Rappaccini's Daughter (1980)

Plot Summary

Set in 18th Century Italy, RAPPACCINI'S DAUGHTER is the tale of a young scholar named Giovanni (Kristoffer Tabori) who falls in love with a beautiful, yet forbidden, girl who tends her father's poison garden. However, the strange and unearthly beauty of Beatrice (Kathleen Beller) masks a terrifying curse which Giovanni must tragically discover. Her father, the mysterious Dr. Rappaccini, has made her the subject of a diabolical experiment. In Giovanni's attempt to free Beatrice from the control of her father and to escape the poisonous effect she begins to have on him, he unwittingly destroys her. From the short story of master American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne, two quintessential Hawthorne themes are explored: the sins of interfering with another's soul and the futility of trying to tamper with nature.

Full Cast & Characters

Kristoffer Tabori

Giovanni

Kathleen Beller

Beatrice

Michael Egan

Baglioni

Leonardo Cimino

Rappaccini

Antonia Rey

Emma

Madeline Willemsen

Lisabetta

Dennis Boutsikaris

Vito

Coqui González

Flower Seller

Henry Fonda

Self - Series Host (uncredited)

Director & Crew

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