''The Nights of Lucretia Borgia'' is a 1959 Italian film. It was also known as Le notti di Lucrezia Borgia and Nights of Temptation. It was one of a series of sexually aggressive characters Lee played in European movies.

Plot

Diana d'Alva is part of a family who are leading a conspiracy against the Borgias in medieval Italy. She is rescued from being attacked by Federico, a virtuous nobleman from an impoverished family. Federico goes to serve Cesare Borgia. Cesare's sister Lucrezia desires Federico but he is in love with Diana. Lucrezia's former lover, Astorre, is jealous of Frederico. Frederico rescues Diana from the Borgias and kills Atorre in a duel.

Cast

*Belinda Lee as

Lucretia Borgia Lucrezia Borgia (; ca-valencia, Lucrècia Borja, links=no ; 18 April 1480 – 24 June 1519) was a Spanish-Italian noblewoman of the House of Borgia who was the daughter of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei. She reigned as the Governo ...

Jacques Sernas Jokūbas Bernardas Šernas (30 July 1925 – 3 July 2015), commonly known as Jacques Sernas and sometimes credited as Jack Sernas, was a Lithuanian-born French actor with an international film career. Biography He was born in Kaunas, Lithuania, ...

as Frederico *Arnoldo Foà as Astorre *Michèle Mercier as Diana d'Alva *

Franco Fabrizi Franco Fabrizi (; 15 February 1916 – 18 October 1995) was an Italian actor. Life and career Son of a barber and a cinema cashier, Franco Fabrizi started his career as a model and an actor in fotoromanzi. Fabrizi also starred on several rev ...

Cesare Borgia Cesare Borgia (; ca-valencia, Cèsar Borja ; es, link=no, César Borja ; 13 September 1475 – 12 March 1507) was an Italian ex- cardinal and '' condottiero'' (mercenary leader) of Aragonese (Spanish) origin, whose fight for power was a major ...

*Marco Tulli as Jacopo *Lilli Scaringi as Serafina *Germano Longo as Ufficiale *Nando Tamberlani as Duca d'Alva *Raf Baldassarre as Ruggero

Production

It was Belinda Lee's first movie after her contract with Rank ended. Filming ended by February 1959. Jacques Sernas later made ''

The Loves of Salammbo ''The Loves of Salammbo'' ( it, Salambò, french: Salammbô) is a 1960 historical drama directed by Sergio Grieco. It is loosely based on the novel ''Salammbô'' by Gustave Flaubert. Cast * Jacques Sernas: Mathos * Jeanne Valérie: Salammbò * ...

'' for the same director

Reception

The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' said the film had "sumptuous sets and costumes, an almost unbroken flow of sword and bodour play and the somewhat mechanical athleticism of its Fairbanks hero (Jacques Seras) all fail to lend this period confection the right kind of robust self-assertion. Since the scenes of eroticism and flagellation constituting the film's actual basic appeal have all been pared away, little remain to divert the undemanding but some memorably inappropriate dubbing and Belinda Lee's uninhibited resolve to come to grips with Lucrezia's villainy." The film was released in the US in 1960. The ''Los Angeles Times'' said "Miss Belinda Lee proves that no really bad girl is Lucretia Borgia - just look out, though, for what she pourgia." The ''New York Times'' said "Miss Lee, in a

Veronica Lake Constance Frances Marie Ockelman (November 14, 1922 – July 7, 1973), known professionally as Veronica Lake, was an American film, stage, and television actress. Lake was best known for her femme fatale roles in film noirs with Alan Ladd ...

hairdo, studiously imitates

Mae West Mae West (born Mary Jane West; August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American stage and film actress, playwright, screenwriter, singer, and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned over seven decades. She was known for her breezy ...

, but her elementary activities in the field of orgies will disappoint any former serviceman who caught

Martine Carol Martine Carol (born Marie-Louise Jeanne Nicolle Mourer; 16 May 1920 – 6 February 1967) was a French film actress. Career Born Maryse Mourer (or Marie-Louise Jeanne Nicolle Mourer) in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, (France), she studied acting und ...

's uncensored Lucretia overseas in one of the most popular tourist attractions ever filmed in France." The ''San Francisco Examiner'' called it "a sort of solo Musketeer show. The more surprising thing about it is the grandiose score."

References

External links

* * 1959 films Italian historical drama films 1950s Italian films {{1950s-Italy-film-stub