Acting
Covering only the first 22 chapters of the Book of Genesis, vignettes include: Adam and Eve frolicking in the Garden of Eden until their indulgence in the forbidden fruit sees them driven out; Cain murdering his brother Abel; Noah building an ark to preserve the animals of the world from the coming flood; and Abraham making a covenant with God.
Under provincial Italian law at the time, once a roof is erected, the occupants cannot be evicted from a building. This comedy follows the efforts of a family to erect the roof on a house overnight so that a newlywed couple can have their own home.
Catherine Hubscher, who washes the shirts of young Napoleon and other soldiers fighting the Revolution, falls in love with Sergeant Lefebvre. Circumstances bring Lefebvre a noble title and even more -- Napoleon decides to make him the local ruler over a large territorial fiefdom. But trouble brews when Madame Sans-Gene, now elevated to the nobility along with her man -- cannot keep her frank observations under control.
After a search for his father's killers, Wes Evans returns home only to find himself involved in a bloody land dispute.
During the Mongol invasion of Poland, a conflict between Mongol Emperor Genghis Khan and his oldest son Ogotai ensues when the former aims for peace and the latter itches for war and conquest.
Two young men love the same girl and decide to fight for her. The winner realizes, however, that his feelings are not returned.
A sugar-refinery worker flees his Northern Italy town after a woman refuses his marriage proposal.
A small-time soccer referee gets the chance of a lifetime when he gets to referee a major-league game. He becomes a celebrity and suddenly finds himself having to choose between his future as a referee and the temptations that come his way, especially the women, now.
Misadventures of a sacristan with three eager tourists, a commendatore with a sheikh, a worker who is passionate about hunting with a wife too good and an appearance mistaken for a priest with a patrician family.
The death of a wealthy patriarch in 1885 sets off an interfamily power struggle. Son Ferdinando buys out his other relatives in order to gain full control over the dead man's property. But Ferdinando's nephew Amerigo holds out. Amerigo's stance is weakened when he heads for Florence and meets prostitute Bianca.
A beautiful, wealthy widow leaves New York to find herself a husband in the Italian village in which she was born. After many tries she...chooses the village blacksmith.
Francesco, a young doctor, is appointed doctor to the imaginary village of Pianetta in the province of Avellino, but is immediately in competition with Don Antonio, a so-called "healer".
The story of the Cervi family. Rural farmers brought up to be idealogically opposed to fascism during the era of Mussolini's rule of Italy and World War 2.
Alan, after quarreling with his girlfriend Sheila, becomes intrigued by Anna, a mysterious widow who's searching for a sailor she had known many years before. Alan and Anna begin the search on board a yacht bound for Greece, but they don't find the sailor. After a stop in Africa, Louis de Mozambique joins the party and suggests that the sailor may never have existed other than in Anna's mind.
After the death of Octavian, the rebel populations of Illyria and Pannonia pose a grave threat to the Roman Empire. Tribune Marcus Ventidius is sent to subdue the uprising and, after a bitter battle, captures Pannonian chief Magdus together with a number of women hostages. These include Magdus's own daughter Helen, betrothed to cruel Illyrian warrior Batone who has killed many Romans. Julia, daughter of the Roman governor Messala, is in love with Tribune Marcus and, jealous of his sympathy for the barbarian girl, plots an escape by Helen and her father. Pursuing the fugitives, Marcus crosses a mountain pass where Batone has laid a trap.
A grown man named Augusto escapes from an orphanage and after several unsuccessful attempts at holding down a job, decides to start a gang and make a living by stealing from the rich.
In a German prison camp, some Italian prisoners bet with the commander that they will be able to build a church in two hours.
Comedy consists of three stories about the sudden death of three husbands: a newly married man dies as a result of the excessive enthusiasm of his wife ("Honeymoon"), another because of a fling with a girl too fiery ("The Anniversary" ), and finally, a husband dies because of his greed and stinginess ("Portrait of Regino").
Otello, an amateur thief, tries a burglary on New Year Eve but he finds the maid Adalgisa in the supposedly empty house. Adalgisa likes Otello who, all things considered, is a good guy, unlike Amerigo the night watchman who tries to profit from the situation.
In ancient Rome, the people finally oust their despised king, Tarquinius, and declare the city a republic. Tarquinius makes an alliance with the Etruscan king, Porsenna, to take back power in Rome, but a Roman general, the heroic Mucius, sets out to stop him.
