Rosalba Neri
Encyclopedia
Rosalba Neri sometimes credited as Sara Bey or Sara Bay, is a retired Italian actress.
.
The second was Mario Bava's Esther and the King
, starring Joan Collins
as the Biblical Jewish Queen. Rosalba played Keresh and was assassinated by someone who mistook her for the Queen. Because of her dark, sultry beauty, Rosalba was often a natural fit to play certain legendary characters. She was Ramses’ intended bride in the Hercules
Adventure, Il Leone de Thebe (The Lion of Thebes) in 1966. She was also in Ercole contro i figli del sole (Hercules against the Sons of the Sun) in 1964. She played Delilah
, the Biblical beauty who was the downfall of the Old Testament hero, Samson
, in I Grandi Condottieri (The Great Guides).
Although starring roles were few and far between for Rosalba, she worked steadily throughout the 60s and 70s in supporting and sometimes, nondescript roles, such as her turn as a harem girl in (1961’s) El Cid
.
-like character, comes into contact with. Also in 1965, she appeared in Due Mafiosi contro Goldfinger (Two Mafioso against Goldfinger). Here she was credited as Sara Bay and played a character called “The Secretary.”
In 1967, she was Amalia in Password: Uccidete Agente Gordon (Password: Kill Agent Gordon).
, which was directed by Romolo Guerrieri
.
’s ‘wife’ in Alla Ricerca del piacere (Amuck, Leather & Whips). In the film, Granger is a wealthy author who hires a beautiful secretary, played by Barbara Bouchet
and engages in kinky sex games with her and his wife.
Barbara and Rosalba would team up in another movie combining sex with horror. This is 1972’s Casa d’appuntamento (French Sex Murders). A jewel thief is accused of murdering a prostitute but is decapitated in a motorcycle accident prior to the trial. When those involved in the trial start dying, everyone wonders if the dead man has come back to exact a little revenge.
Perhaps Rosalba’s best-known films are from the horror genre. This is also where she is often credited as Sara Bay (or Bey), much to her fans’ chagrin. She played Tania Frankenstein, the daughter of the monster’s creator, in 1972’s Lady Frankenstein
. Tania was willing to take her father’s work to new – and frightening – levels. It’s considered a “B” movie classic. She also played Lady Dracula, a vampire who uses the ring of Dracula to lure young virgins to her home so she can murder them and bathe in their blood (à la the medieval Countess Elizabeth of Báthory
). The film, which was directed by Luigi Batzella, is often referred to as The Devil’s Wedding Night. The Italian name is Il Plenilunio dell Vergini (the Full Moon of the Virgins).
Biography
When she was very young, she won a beauty pageant and attended il Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia (The Center for Experimental Cinematography). In 1956, she received an offer to go to Hollywood and attend the Actor's Studio but didn’t take the offer for undisclosed reasons.Early film career
She began her film career a year prior to that, at the age of 15 with a role in the film I Pinguini ci guardano (The Penguins Watch Us) in which the animals at the zoo watched the humans around them and cultivated some very interesting thoughts. Many sources, however, list her first film as Mogli pericolose. She is uncredited in this comedy which was directory by Luigi ComenciniLuigi Comencini
Luigi Comencini was an Italian film director. Together with Dino Risi, Ettore Scola and Mario Monicelli, he was considered among the masters of the commedia all'italiana genre....
.
Historical roles
In 1960, she appeared in two films set in the Ancient world. The first was Il Sepolcro dei Re (The Tomb of the King). This film tells the story of Nemorat, an Egyptian pharaoh who was instrumental in the creation of the pyramids of Giza due to the intrigues surrounding his death and entombment.The second was Mario Bava's Esther and the King
Esther and the King
Esther and the King is a 1960 U.S.A. / Italian film direction, written, and produced by Raoul Walsh. It is a religious epic. It was produced at 20th Century Fox/ Raoul Walsh Productions, and was released by 20th Century Fox. Joan Collins stars as Esther in this melodramatic, routine Biblical story...
, starring Joan Collins
Joan Collins
Joan Henrietta Collins, OBE , is an English actress, author, and columnist. Born in Paddington and raised in Maida Vale, Collins grew up during the Second World War. At the age of nine, she made her stage debut in A Doll's House and after attending school, she was classically trained as an actress...
as the Biblical Jewish Queen. Rosalba played Keresh and was assassinated by someone who mistook her for the Queen. Because of her dark, sultry beauty, Rosalba was often a natural fit to play certain legendary characters. She was Ramses’ intended bride in the Hercules
Hercules
Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
Adventure, Il Leone de Thebe (The Lion of Thebes) in 1966. She was also in Ercole contro i figli del sole (Hercules against the Sons of the Sun) in 1964. She played Delilah
Delilah
Delilah appears only in the Hebrew bible Book of Judges 16, where she is the "woman in the valley of Sorek" whom Samson loved, and who was his downfall...
, the Biblical beauty who was the downfall of the Old Testament hero, Samson
Samson
Samson, Shimshon ; Shamshoun or Sampson is the third to last of the Judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Tanakh ....
, in I Grandi Condottieri (The Great Guides).
Although starring roles were few and far between for Rosalba, she worked steadily throughout the 60s and 70s in supporting and sometimes, nondescript roles, such as her turn as a harem girl in (1961’s) El Cid
El Cid (film)
El Cid is a historical epic film, a romanticized story of the life of the Christian Castilian knight Don Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, called "El Cid" who in the 11th century fought the North African Almoravides and ultimately contributed to the unification of Spain.Made by Samuel Bronston Productions in...
.
Spy films
Rosalba also had quite a few roles in spy/intrigue films, often playing a less than saintly character. She was Faddja in 1965’s Il Superseven Chiama Cairo (Superseven Calls on Cairo), one of the dangerous ‘women’ that the spy, a James BondJames Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
-like character, comes into contact with. Also in 1965, she appeared in Due Mafiosi contro Goldfinger (Two Mafioso against Goldfinger). Here she was credited as Sara Bay and played a character called “The Secretary.”
In 1967, she was Amalia in Password: Uccidete Agente Gordon (Password: Kill Agent Gordon).
Spaghetti westerns
She had roles in several spaghetti westerns over the years. In 1965’s, Dinamite Jim, she played Margaret; and, in ’67 she was Rosita in Emimmo Salvi’s Wanted: Johnny Texas. That year she also appeared in Johnny YumaJohnny Yuma (movie)
Johnny Yuma is a spaghetti western starring Mark Damon, Rosalba Neri, and Lawrence Dobkin. In this western film, conniving wife has her husband murdered and finds herself butting heads with his heir Johnny Yuma . The woman then enlists the assistance of her ex-lover to kill him...
, which was directed by Romolo Guerrieri
Romolo Guerrieri
Romolo Guerrieri is an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 17 films between 1961 and 1992.He was born in Rome, Italy.-Selected filmography:* Detective Belli...
.
Erotic films
Rosalba, the bombshell, was also much in demand for erotic films. She played Zoe, in Franco’s 99 Women, a movie about women in prison who must turn to each other for comfort while dealing with a sadistic warden. In 1971 she was Eleanor Stuart, Farley GrangerFarley Granger
Farley Earle Granger was an American actor. In a career spanning several decades, he was perhaps best known for his two collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock, Rope in 1948 and Strangers on a Train in 1951.-Early life:...
’s ‘wife’ in Alla Ricerca del piacere (Amuck, Leather & Whips). In the film, Granger is a wealthy author who hires a beautiful secretary, played by Barbara Bouchet
Barbara Bouchet
Barbara Bouchet, is a German-American actress and entrepreneur.She has acted in more than 80 films and television episodes and founded a production company that has produced fitness videos and books as well as owning a fitness studio...
and engages in kinky sex games with her and his wife.
Barbara and Rosalba would team up in another movie combining sex with horror. This is 1972’s Casa d’appuntamento (French Sex Murders). A jewel thief is accused of murdering a prostitute but is decapitated in a motorcycle accident prior to the trial. When those involved in the trial start dying, everyone wonders if the dead man has come back to exact a little revenge.
Perhaps Rosalba’s best-known films are from the horror genre. This is also where she is often credited as Sara Bay (or Bey), much to her fans’ chagrin. She played Tania Frankenstein, the daughter of the monster’s creator, in 1972’s Lady Frankenstein
Lady Frankenstein
Lady Frankenstein is a 1971 Italian horror film directed by Mel Welles. It stars Joseph Cotten, Rosalba Neri , Mickey Hargitay and Paul Müller...
. Tania was willing to take her father’s work to new – and frightening – levels. It’s considered a “B” movie classic. She also played Lady Dracula, a vampire who uses the ring of Dracula to lure young virgins to her home so she can murder them and bathe in their blood (à la the medieval Countess Elizabeth of Báthory
Elizabeth Báthory
Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed was a countess from the renowned Báthory family of Hungarian nobility. Although in modern times she has been labelled the most prolific serial killer in history, the number of murders has been debated...
). The film, which was directed by Luigi Batzella, is often referred to as The Devil’s Wedding Night. The Italian name is Il Plenilunio dell Vergini (the Full Moon of the Virgins).