Another amazing Barbara De Rossi magazine cover

I'm utterly envious of people who people who speak Italian because they can watch Barbara De Rossi projects that no one will bother to make English subtitles for. Oh well, at least there are old TV Guide covers to look at like this one which promotes a 1988 TV movie called L'eterna giovinezza (Eternal Youth).

Another stunning Barbara De Rossi magazine cover

Twice before we've examined magazine covers featuring the beautiful Barbara De Rossi (here and here). Well, here is another example (circa 1984) of the young actress gracing a cover...and this one is particularly outstanding:

2 great images of Barbara De Rossi

I never tire of seeing photographs of the young Barbara De Rossi. Here are two terrific examples of the beautiful actress in her prime:

Barbara De Rossi in Blood Ties

In 1986, Barbara De Rossi was one of the stars of Il cugino americano, a four hour Italian made-for-television production. The project, which featured a mix of American and Italian actors, was later released (in heavily edited form) in the US and UK under the title Blood Ties.

Unfortunately, many of Barbara De Rossi's scenes were cut for the truncated version...but at least the beautiful Italian actress still had some nice scenes left intact. As a non-Italian speaking fan of Barbara De Rossi, I always feel lucky when I am able to view her projects either dubbed into English or, preferably, with the original Italian audio accompanied by English subtitles. Many of her Italian television work and films are simply not available, or not available with English options, and so something like Blood Ties is truly a blessing for fans.

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Here are some images of Barbara De Rossi in Blood Ties:

A fantastic photo of Barbara De Rossi

Here is a terrific signed picture from the mid-1980s of the beautiful Italian actress Barbara De Rossi.

Barbara De Rossi in Sweets from a Stranger

Here are a few images of Barbara De Rossi in the 1987 Italian thriller Caramelle da uno sconosciuto (Sweets from a Stranger).

Clip of Barbara De Rossi in Quo Vadis

Here's a clip of Barbara De Rossi in the 1985 miniseries Quo Vadis?. In this scene, Eunice (Barbara De Rossi) and her master Petronius (Frederic Forrest) watch a strange ancient ritual and follow it up with a short chat. Of course, it is not Barbara De Rossi's real voice being used. Her voice is dubbed, as it is in almost all of the English language projects she took part in.

Barbara De Rossi in Hearts and Armour

In 1983. Barbara De Rossi starred as Bradamante in Hearts and Armour (the English title of the original Italian title I Paladini - storia d'armi e d'amori). The film is an epic fantasy piece based upon Ludovico Ariosto's 16th century epic poem 'Orlando Furioso'. Barbara De Rossi stars alongside an international cast, mostly comprised of Italian and American actors and actresses.

The first things I noticed about Hearts and Armour were the stunning cinematography by Dante Spinotti and the amazing set and costume design. Disregarding everything else, the movie simply looks fantastic.

Barbara De Rossi made Hearts and Armour very early in her career. Her first film was in 1978, but she didn't really begin her acting career in earnest until 1980. As in most of her English-language features, her voice is dubbed here. Nevertheless, she manages to make quite an impression, especially due to her striking beauty. Beyond that, it is perhaps not difficult to make an impression when surrounded by some of the cheesiest American actors that could be found.

The movie was released to theaters internationally and Warner Brothers dubbed the movie for English speaking markets. However, Hearts and Armour to this day remains a cult classic, not widely seen then or now. The film had a VHS release but I guess no one has deemed it worthy of a nice DVD release. One can only hope that a digital remaster will appear someday and hopefully in widescreen! Hearts and Armour is just too good not to get a bit more recognition.

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Here are some pictures of Barbara De Rossi in Hearts and Armour (I Paladini - storia d'armi e d'amori):

Barbara De Rossi in Son Contento

In 1983, Barbara De Rossi co-starred alongside Francesco Nuti in the movie Son contento. It's an Italian film and thus is in the Italian language. Since I don't speak Italian, and the movie has not been subtitled or dubbed as far as I know, I have not had the opportunity to actually watch it.

Roughly, Son contento (which translates to 'I'm Happy' in English) is about a stand-up comedian (played by Francesco Nuti who looks a bit like an Italian Martin Short) whose girlfriend (Barbara De Rossi) decides to leave him. After she walks out on him, he hits rock bottom. Eventually, he gets it together again, reconnects with his girlfriend only to lose her once more.

Son contento was produced during Barbara De Rossi's heyday in the 1980s and she looks fantastic in the film. I only wish I could actually watch the movie properly. Maybe it will be released with subtitles someday. Maybe I should learn Italian!


Here are some images of Barbara De Rossi in Son contento: