Stanko Molnar

Bosco d'amore

The time is the mid-14th century --- the Pope is now residing at Avignon, the Black Death is killing millions across Europe, and civil wars are adding to the turmoil and chaos. In this story adapted from Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron, a young teenage couple is sent to live in a nearby town by the man's uncle, in an attempt to keep them safe from harm. She is from the lower classes, and he comes from a noble family -- a family that opposes his choice of a future bride. While en route to the town, the couple's horses are stolen and they are forced to continue through the forest on foot -- at a pace that introduces them to a kaleidoscope of Boccaccio's characters, from masters of mysticism, to soldiers of the warring Papal armies. Somehow, the couple manage to get through this gauntlet of sorts, and they do marry. Just as they are ready to go back to Rome, they hear that there is an insurrection in the offing, and suddenly, their brief spate of stability is threatened again.

Lady of the Night

Angelina is tired of long serious relationships. One day she is brutally raped and she changes dramatically. Suddenly she is getting involved in more and more dangerous relations with unknown men until her behavior leads to a fatal crime.

The Sicilian

Egocentric bandit Salvatore Giuliano fights the Church, the Mafia, and the landed gentry while leading a populist movement for Sicilian independence.

Padre Padrone

The true story of the life of Gavino Ledda, the son of a Sardinian shepherd, and how he managed to escape his harsh, almost barbaric existence by slowly educating himself, despite violent opposition from his brutal father.

Macabre

A middle-aged woman, traumatized from the death of her adulterous lover, moves into a room at a New Orleans boarding house where the blind landlord becomes suspicious to her activities of continuing her affair with her dead lover.

Allonsanfan

After the 1815 Restoration, an aging revolutionary finds himself reluctantly involved in an attempted insurrection in Southern Italy while growing increasingly disillusioned with his cause.

A Blade in the Dark

Bruno, an up and coming film composer, has been hired to write the score to a new horror movie. After moving into a secluded villa, life begins to imitate art as a vicious killer starts bumping off anyone and everyone who happens to pay him a visit.

Francesco

The life of St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) as related by followers who gather after his death to tell stories so that Leone can record them: a privileged and virile youth, a prisoner of war, an heir who turns away from his father and gives all to the poor, a beggar for others, and an inspiration to friends who accept the Gospels' life of poverty.

Bosco d'amore

The time is the mid-14th century --- the Pope is now residing at Avignon, the Black Death is killing millions across Europe, and civil wars are adding to the turmoil and chaos. In this story adapted from Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron, a young teenage couple is sent to live in a nearby town by the man's uncle, in an attempt to keep them safe from harm. She is from the lower classes, and he comes from a noble family -- a family that opposes his choice of a future bride. While en route to the town, the couple's horses are stolen and they are forced to continue through the forest on foot -- at a pace that introduces them to a kaleidoscope of Boccaccio's characters, from masters of mysticism, to soldiers of the warring Papal armies. Somehow, the couple manage to get through this gauntlet of sorts, and they do marry. Just as they are ready to go back to Rome, they hear that there is an insurrection in the offing, and suddenly, their brief spate of stability is threatened again.

Lady of the Night

Angelina is tired of long serious relationships. One day she is brutally raped and she changes dramatically. Suddenly she is getting involved in more and more dangerous relations with unknown men until her behavior leads to a fatal crime.

The Sicilian

Egocentric bandit Salvatore Giuliano fights the Church, the Mafia, and the landed gentry while leading a populist movement for Sicilian independence.

Padre Padrone

The true story of the life of Gavino Ledda, the son of a Sardinian shepherd, and how he managed to escape his harsh, almost barbaric existence by slowly educating himself, despite violent opposition from his brutal father.

Macabre

A middle-aged woman, traumatized from the death of her adulterous lover, moves into a room at a New Orleans boarding house where the blind landlord becomes suspicious to her activities of continuing her affair with her dead lover.

Allonsanfan

After the 1815 Restoration, an aging revolutionary finds himself reluctantly involved in an attempted insurrection in Southern Italy while growing increasingly disillusioned with his cause.

A Blade in the Dark

Bruno, an up and coming film composer, has been hired to write the score to a new horror movie. After moving into a secluded villa, life begins to imitate art as a vicious killer starts bumping off anyone and everyone who happens to pay him a visit.

Francesco

The life of St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) as related by followers who gather after his death to tell stories so that Leone can record them: a privileged and virile youth, a prisoner of war, an heir who turns away from his father and gives all to the poor, a beggar for others, and an inspiration to friends who accept the Gospels' life of poverty.

Cinque Storie Inquietanti: Il Treno delle Cinque

Five Disturbing Stories offers us as many adaptations from the stories of the American writer Stanely Ellin. Set in Italy between Genoa, Turin and Milan, they illustrate the darkest part of our existence while the detective story derails towards a daily horror

The Mask of Satan

Skiers in Northern Italy unwittingly awaken an ancient witch after removing her mask in a crevasse. Their actions unleash a curse, leading to terrifying consequences.

The Terrible Lovers

This standard romantic drama focuses on three different couples who happen to come together in a small hotel in Rome and play out their differences in that setting. The couples are made up of a Parisian woman and her Slavic boyfriend out to spend some quality time together; a Frenchman (Jean-Noel Picq) searching for his sexually awakened teenage mistress; and a woman out to reunite with her Italian lover (Michele Placido). These people manifest different approaches to a romantic partnership that are tested in their brief encounters in Rome.

Martin Eden

The tale of an individualist proletarian in a time marked by the rise of mass political movements. In early 20th-century Italy, illiterate sailor Martin Eden seeks fame as a writer while torn between the love of a bourgeois girl and allegiance to his social class.

Treasure Island in Outer Space

Treasure Island in Outer Space is a 1987 science fiction Italian and German television miniseries directed by Antonio Margheriti. It is based on the novel Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, setting the story in space on the year 2300. The series was produced by RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana in co-production with West Germany and France, and directed by Anthony M. Dawson. It is the biggest sci-fi production of Italian television. The miniseries of 5 episodes of 100 min was originally aired in Italy from November 19, 1987 on RAI Due channel. It was also adapted as a 120 min film. The miniseries is also known as Space Island (UK and Norway, USA on VHS) and Der Schatz im All (Germany).

Sabbath

Exploring perspectives on witches from different angles, ranging from historical accounts to popular folklore, shedding light on the complex narratives surrounding these notorious figures.

Origins of the Mafia

Journey back more than 400 years to 16th century Sicily, where the small Italian islands have fallen victim to corruption, intimidation, extortion, and brutality.

La bella Otero

The story tells the life, the successes, the loves and the decadence of Augustine Caroline Otéro Iglesias, called “La Bella Otéro”. The history of a Spanish actor, who - despite being born poor - became a symbol of the Belle Époque and one of the first dives of silent cinema.