Black Hand (1950) - Star of the month... Gene Kelly

'Black Hand' is a 1950 mafia meldorama directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Gene Kelly, J. Carrol Naish, Teresa Celli and Marc Lawrence.

Set in Little Italy during the late 19th century, 'Black Hand' is an expose of organised crime gang, the Black Hand, a group who extorts money upon threat of death during a time where a large number of Italians immigrated to puruse the American dream.

After Robert Columbo is murdered by the Black Hand, his widow takes their son Giovanni (Johnny) back to Italy.  Some time passes, and Johnny has grown up (played by Kelly). He returns to New York to seek "la vendetta" (vengeance) against the Black Hand. After a failed attempt, Johnny decides to become a lawyer and seek his revenge through the judicial system. In the process, Johnny reconnects with his childhood friend Isabella Gomboli (played by Celli) for a romantic subplot.


Watch a clip from the film:

Did you know...

• The film was really based on events involving the Italian mafia - however MGM thought it would be a option to use the out dated crime gang 'The Black Hand'

Closing remarks

'Black Hand' is a nostalgic trip back to the Warner Bros. gangster films from the 1930s. Although MGM didn't make gangster films as good as Warner Bros., this film gets rather close.

The film gives us one of Gene Kelly's few non-singing/non-dancing dramatic roles.  Although I am usually a big fan of Gene Kelly, I don't think he was right for this role. I also would have preferred seeing a real Italian-American, such as Mario Lanza in the role of Johnny.

I like 'Black Hand' a lot. I think it's one of the better gangster films from 1950s, but sadly it is a rather forgotten film today. 

Light in the Piazza (1962) - Star of the month... Olivia de Havilland

'Light in the Piazza' is a 1962 romantic drama directed by Guy Green and starring screen legend Olivia de Havilland with Yvette Mimieux, George Hamilton, Rossano Brazzi and Barry Sullivan. The film is based on the 1960 novel of the same name by Elizabeth Spencer.

Olivia de Havilland shines as protective mother
Meg Johnson

Meg Johnson (played by de Havilland) is spending time with her daughter Clara (played by Mimieux) in Florence, Italy. Clara is 26 years old, but has the mentality of a 10 year old due to a childhood accident involving a pony. During their stay Clara meets and falls for a young Italian man, Fabrizio Naccarelli (played by Hamilton). Meg has concerns Fabrizio will not accept Clara's disability, and attempts to hold off Fabrizio with one hand and the clutches of his charming father (played by Brazzi) with the other. 


Watch a clip from the film:

Closing remarks

'Light in the Piazza' is a beautiful film featuring breathtaking location shooting in 1960s Florence and Rome by cinematographer Otto Heller. A word of warning: watching this film will give you a burning desire to fly to Italy, and absorb the stunning beauty of Florence.


The cast is first class, with fantastic performances by de Havilland, Mimieux and Brazzi. American actor George Hamilton delivers an authentic Italian accent which even had my Nonna fooled (who asked me why she had never seen this Italian actor before). My one complaint is the film not resolving the sexual tension between de Havilland and Brazzi, leaving you guessing as to whether they are or are not having an affair.