Splendor NEW Arthouse Blu-Ray DVD Ettore Scola Marcello Mastroianni Marina Vlady

The first Italian feature film shot in Moscow was directed by the renowned Vittorio De Sica and produced by Carlo Ponti. Sophia Loren stars as Giovanna, an Italian woman who marries Antonio (Marcello Mastroianni) 12 days before the outbreak of WWII. Antonio has no desire to fight in the conflict, and he fakes insanity to try to avoid the draft, but officials see through the charade. Antonio is sent to the Russian front, where the soldiers are plagued by freezing temperatures and short supplies of rations. He is found half-dead in the cold by a Russian peasant girl, Mascia (Lyudmila Savelyeva). She takes him in, and eventually, they marry. Giovanna waits in vain for word on the fate of her husband, who is officially declared missing in action. She goes to Russia to try to find him, searching records and cemeteries. Finally, she discovers first his new wife, then him, and reluctantly decides not to fight the situation. Returning home to Italy, she marries an older factory worker, Ettore (Germano Longo), and the

Marcello Mastroianni

Marcello Mastroianni portrays the handsome lover Casanova pitted against a thoroughly modern woman. This is a legendary hero often depicted in movies, but this time he is portrayed with a slightly different problem - the only time he's "in the mood" is when he feels that he is in danger. His job as NATO officer offers plenty of opportunity for his sexual arousal problems to be assuaged.

MARRIAGE ITALIAN STYLE presents director Vittorio De Sica's fourth collaboration with actress Sophia Loren, and the film exploits the busty Amazon for all she's worth. In the role of Filomena Marturano, a lusty prostitute, Loren's costumes range from tiny to scanty. Loren's fine comic timing, combined with a fine script and the bubbling charm of co-star Marcello Mastroianni elevates the picture from mere titillation to consistently deft and amusing farce. As Domenico Soriano, Mastroianni is on the verge of marrying a younger woman when he hears that his long time mistress, Filomena, is on her deathbed. He rushes to her side, where in a series of flashbacks, the film details the couple's twenty year relationship. Domenico offers to marry Filomena, but when she recovers miraculously he recognizes that her illness was only a ruse--forcing Filomena to pull deeper from her bag of tricks to catch her man.

The first Italian feature film shot in Moscow was directed by the renowned Vittorio De Sica and produced by Carlo Ponti. Sophia Loren stars as Giovanna an Italian woman who marries Antonio Marcello Mastroianni 12 days before the outbreak of WWII. Antonio has no desire to fight in the conflict and he fakes insanity to try to avoid the draft but officials see through the charade. Antonio is sent to the Russian front where the soldiers are plagued by freezing temperatures and short supplies of rations. He is found half-dead in the cold by a Russian peasant girl Mascia Lyudmila Savelyeva. She takes him in and eventually they marry. Giovanna waits in vain for word on the fate of her husband who is officially declared missing in action. She goes to Russia to try to find him searching records and cemeteries. Finally she discovers first his new wife then him and reluctantly decides not to fight the situation. Returning home to Italy she marries an older factory worker Ettore Germano Longo and they have a son who is played by the real-life son of Ponti and Loren. But Antonio still longs for Giovanna and he returns to Italy to discuss a reconciliation with her.

Jennifer Aniston may get top billing in this romantic comedy, but MANAGEMENT belongs to Steve Zahn. The often goofy, always likable actor plays Mike Cranshaw, a man with little ambition but lots of heart who works at his parents motel in small-town Arizona. When paint-saleswoman Sue Claussen (Aniston) stops at the inn, Mike immediately plots an awkward plan to seduce her. Things go better than either of them would have guessed, but Sue still leaves for her home in Maryland. Mike impulsively follows her east, beginning an uncomfortable but heartfelt courtship that takes the road less traveled. Sues move from Maryland to Washington does little to deter Mike, but the reappearance of her ex-boyfriend, ex-punk Jango (Woody Harrelson), could throw him off course. MANAGEMENT balances its star power (A-list actress Aniston) with its indie roots (theatrical distributor Samuel Goldwyn Films) to make a movie that doesnt fit the rubric of either genre. Its too quirky for a studio film, but its sweet enough that it s

Marcello Mastroianni (Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow) portrays the handsome lover Casanova pitted against a thoroughly modern woman. This is a legendary hero often depicted in movies, but this time he is portrayed with a slightly different problem - the only time he's "in the mood" is when he feels that he is in danger. His job as NATO officer offers plenty of opportunity for his sexual arousal problems to be assuaged. 1965 - Color - 90 minutes - 1.72:1 - Italian with English Subtitles

Director Elio Petri fused science fiction with the pop culture aesthetic of the 1960s in this film, which takes place in a candy-colored futuristic society where the population's lust for violence is satisfied by "The Big Hunt, " an international game of legally sanctioned murder. Marcello Mastroianni and Ursula Andress star as the sport's top two assassins, bringing explosive sex appeal to the film. (Andress rose to fame as a celluloid dream girl just three years prior in the 1962 James Bond film DR. NO, which features her as the beach babe Honey Ryder. Mastroianni, comparatively, had seduced audiences as the introspective playboy in Fellini's LA DOLCE VITA and 8 1/2.) When Andress and Mastroianni are pitted against one another in "The Big Hunt, " they find themselves falling in love while the world watches, each waiting for the other to strike first. A sleek, sexy, and often funny sci-fi adventure film with elements of romance and satire mixed in for good measure, THE 10TH VICTIM is not only an entertaining f

Anne Hathaway stars in this psychological thriller as Claire Summers, a driven young psychiatrist who consumes herself in work at the expense of her social life. Following a plane crash, Claire is called upon to counsel the few survivors. These men and women are understandably traumatized, showing signs of post traumatic stress syndrome, shock, and in the case of passenger Eric (Patrick Wilson), a state of euphoria. Clair leads a therapy group attended by every passenger except Eric, who will agree to see Claire only on a casual, one-on-one basis on the understanding that he is not a "patient" but a friend. Claire agrees to this reluctantly with the hope that this arrangement will help her reach Eric and get him to open up about his experience. As Claire hears contradictory accounts of the crash from each survivor, she starts to suspect foul play on the part of the airline. Meanwhile, she struggles to keep her ever-growing relationship with Eric professional. PASSENGERS is a low-key thriller filled with slow-

Marcello Mastroianni portrays the handsome lover Casanova pitted against a thoroughly modern woman. This is a legendary hero often depicted in movies, but this time he is portrayed with a slightly different problem - the only time he's "in the mood" is when he feels that he is in danger. His job as NATO officer offers plenty of opportunity for his sexual arousal problems to be assuaged.