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Sylva Koscina
1933-1994
Updated 4/6/2008 with more films available on DVD!
biography
Yugoslavian beauty Sylva Koscina was born in August 1933. World War II proved to be catastrophic in her home country, first with the invasion by Germany and later with the Russian invasion, culminating in about a million deaths. Koscina and her family fled to Italy following the end of the war. After winning some beauty contests as a teenager, she attended the University of Naples and worked as a fashion model before entering films. Her first film was the Italian comedy Are We Men or Corporals? (1955; with Totò). Koscina had acted in a string of comedies when she was cast in the peplum adventure Hercules (1958; with Steve Reeves).
Sylva Koscina often posed for cheesecake shots in the 1950s and 1960s
With the international success of Hercules, Koscina became a star. After returning for the sequel Hercules Unchained (1959; with Steve Reeves), she acted in such films as Jessica (1962; with Angie Dickinson and Maurice Chevalier), Hot Enough for June (1964; with Dirk Bogarde), Three Bites of the Apple (1967; with David McCallum and Tammy Grimes), and Hornets' Nest (1970; with Rock Hudson). Often appearing unclad in her later films, Koscina appeared nude in He and She (1969; with Laurence Harvey)and The House of Exorcism (1973; with Telly Savalas and Elke Sommer), among others.
the films of sylva koscina
Hercules (1958)
With Steve Reeves on the set of Hercules
Love, the Italian Way (1960)
From the romantic comedy Love, the Italian Way with Walter Chiari
Hot Enough for June (1964)
From the spy comedy Hot Enough for June. LEFT: Koscina as Vlasta Simoneva. CENTER and RIGHT: With Dirk Bogarde
Deadlier Than the Male (1966)
From Universal's campy thriller Deadlier Than the Male. LEFT: Koscina and Elke Sommer are two of Nigel Green's beautiful but deadly hired hands. RIGHT: Koscina finds another male victim
Three Bites of the Apple (1967)
With David McCallum in the bittersweet comedy Three Bites of the Apple, released by MGM
A Lovely Way to Die (1968)
From the Universal crime picture A Lovely Way to Die with Kirk Douglas
Hornets' Nest (1970)
From the Italian-made war drama Hornets' Nest. LEFT: As Bianca. RIGHT: With Rock Hudson
The Italian Connection (1972)
From the crime flick The Italian Connection
Sunday Lovers (1980)
With Ugo Tognazzi in the comedy Sunday Lovers
later years
Sylva Koscina's film career slowed in the mid 1970s, and thereafter she appeared in films only on a sporadic basis. Koscina posed nude for Italian Playboy in 1975 at the age of 42, but the pictorial did not help her flagging film career. Her last film role came in the 1994 release Kim Novak Is on the Phone. Koscina passed away in late December 1994 from heart problems at the age of 61.
The Railroad Man [DVD](1956) DVD
Classic Italian neo-realist drama from writer/director/star Pietro Germi ("Divorce--Italian Style") follows a veteran railroad worker beset by family and personal problems. When trying to forget his sorrows in drink leads to a serious train accident, Fermi must cross a picket line to keep his job, further alienating him from his friends. Luisa Della Noce, Sylva Koscina co-star. AKA: "Il Ferroviere," "Man of Iron." 115 min. Standard; Soundtrack: Italian Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English; interviews; photo gallery; poster gallery; theatrical trailer. In Italian with English subtitles. Two-disc set.
Hercules (Widescreen Version) (1959)/Mole Men Against The Son Of Hercules [DVD](1961) DVD
First, the original "swords, sandals and sweat" spectacle "Hercules" stars Steve Reeves as the muscular Greek demigod who asks to be made mortal. Sylva Koscina, Fabrizio Mioni also star. Next, Etruscan hero Maciste (apparently Italian for "beefcake") battles a race of hideous albinos in their weird underground city, in "Mole Men Against the Son of Hercules." Mark Forest stars as the sandal-wearing muscle lad. 180 min. total. Widescreen (Enhanced)/Standard; Soundtrack: English (dubbed) Dolby Digital stereo. Dubbed in English.
Hercules (1959)/Hercules Unchained [DVD](1960) DVD
The original "swords, sandals and sweat" spectacles star Steve Reeves as the muscular Greek demigod. In "Hercules," Reeves asks the Olympian gods to make him mortal so he can share in the adventures of humans, from falling in love with a beautiful princess (Sylva Koscina) to going on a perilous journey with Jason in search of the Golden Fleece. Next, Reeves returns as the mighty one in "Hercules Unchained." Robbed of his memory, Herc is a prisoner of the lovely Queen Omphale (Sylvia Lopez) and must compete in the Contest of Giants for his freedom. 202 min. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English (dubbed) mono; biographies; photo gallery; poster gallery; trailers.
Uncle Was A Vampire [VHS](1959) VHS
An Italian-made vampire satire about the last of a clan of bloodsuckers whose fortunes have sunk so low they are forced to turn the ancestral castle into a hotel. Christopher Lee parodies his famous Count, as the patriarch who brings his not-so-thrilled nephew into the family business. 85 min.
Aphrodite, Goddess Of Love [VHS](1960) VHS
Set during the reign of Roman emperor Nero, this lavish Italian spectacle centers on a manipulative mistress of a Roman official who uses her seductive powers for revenge against a former lover by persuading the official to persecute Christians. Antonio De Teffe and Isabelle Corey star. In Italian with English subtitles.
Herod The Great [DVD](1960) DVD
Wild debauchery and oil-slicked concubines fill this Italian-made Biblical epic that depicts the last years of the bloodthirsty Judean tyrant. Edmund Purdom and Sylvia Lopez star. 93 min. Soundtrack: English (dubbed).
...And Suddenly It's Murder! [DVD](1961) DVD
Co-produced by Dino De Laurentiis, this mystery/comedy follows three Italian couples as they go on separate vacations to Monte Carlo. Their getaways are soon spoiled when someone kills an old woman and her body finds its way into their rooms--resulting in chills and laughs aplenty! Alberto Sordi, Vittorio Gassman, Nino Manfredi star. AKA: "Criminals," "Killing in Monte Carlo." Standard; Soundtrack: English (dubbed). Dubbed in English.
Juliet Of The Spirits [DVD](1965) DVD
Director Federico Fellini's dazzling, surrealistic portrait of the sexual fantasies and neuroses of a young woman trying to break out of an unhappy marriage. Giulietta Masina, Mario Pisu, Sylva Koscina star. 137 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: Italian Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English; theatrical trailer; interview; scene access.
Deadlier Than The Male [DVD](1967) DVD
Two-fisted crimesolver Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond was revamped for the James Bond crowd with this thrilling spy yarn. Richard Johnson, as insurance investigator Drummond, looks into the death of an oil company executive and links the incident to a criminal mastermind who has gorgeous, bikini-clad assassins doing his dirty work. Elke Sommer, Sylva Koscina, Nigel Green and Suzanna Leigh co-star. 95 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: English mono; scene access.
Marquis De Sade's Justine [DVD](1969) DVD
Shocking and perverse chiller, loosely based on the works of the Marquis De Sade, follows two sisters on a harrowing series of encounters in 17th-century France. Jack Palance and Klaus Kinski star in director Jess Franco's blend of horror and eroticism. AKA: "Deadly Sanctuary." 124 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; featurette; biography; photo gallery; poster gallery; more.
Marquis De Sade's Justine [DVD](1969) DVD
Shocking and perverse chiller, loosely based on the works of the Marquis De Sade, follows two sisters on a harrowing series of encounters in 17th-century France. Jack Palance and Klaus Kinski star in director Jess Franco's blend of horror and eroticism. AKA: "Deadly Sanctuary." 124 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; featurette; biography; photo gallery; poster gallery; more.
Hired To Kill (La Mala Ordina) [DVD](1972) DVD
Luca Canali (Mario Adorf) thought he could put one over on the mob by hijacking their $6,000,000 drug shipment. The mob isn't known for their sense of humor, though...and they send two hit men (Henry Silva and Woody Strode) to remind Luca of that fact. Luciana Paluzzi, Franco Fabrizi co-star. AKA: "Hit Men," "Black King Pin," "The Italian Connection," "Manhunt." 90 min. Soundtrack: English.
Bava: The Mario Bava Collection, Vol. 2 [DVD] DVD
The Mario Bava-helmed masterworks continue in this six-disc set. A rich man's guests start turning up dead, and no one knows the murderer's identity! Bava's Agatha Christie-esque "Five Dolls for an August Moon" (1970) stars Ira Furstenberg. "Roy Colt and Winchester Jack" (1970) finds cowpoke Colt made sheriff and entrusted with a treasure map. Brett Halsey, Charles Southwood star. "Bay of Blood" (1971) traces the events following the supposed suicide of a countess. Claudine Auger stars. AKA: "Twitch of the Death Nerve." Plans to renovate a 16th-century castle hit a snag when the sadistic "Baron Blood" (1972) is revived. Joseph Cotten, Elke Sommer star. AKA: "Torture Chamber of Baron Blood." Was Tina raped by the charming Gianni? Four witnesses offer hilariously differing perspectives. "Four Times That Night" (1972) stars Halsey, Daniela Giordano. The uncut version of "Lisa and the Devil" (1972) features Sommer as a woman driven by strange visions to a mansion inhabited by sadists, devil-worshippers, necrophiliacs...and Telly Savalas! With Alida Valli, Sylva Koscina. Also includes the recut version of "Lisa," "The House of Exorcism"; plus "Kidnapped" (1974). 12 hrs. total.
The Amorous Mis-Adventures Of Casanova (Some Like It Cool) [DVD](1977) DVD
Wild sex romp stars Tony Curtis in dual roles: as fabled 18th-century lover Casanova and his double, a small-time con artist who fills in when the real Casanova cannot keep an "appointment." Lots of ribald moments and laughs, with the likes of Sylva Koscina, Marisa Berenson and Britt Ekland baring it all. AKA: "Casanova & Co.," "Sex on the Run." 89 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo; biographies.
filmography
Kim Novak Is on the Phone (1994)
Ricky and Barrabas (1992)
Una grande storia d'amore (1987) with John Phillip Law and Claudine Auger
Rimini Rimini (1987) with Laura Antonelli
Cinderella '80 (1983) with Adolfo Celi
Mani di fata (1983)
This and That (1983) with Nino Manfredi
Asso (1981)
Sunday Lovers (1980) with Roger Moore, Ugo Tognazzi, Gene Wilder, Lynn Redgrave, Priscilla Barnes, and Rossana Podesta
Some Like It Cool (1977) with Tony Curtis, Marisa Berenson, Marisa Mell, and Britt Ekland
Young Dracula (1975) with Rossano Brazzi, Moira Orfei, and Ciccio Ingrassia
Delitto d'autore (1974)
Las Correrías del Vizconde Arnau (1974) with Helga Line and Silvia Solar
The Student Connection (1973) with Ray Milland
Lisa and the Devil (1973) with Telly Savalas and Elke Sommer
My Pleasure Is Your Pleasure (1973) with Barbara Bouchet and Lionel Stander
African Story (1972) with Stephen Boyd
I predatori si muovono all'alba (1972) with Barbara Bach and Giacomo Rossi-Stuart
The Crimes of the Black Cat (1972) with Giacomo Rossi-Stuart
The Italian Connection (1972) with Henry Silva, Woody Strode, Adolfo Celi, Luciana Paluzzi, and Cyril Cusack
Beati i ricchi (1972)
Confessions of a Sex Maniac (1972) with Farley Granger
Boccaccio (1972)
The Great Swindle (1972) with Stephen Boyd, Marisa Mell, Fernando Rey, and Massimo Serato
Skyriders Attack (1971) with Horst Buchholz
Homo Eroticus (1971) with Rossana Podesta
Trittico (1971) with Rossano Brazzi
The Modification (1970)
Hornets' Nest (1970) with Rock Hudson, Giacomo Rossi-Stuart, and Jacques Sernas
She and He (1969) with Laurence Harvey and Isa Miranda
The Battle of the River Neretva (1969) with Yul Brynner, Anthony Dawson,
Curd Jürgens, Hardy Krüger, Franco Nero, and Orson Welles
Marquis De Sade's Justine (1969) with Klaus Kinski, Jack Palance, Akim Tamiroff, and Mercedes McCambridge
Vedo nudo (1969) with Nino Manfredi
The Protagonists (1968) with Pamela Tiffin
The Last Roman (1968) with Laurence Harvey, Orson Welles, Honor Blackman, and Lang Jeffries
A Lovely Way to Die (1968) with Kirk Douglas, Eli Wallach, Ralph Waite, Dana Elcar, and Dolph Sweet
The Secret War of Harry Frigg (1968) with Paul Newman, Andrew Duggan, Tom Bosley, Charles Gray, Vito Scotti, James Gregory, Norman Fell, and Buck Henry
Johnny Banco (1967) with Horst Buchholz
Three Bites of the Apple (1967) with David McCallum, Tammy Grimes, and Harvey Korman
Made in Italy (1967)
Deadlier Than the Male (1966) with Richard Johnson, Elke Sommer, Nigel Green, Suzanna Leigh, and Virginia North
The Double Bed (1966) with Margaret Lee
An Ace and Four Queens (1966)
Monkey Money (1966)
Agent X-77 Orders to Kill (1966)
Me, Me, Me... and the Others (1965) with Gina Lollobrigida, Silvana Mangano, Vittorio De Sica, Nino Manfredi, and Marcello Mastroianni
The Dreamer (1965) with Anouk Aimée and Margaret Lee
I Soldi (1965) with Barbara Steele
Thrilling (1965)
Juliet of the Spirits (1965) written and directed by Federico Fellini
That Man in Istanbul (1965) with Horst Buchholz and Klaus Kinski
Guns for the Dictator (1965)
Corpse for the Lady (1964) with with Franco Franchi, Ciccio Ingrassia, and Rosalba Neri
Una storia di notte (1964) with Enzo Cerusico and Isa Miranda
The Circular Triangle (1964) with Lilli Palmer
Love and Marriage (1964)
Let's Talk About Women (1964)
Hot Enough for June (1964) with Dirk Bogarde, Robert Morley, and Noel Harrison
Love in Four Dimensions (1963)
Girl's Apartment (1963)
Cyrano et d'Artagnan (1963) with Jose Ferrer and Daliah Lavi
The Little Nuns (1963)
Judex (1963)
The Scapegoat (1963)
The Shortest Day (1962)
The Iron Mask (1962) with Claudine Auger
Three Fables of Love (1962) with Rossano Brazzi, Leslie Caron, and Hardy Krüger
Swordsman of Siena (1962) with Stewart Granger
Copacabana Palace (1962) with Mylene Demongeot
The Masseuses (1962)
Jessica (1962) with Angie Dickinson, Maurice Chevalier, and Agnes Moorehead
Siege of Syracuse (1962) with Rossano Brazzi and Tina Louise
Mariti in pericolo (1961)
Destination Fury (1961) with Eddie Constantine
...And Suddenly It's Murder! (1961)
Love Italian Style (1960) with Ugo Tognazzi and Elke Sommer
I piaceri dello scapolo (1960)
Hercules' Pills (1960)
Blood Feud (1960)
Ravishing (1960)
The Traffic Policeman (1960)
Trapped by Fear (1960) with Jean-Paul Belmondo
La Cambiale (1959) with Vittorio Gassman, Ugo Tognazzi, and Giorgia Moll
Poor Millionaires (1959)
Uncle was a Vampire (1959) with Christopher Lee
Hercules Unchained (1959) with Steve Reeves and Sylvia Lopez
Herod the Great (1959) with Edmund Purdom and Sylvia Lopez
Ladro lui, ladra lei (1958)
La Nipote Sabella (1958)
Non sono più Guaglione (1958)
Love on the Riviera (1958)
Toto in Paris (1958)
Toto in the Moon (1958)
Mogli pericolose (1958)
Le naïf aux quarante enfants (1958)
Hercules (1958) with Steve Reeves
I fidanzati della morte (1957)
The Mighty Crusaders (1957)
Young Husbands (1957)
The Railroad Man (1956)
Guendalina (1956)
Michael Strogoff (1956)
Are We Men or Corporals? (1955)
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This page premiered November 18, 2004.
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