The Leopard is based on Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa’s [...]...
- 5/19/2010
- by Zhea D.
- Alt Film Guide
Martin Scorsese, Best Director Oscar winner for The Departed and ardent movie lover, attends the premiere of the restored Luchino Visconti classic The Leopard / Il gattopardo, starring Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon, and Claudia Cardinale. The event was held at the Palais des Festivals during the 2010 International Cannes Film Festival on May 14. (Photo by Getty Images/WireImage) The Leopard (1963), which some consider Visconti’s masterpiece, also features Paolo Stoppa, Romolo Valli, Pierre Clémenti, Terence Hill, and Giuliano Gemma. Both Delon and Cardinale were in attendance at the premiere. Adapted by Visconti, Suso Cecchi d’Amico, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Enrico Medioli, and Massimo Franciosa, The Leopard is based on Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa’s [...]...
- 5/19/2010
- by Zhea D.
- Alt Film Guide
Claudia Cardinale, Alain Delon, and Cannes Film Festival President Gilles Jacob (mostly hidden behind Delon’s outstretched arms) at the Il Gattopardo / The Leopard premiere held at the Palais des Festivals during the 63rd Cannes Film Festival on May 14, 2010 on the French Riviera. (Photo by Venturelli/WireImage) Directed by Luchino Visconti, and adapted by Visconti, Suso Cecchi d’Amico, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Enrico Medioli, and Massimo Franciosa, from Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa’s novel, The Leopard (1963) is considered one the greatest Visconti’s films. Also in the period drama’s cast: Burt Lancaster, Paolo Stoppa, Romolo Valli, Pierre Clémenti, Terence Hill, and Giuliano Gemma. Other Visconti efforts include Ossessione, Bellissima, Senso, Rocco [...]...
- 5/18/2010
- by Joan Lister
- Alt Film Guide
Claudia Cardinale arrives at the premiere of Luchino Visconti’s Il Gattopardo / The Leopard, which was held at the Palais des Festivals during the 63rd Cannes Film Festival on May 14, 2010. (Photo by Venturelli/WireImage) Adapted by Visconti, Suso Cecchi d’Amico, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Enrico Medioli, and Massimo Franciosa, from Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa’s sprawling novel, The Leopard (1963) also featured Alain Delon (you can see part of him in the above photo), Burt Lancaster, Paolo Stoppa, Romolo Valli, Pierre Clémenti, Terence Hill, and Giuliano Gemma. Other Visconti efforts include Ossessione, Senso, Rocco and His Brothers (in which Cardinale has a small role), Sandra (starring Cardinale), Death in Venice, Conversation Piece, Ludwig, and [...]...
- 5/18/2010
- by Joan Lister
- Alt Film Guide
Anouchka Delon and Alain Delon — and Claudia Cardinale’s arm — attend the premiere of Luchino Visconti’s restored 1963 classic Il gattopardo / The Leopard at the Salla DeBussy during the 63rd Annual Cannes Film Festival on May 14, 2010 in Cannes, France. (Photo: Swarovski / WireImage.) Adapted by Visconti, Suso Cecchi d’Amico, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Enrico Medioli, and Massimo Franciosa, from Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa’s novel, The Leopard is considered by some the greatest among Visconti’s films. Also in the cast: Burt Lancaster, Paolo Stoppa, Romolo Valli, Pierre Clémenti, Terence Hill, and Giuliano Gemma. Other Visconti efforts include Ossessione, Senso, Rocco and His Brothers, Death in Venice, Conversation Piece, and The Innocent. Click on the photo to [...]...
- 5/18/2010
- by Zhea David
- Alt Film Guide
Anouchka Delon, Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale attend the Il Gattopardo / The Leopard premiere held at the Palais des Festivals during the 2010 edition of the International Cannes Film Festival on May 14, 2010 in Cannes, in the south of France. (Photo by Venturelli/WireImage) Directed by Luchino Visconti, and adapted by Visconti, Suso Cecchi d’Amico, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Enrico Medioli, and Massimo Franciosa, from Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa’s novel, The Leopard (1963) is considered one the greatest Visconti productions. In addition to Delon and Cardinale, Visconti’s sumptuous historical drama features Burt Lancaster, Paolo Stoppa, Romolo Valli, Pierre Clémenti, Terence Hill, and Giuliano Gemma. Among Visconti’s other film classics [...]...
- 5/18/2010
- by Joan Lister
- Alt Film Guide
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