Seven Beauties (1975)
"Pasqualino Settebellezze" (original title)

Pasqualino Settebellezze è un giovane malavitoso napoletano che decide di commettere un crimine per farsi un nome in quel mondo. Non è realmente coraggioso ed un giorno uccide per caso ... See full summary »

Director:

Lina Wertmüller

Writer:

Lina Wertmüller

Stars:

Giancarlo Giannini, Fernando Rey, Shirley Stoler

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Giancarlo Giannini	...	Pasqualino Frafuso aka Settebellezze
Fernando Rey	...	Pedro the Anarchist Prisoner
Shirley Stoler	...	The Prison Camp Commandant
Elena Fiore	...	Concettina, a Sister
Piero Di Iorio	...	Francesco - Pasqualino's comrade
Enzo Vitale	...	Don Raffaele
Roberto Herlitzka	...	Socialist
Lucio Amelio	...	Lawyer
Ermelinda De Felice	...	Pasqualino's Mother
Bianca D'Origlia	...	The Psychiatrist
Francesca Marciano	...	Carolina (as Francesca Marciani)
Mario Conti	...	Totonno '18 Carati' - Concettina's pimp
Barbara Valmorin	...	The Prison Camp Commandant's Secretary
Emilio Salvatori
Aristide Caporale	...	Madman (as Aristide Caporali)

Storyline

Pasqualino Settebellezze è un giovane malavitoso napoletano che decide di commettere un crimine per farsi un nome in quel mondo. Non è realmente coraggioso ed un giorno uccide per caso l'uomo che ha ingannato sua sorella Concetta, costringendola a prostituirsi in un bordello. Ma è scoperto e, processato, è condannato a dodici anni di carcere criminale. Per uscire dal carcere, accetta di partire volontario durante la seconda guerra mondiale. Insieme al suo amico Francesco, fugge dalla Russia, ma entrambi sono catturati dai nazisti e deportati in un lager. Qui conosce le peggiori nefandezze della guerra e, per sopravvivere, deve perfino fingere di innamorarsi della perfida, grassa ed orrenda comandante del lager. Alla fine è addirittura costretto ad uccidere Francesco. Molti mesi dopo è liberato dalle armate alleate e torna a Napoli, dove trova tutte le sorelle che si prostituiscono per sopravvivere.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | russia | italian soldier | world war two | title directed by female | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | War

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian German Neapolitan Spanish

Release Date:

21 January 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

Seven Beauties

Filming Locations:

Naples, Campania, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Medusa Produzione, Jadran Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

With this film, Lina Wertmüller became the first woman ever nominated for an Academy Award as Best Director.

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Quotes

Narrator: The ones who don't enjoy themselves, even when they laugh. Oh yeah. The ones who worship the corporate image, not knowing that they work for someone else. Oh yeah. The ones who should have been shot in the cradle... Pow! Oh yeah. The ones who say 'Follow me to success, but kill me if I fail... so to speak.' Oh yeah. The ones who say we Italians are the greatest he-men on earth. Oh yeah. The ones who are noble Romans, the ones who say 'That's for me,' the ones who say 'You know what I mean.' Oh ...

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Connections

Referenced in Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004)

User Reviews

One for the ages.

I would challenge any serious film lover to view this movie and not have a very strong opinion of it. My own opinion is that it's one of the best films ever made, period. The story is harrowing, the score is so haunting you'll never forget it, and you'll think about scenes from it years later. Once you viewed it, most other domestic stuff won't even make it into the ballpark with it, much less compare with it. It's a masterpiece, plain and simple. This is real film making.