Pietro Germi

A citizen of the Veneto in her sixties. Three stories of “love in the country”: a pseudo Don Giovanni confesses his impotence to the doctor in confidence but he becomes betrayed by him – the medic speaks about his patient with some befriend gossips; a bank employee, after a tormented affair with the young waitress of a bar, returns to be single – disappointed and made bitter; some boys exploit the gratitude of an ingenuous girl from the vicinity. Her father denunciates them but withdraws all efforts after getting a compensation and saves them from jail.Read More »

The original Italian is La Viaccia (the name of the family farm which motivates the plot). The death of a wealthy patriarch in 1885 sets off an interfamily power struggle. Son Ferdinando buys out his other relatives in order to gain full control over the dead man’s property. But Ferdinando’s country-bumpkin nephew Amerigo holds out. Amerigo’s stance is weakened when he heads for the city and meets prostitute Bianca. To support her in the manner in which she is accustomed, Amerigo steals from his uncle. Disgraced in the eyes of his family, Amerigo decides to stay near his beloved Bianca by becoming a bouncer in her brothel.Read More »

Based loosely on fact, La Presidentress stars Silvana Pampanini as a sexy nightclub singer with loftier aspirations. Posing as the wife of a judge, the singer manages to bed a high-ranking government official (Carlo Dapporto). As a result, the nonplused judge (Luigi Pavese) is given all sorts of promotions and special perks. When he finds out about the girl’s subterfuge, his first reaction is stark, raw terror: Wait till his real wife (Ave Ninchi) discovers what’s going on! When the judge’s former mistress (Marilyn Buferd) joins the fray, the fur really begins to fly.Read More »