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