Known for Acting
Musical - Soprano Anna Moffo stars as winsome courtesan Violetta Valery -- who tries to protect her rash lover, Alfredo (Franco Bonisolli), even if it means lying and breaking his heart -- in this 1968 version of composer Giuseppe Verdi's masterpiece. Recorded at the Rome Opera House with renowned conductor Giuseppe Patanè leading the orchestra and chorus, the production also stars Gino Bechi as Alfredo's angst-ridden father. - Anna Moffo, Gino Bechi, Franco Bonisolli
In this melange of characters and events from separate mythological stories, Hercules, demigod and superman, arrives in the ancient Greek kingdom of Iolcus to tutor Iphitus, son of king Pelias; immediately on arrival, he falls in love with the king's delectable, briefly clad daughter Iole. Before he can win her, he must succeed in a series of quests, in the course of which he teams up with Jason, true heir of Iolcus, whom he accompanies on the famous voyage of the Argonauts.
A nasty Rome police chief circa 1800 forces the lover of a painter, suspected of harboring a political prisoner, to reveal the hiding place and to yield to his power and lust.
This Italian film version of Verdi's opera stars Sophia Loren on the screen, with Renata Tebaldi providing the vocals.
The Queen of Sheba falls in love with the King of Israel. The King of Israel, however, is in love with someone else.
Christina of Sweden, in exile in Rome, takes a handsome Italian officer as her lover. But he is in love with the very young wife of an elderly count. After many adventures, duels, settling of old scores, the officer and the countess get married. Former Queen Christina finds herself another captain of the guard.
1949 movie version of the Rossini opera
Pagliacci, is a 1948 Italian film based on Ruggero Leoncavallo's opera Pagliacci, directed by Mario Costa. The film stars Tito Gobbi and Gina Lollobrigida. It recounts the tragedy of Canio, the lead clown (or pagliaccio in Italian) in a commedia dell'arte troupe, his wife Nedda, and her lover, Silvio. When Nedda spurns the advances of Tonio, another player in the troupe, he tells Canio about Nedda's betrayal. In a jealous rage Canio murders both Nedda and Silvio. The only actor in the cast who also sang his role was the celebrated Italian baritone, Tito Gobbi, but the film is largely very faithful to its source material, presenting the opera nearly complete.
