The Witches (1967 film)
The Witches (Italian: Le streghe) is a 1967 commedia all'italiana anthology film produced by Dino De Laurentiis in 1965.[1] It consists of five comic stories, directed by Luchino Visconti, Franco Rossi, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Mauro Bolognini and Vittorio De Sica. Each story is about witches and features Silvana Mangano.
| The Witches (Le Streghe) | |
|---|---|
 film poster | |
| Directed by | Luchino Visconti Mauro Bolognini Pier Paolo Pasolini Franco Rossi Vittorio De Sica |
| Produced by | Dino De Laurentiis |
| Screenplay by | Giuseppe Patroni Griffi Cesare Zavattini Age & Scarpelli Bernardino Zapponi Pier Paolo Pasolini Fabio Carpi Enzo Muzzi |
| Starring | Silvana Mangano Clint Eastwood Annie Girardot Totò Alberto Sordi |
| Music by | Piero Piccioni Ennio Morricone |
| Cinematography | Giuseppe Rotunno |
| Edited by | Mario Serandrei Nino Baragli Giorgio Serrallonga Adriana Novelli |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Dear Film (Italy) Lopert Pictures Corporation (US) United Artists (International) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | Italy France |
| Language | Italian |
This is one of De Laurentiis' more eclectic films. Clint Eastwood also makes an appearance in the final story.
Segments
"The Witch Burned Alive"
A famous actress arrives in an Austrian chalet to spend an evening with friends. The woman is gotten drunk by the guests, and when she falls unconscious, friends remove her makeup to look at the imperfections of her face, always believed beautiful by her fans.
"Civic Spirit"
A man is wounded in a traffic accident. A woman stops the car and offers to take him to the hospital. The woman, however, only does this to pass the road traffic. When she arrives at her destination, she throws him out.
"The Earth Seen from the Moon"
This comic episode, directed by Pasolini, tells the story of a red-headed father and son, Ciancicato and Baciu Miao (Totò and Ninetto Davoli). Ciancicato has just lost his wife and wants to marry a new wife. Ciancicato finds a deaf girl among the shacks on the outskirts of Rome and makes her his bride. To buy a better house nearby, he concocts a plan for her to threaten to commit suicide (distraught by her sick children) by jumping from the Coliseum, and take a collection to save her, but she slips on a banana peel and falls, and is buried next to his former wife.
"The Sicilian Belle"
In this short episode, a Sicilian woman tells her father a man made a pass at her; he retaliates by massacring the family.
"An Evening Like the Others"
Clint Eastwood is a western movie lover who does not know how to change the flat relationship with his wife. One day the character disguises himself as a gunslinger to entertain his wife, but she is not impressed and he realizes that their relationship is broken forever. In the final scene, she imagines herself as a glamorous star, walking along in an evolving series of haute couture while being ogled by a growing crowd of middle-aged businessmen. She lastly dons a magnificent gown made of multiple layers of silk, each in a vibrant shade, which she peels away layer by layer.
Cast
"The Witch Burned Alive"
- Silvana Mangano as Gloria
- Annie Girardot as Valeria
- Francisco Rabal as Paolo
- Massimo Girotti as Sportsman
- Véronique Vendell as Young Girlfriend
- Elsa Albani as Gossip
- Clara Calamai as Ex-Actress
- Marilù Tolo as Waitress
- Nora Ricci as Gloria's Secretary
- Dino Mele as Dino, the Waiter
- Helmut Berger (as Helmut Steinbergher) as Hotel Page
- Bruno Filippini as Singer
- Leslie French as Industrialist
"Civic Spirit"
- Silvana Mangano as Woman in a Hurry
- Alberto Sordi as Elio Ferocci
"The Earth Seen from the Moon"
- Silvana Mangano as Assurdina Caì
- Totò as Ciancicato Miao
- Ninetto Davoli (as Nenetto Davoli) as Baciu Miao
- Laura Betti as Male Tourist
- Luigi Leoni as Female Tourist
- Mario Cipriani as Priest (uncredited)
"The Sicilian Belle"
- Silvana Mangano as Nunzia
- Pietro Tordi as Nunzia's Father (uncredited)
"An Evening Like the Others"
- Silvana Mangano as Giovanna
- Clint Eastwood as Carlo (Charlie in English version)
- Valentino Macchi as Man at Stadium
- Corinne Fontaine as Admirer
- Armando Bottin as Nembo Kid
- Gianni Gori as Diabolik
- Paolo Gozlino as Mandrake the Magician
- Franco Moruzzi as Sadik
- Angelo Santi as Flash Gordon
- Pietro Torrisi as Batman
Crew
"The Witch Burned Alive"
| Luchino Visconti | Director |
| Giuseppe Patroni Griffi With the collaboration of Cesare Zavattini | Story and Screenplay |
| Piero Piccioni | Composer |
| Rinaldo Ricci | Assistant Director |
| Mario Serandrei | Editor |
"Civic Spirit"
| Mauro Bolognini | Director |
| Age & Scarpelli Bernardino Zapponi | Story and Screenplay |
| Piero Piccioni | Composer |
| Massimo Castellani | Assistant Director |
| Nino Baragli | Editor |
"The Earth Seen from the Moon"
| Pier Paolo Pasolini | Director |
| Story and Screenplay | |
| Ennio Morricone | Composer |
| Sergio Citti | Assistant Director |
| Nino Baragli | Editor |
"The Sicilian Belle"
| Franco Rossi | Director |
| Age & Scarpelli Bernardino Zapponi | Story and Screenplay |
| Piero Piccioni | Composer |
| Nello Vanin | Assistant Director |
| Giorgio Serralonga | Editor |
"An Evening Like the Others"
| Vittorio De Sica | Director |
| Cesare Zavattini With the collaboration of Fabio Carpi Enzo Muzii | Story and Screenplay |
| Piero Piccioni | Composer |
| Luisa Alessandri | Assistant Director |
| Adriana Novelli | Editor |
Other crew
| Giuseppe Rotunno | Director of Photography |
| Alfredo De Laurentiis | General Production Manager |
| Mario Garbuglia Piero Poletto | Art Directors |
| Piero Tosi | Costume Designer |
| Goffredo Rocchetti | Makeup Artist |
Release
Le streghe was never released outside of Europe as United Artists bought the film when Clint Eastwood's career began to ascend. United Artists decided not to release it in theaters but instead kept it in its library vault to prevent its viewing.[2]
References
- allmovie ((( Le Streghe - Overview )))
- Munn, p. 58
Bibliography
- Munn, Michael (1992). Clint Eastwood: Hollywood's Loner. London: Robson Books. ISBN 0-86051-790-X.