''The Witches'' ( it, Le streghe) is a 1967 ''

commedia all'italiana Commedia all'italiana (, pl. Commedie all'italiana, "Comedy in the Italian way") or Italian-style comedy is an Italian film genre born in Italy in the 1950s and developed in the 1960s and 1970s. It is widely considered to have started with Mar ...

'' anthology film produced by

Dino De Laurentiis Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis (; 8 August 1919 – 10 November 2010) was an Italian-American film producer. Along with Carlo Ponti, he was one of the producers who brought Italian cinema to the international scene at the end of World War II. He ...

in 1965. It consists of five comic stories, directed by

Luchino Visconti Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo (; 2 November 1906 – 17 March 1976) was an Italian filmmaker, stage director, and screenwriter. A major figure of Italian art and culture in the mid-20th century, Visconti was one of the ...

, Franco Rossi,

Pier Paolo Pasolini Pier Paolo Pasolini (; 5 March 1922 – 2 November 1975) was an Italian poet, filmmaker, writer and intellectual who also distinguished himself as a journalist, novelist, translator, playwright, visual artist and actor. He is considered one of ...

Mauro Bolognini Mauro Bolognini (28 June 1922 – 14 May 2001) was an Italian film and stage director of literate sensibility, known for his masterly handling of period subject matter. Early years Bolognini was born in Pistoia, in the Tuscany region of Italy. ...

and

Vittorio De Sica Vittorio De Sica ( , ; 7 July 1901 – 13 November 1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement. Four of the films he directed won Academy Awards: ''Sciuscià'' and ''Bicycle Thieves'' (honorary) ...

. Each story is about witches and features

Silvana Mangano Silvana Mangano (; 21 April 1930 – 16 December 1989) was an Italian film actress. She was one of a generation of thespians who arose from the neorealist movement, and went on to become a major female star, regarded as a sex symbol for the 19 ...

. This is one of De Laurentiis' more eclectic films. Clint Eastwood also makes an appearance in the final story. It was the last film starring

Totò Antonio Griffo Focas Flavio Angelo Ducas Comneno Porfirogenito Gagliardi de Curtis di Bisanzio (15 February 1898 – 15 April 1967), best known by his stage name Totò (), or simply as Antonio de Curtis, and nicknamed ''il Principe della risata ...

to be released in his lifetime.

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 Pier Paolo Pasolini (; 5 March 1922 – 2 November 1975) was an Italian poet, filmmaker, writer and intellectual who also distinguished himself as a journalist, novelist, translator, playwright, visual artist and actor. He is considered one of ...

, tells the story of a red-headed father and son, Ciancicato and Baciu Miao (

and

Ninetto Davoli Giovanni "Ninetto" Davoli (born 11 October 1948) is an Italian actor who became known through his roles in several of Pier Paolo Pasolini's films. Biography Davoli was born in San Pietro a Maida, Calabria. He was discovered by poet, novelist ...

). 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 , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

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 The Colosseum ( ; it, Colosseo ) is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheatre in the world t ...

, 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 The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

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" *

as Gloria *

Annie Girardot Annie Suzanne Girardot (25 October 193128 February 2011) was a French actress. She often played strong-willed, independent, hard-working, and often lonely women, imbuing her characters with an earthiness and reality that endeared her to women und ...

as Valeria *

Francisco Rabal Francisco Rabal Valera (8 March 1926 – 29 August 2001), better known as Paco Rabal, was a Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter born in Águilas, a town in the south-western part of the province of Murcia, Spain. Throughout his career, Raba ...

as Paolo *

Massimo Girotti Massimo Girotti (18 May 1918 – 5 January 2003) was an Italian film actor whose career spanned seven decades. Born in Mogliano, in the province of Macerata, Girotti developed his athletic physique by swimming and playing polo. While studying eng ...

as Sportsman *

Véronique Vendell Véronique Vendell (born Véronique Duraffourd, 21 July 1942) is a French actress. She appeared mainly in French and German productions, but had roles in both Peter Glenville's '' Becket'' and Sam Peckinpah's '' Cross of Iron'' and its sequel ' ...

as Young Girlfriend * Elsa Albani as Gossip *

Clara Calamai Clara Calamai (7 September 1909 – 21 September 1998) was an Italian actress. She was one of the most famous and popular Italian actresses in the 1930s and 1940s, sharing the limelight with actresses such as Alida Valli, Valentina Cortese, an ...

as Ex-Actress *

Marilù Tolo Marilù Tolo (born Maria Lucia Tolo; 16 January 1944) is an Italian film actress. She appeared in more than 60 films between 1960 and 1985. Life and career Born in Rome, Tolo, at a very young age, worked as an assistant of Mario Riva in the ...

as Waitress * Nora Ricci as Gloria's Secretary * Dino Mele as Dino, the Waiter *

Helmut Berger Helmut Berger (; born Helmut Steinberger; 29 May 1944) is an Austrian actor, known for his portrayal of narcissistic and sexually-ambiguous characters. He was one of the stars of the European cinema in the late 1960s and 1970s, and is regarded a ...

(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 Alberto Sordi (15 June 1920 – 24 February 2003) was an Italian actor, voice actor, singer, comedian, director and screenwriter. Early life Born in Rome to a schoolteacher and a musician and the last of five children, Sordi was named in hon ...

as Elio Ferocci ; "The Earth Seen from the Moon" * Silvana Mangano as Assurdina Caì *

as Ciancicato Miao *

(as Nenetto Davoli) as Baciu Miao *

Laura Betti Laura Betti ( Trombetti; 1 May 1927 – 31 July 2004) was an Italian actress known particularly for her work with directors Federico Fellini, Pier Paolo Pasolini and Bernardo Bertolucci. She had a long friendship with Pasolini and made a document ...

as Male Tourist * Luigi Leoni as Female Tourist * Mario Cipriani as Priest ; "The Sicilian Belle" * Silvana Mangano as Nunzia *

Pietro Tordi Pietro Tordi (12 July 1906 – 14 December 1990) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 100 films between 1942 and 1988. He was born in Florence, Italy. Selected filmography * '' Doctor Antonio'' (1937) - L'altro conspiratore * '' Don C ...

as Nunzia's Father ; "An Evening Like the Others" * Silvana Mangano as Giovanna * Clint Eastwood as Carlo * Valentino Macchi as Man at Stadium * Corinne Fontaine as Admirer * Armando Bottin as Nembo Kid * Gianni Gori as

Diabolik ''Diabolik'' ( or ) is an Italian comic series created by sisters Angela and Luciana Giussani. One of the most popular series in the history of Italian comics, ''Diabolik'' was created in 1962 and consists of more than 900 volumes, and has led ...

* Paolo Gozlino as Mandrake the Magician * Franco Moruzzi as Sadik * Angelo Santi as Flash Gordon *

Pietro Torrisi Pietro Torrisi (born 20 January 1940) aka "Peter McCoy" is an Italian stuntman and actor. He appeared in more than 100 films since 1960. Selected filmography References Footnotes Sources * External links * 1940 births Living peopl ...

as Batman

Crew

; "The Witch Burned Alive" ; "Civic Spirit" ; "The Earth Seen from the Moon" ; "The Sicilian Belle" ; "An Evening Like the Others" ; Other crew

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.Munn, p. 58

References

Bibliography

External links

Card + Videoclip "Le streghe" 1967
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Witches, The 1965 films 1960s Italian-language films Films directed by Franco Rossi Films directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini Films directed by Luchino Visconti Films directed by Vittorio De Sica Italian anthology films Commedia all'italiana Films directed by Mauro Bolognini Films set in Austria Films set in the Alps Films set in Rome Films set in Sicily 1967 comedy films 1967 films Films scored by Ennio Morricone Films with screenplays by Age & Scarpelli Films with screenplays by Cesare Zavattini Films about witchcraft Films scored by Piero Piccioni 1965 comedy films 1960s Italian films