Bernardino Zapponi

Writing

Bernardino Zapponi

Born 1927-09-04 · Rome, Italy

Acting credits

Behind the camera

All Ladies Do It poster
5.1

After five years of marriage, Diana discovers the joys of adultery, claiming that she can save her failing relationship through betrayal.

All Ladies Do It

1992

Miracolo italiano poster
4.2

7 segments about life in 1990s Italy: two MPs from the opposite sides of the political spectrum spend the night together; during their honeymoon, a woman cheats on her husband with her favorite soap opera star; a married man pretends to be ill to seduce his younger nurse; a family discovers that their son's beautiful fiancée is transgender; an unsatisfied single woman is duped by her celebrity crush for Kevin Costner; two best friends want to have fun; a couple on a tropical holiday is fascinated by their indigenous masseuse.

Miracolo italiano

1994

Spirits of the Dead poster
6.2

Anthology film from three European directors based on stories by Edgar Allan Poe: a cruel countess haunted by a ghostly horse, a sadistic young man haunted by his double, and an alcoholic actor haunted by the Devil.

Spirits of the Dead

1968

Deep Red poster
7.7

An English pianist living in Rome witnesses the brutal murder of his psychic neighbor. With the help of a tenacious young reporter, he tries to discover the killer using very unconventional methods. The two are soon drawn into a shocking web of dementia and violence.

Deep Red

1975

City of Women poster
7.0

The charismatic Snaporaz encounters an alluring woman on a train and pursues her through a forest. He ends up at a hotel populated by women gathered for a feminist conference, where he is an unwanted presence. Snaporaz soon discovers he’s entered a phantasmagoric world where women have taken power.

City of Women

1980

Roma poster
7.3

A virtually plotless, gaudy, impressionistic portrait of Rome through the eyes of one of its most famous citizens.

Roma

1972

Satyricon poster
6.7

After his young lover, Gitone, leaves him for another man, Encolpio decides to kill himself, but a sudden earthquake destroys his home before he has a chance to do so. Now wandering around Rome in the time of Nero, Encolpio encounters one bizarre and surreal scene after another.

Satyricon

1969

Toby Dammit poster
6.7

During a trip to Rome, a debauched Shakespearian actor is tormented by the Italian film industry, fans, the press and the Devil, who appears as a little girl seeking to collect his head. This short is part of the anthology film Spirits of the Dead (1968).

Toby Dammit

1968

Paprika poster
7.2

In 1957 Trieste, a few months before the general ban on brothels, inexperienced country girl Mimma becomes Paprika to finance her useless boyfriend as a prostitute. Amid the hustle and bustle of Rome, Paprika drifts from one brothel to another as she learns the ropes and works her way up one client at a time. However, as Paprika embarks on a stormy journey of self-discovery and sexual liberation, the sense that something is missing haunts her. Is Paprika meant to experience a passionate romance and solve the great mystery of true love?

Paprika

1991

Languidi baci... perfide carezze poster
7.0

Italian romance starring Giovanna Ralli, Gigi Proietti and Cristiano Censi

Languidi baci... perfide carezze

1976

The Witches poster
6.0

Five short stories loosely dealing with the roles of women in society. A superstar actress travels to a mountain resort, only to evoke jealousy from women and lust from men. A woman offers to take an injured man to the hospital. A widowed father and his son seek for a new wife/mother. A man seeks revenge for a woman's honor. A bored housewife tries to explain to her husband that he's not as romantic as he used to be.

The Witches

1967

Rimini Rimini poster
4.8

Funny, entertaining comedy with a few storylines. All of them have one thing in common - a resort town of Rimini in Italy.

Rimini Rimini

1987

Fellini's Casanova poster
6.9

Imprisoned for practicing black magic, writer and adventurer Giacomo Casanova escapes and wanders Europe, using his fluid sexuality to find his place in life amid a variety of eccentric and strange characters.

Fellini's Casanova

1976

Dear Father poster
6.4

In Caro papá, Dino Risi is telling the story of the decadent lifestyle, and dysfunctional family, of a wealthy businessman (played to perfection by Risi's favorite leading man, Vittorio Gassman). Risi paints his portrait against a backdrop of an Italy where the new permissiveness has run rampant, traditional socio-cultural values have been usurped by consumerism, and the streets have become an open battleground for politically extremist groups (the '70s were dubbed "The Years of Lead" due to the great number of terrorist acts, and politically motivated assassinations).

Dear Father

1979

The New Monsters poster
7.0

A collection of dark-humoured vignettes, including tales of a cardinal with a liberal congregation, a motorist and a hitchhiker, mentally challenged tramps, parents contemplating their daughter's participation in a pornographic film, and a conniving husband.

The New Monsters

1977

È l'amor che mi rovina poster
8.0

A naive clerk finds himself involved in the theft of a ring containing a dangerous liquid.

È l'amor che mi rovina

1951

The Clowns poster
6.8

Fellini exposes his great attraction for the clowns and the world of the circus first recalling a childhood experience when the circus arrives nearby his home. Then he joins his crew and travel from Italy to Paris chasing the last greatest European clowns still live in these countries. He also meets Anita Ekberg trying to buy a panther in a circus.

The Clowns

1970

Ghost of Love poster
7.0

Over two decades after their affair ended, a married man is haunted by the presence of his former lover.

Ghost of Love

1981

He's Worse than Me poster
6.3

Two reckless friends Leonardo (Adriano Celentano) and Luciano (Renato Potstsetto) are just doing whatever they want and getting into endless alterations. When one of them decides to marry, their friendship is in a crisis ...

He's Worse than Me

1985

Sesso e volentieri poster
4.4

Ten segments, all starring Johnny Dorelli and all having sex and sexual perversions as main theme.

Sesso e volentieri

1982

Plot of Fear poster
5.6

Plot of Fear tells the story of a decadent weekend party full of orgies and drugs on the outskirts of Milan. Inspector Lomenzo investigates a series of bizarre murders, each linked by the fact that pages from the German children’s book "Shock-Headed Peter" have been left at the scene of the crime. As the bodies pile up, Lomenzo is guided by a model and a surveillance expert to a decadent club frequented by the rich and powerful.

Plot of Fear

1976

Fellini: A Director’s Notebook poster
6.7

Fellini discusses his views of making motion pictures and his unorthodox procedures. He seeks inspiration in various out of the way places. During this film viewers go with him to the Colisseum at night, on a subway ride past Roman ruins, to the Appian Way, to a slaughterhouse, and on a visit to Marcello Mastroianni's house. Fellini also is seen in his own office interviewing a series of unusual characters seeking work or his help.

Fellini: A Director’s Notebook

1969

Dirty Weekend poster
5.2

A man and his mistress have just taken off for a weekend romp when they're kidnapped by a trio of bank robbers. They wind up becoming media "stars" as police and reporters follow them. They all wind up at the beat-up shack of a cranky old codger, with the police surrounding them and the robbers threatening to kill everybody.

Dirty Weekend

1973

Stardust poster
6.6

The lives of two local professional dancers change suddenly as American soldiers stop in their town hoping to be entertained in accordance with the Broadway style. Effectively, they perform up to their expectations. However, as the army men have to march northward, their moment of glory finishes heartlessly.

Stardust

1973