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Directed by: Ferdinando Baldi
Script by: Ferdinando Baldi
Genre: Comedy (B&W)
Duaration: 1h 13’
Nationality: Italy |
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| Cast: Nino Taranto, Carlo Croccolo, Ugo Tognazzi, Raimondo Vianello, Tino Scotti, Armando Romeo, Pinuccia Nava, Diana Nava, Lisetta Nava |
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Two scatterbrained detectives look for a thief of jewels in the variety show circuit: this is an excuse for proposing a series of comic scenes from the Fifties. Shot in 1954 at the ICET studios in Milan and distributed only 5 years later, as a film, it has actually no value, it is just an exposed film. Raimondo Vianello, Tino Scotti, the sisters Nava, Bruno Dossena are also starring.
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Ugo Tognazzi
(Cremona, 1922 - Roma, 1990) |
After working as a boy in a salumi factory, in 1944 he won in a contest for actor amateurs which started his career in the variety show and other theatrical forms, where he soon obtained a certain acknowledgement together with Raimondo Vianello: the couple gained even much more popularity in the Fifties with a lucky TV program, until they were thrown away for some excessive witticism. In cinema, he commenced as Walter Chiari’s stooge in the film entitled “I cadetti di Guascogna” (1950) directed by Mario Mattoli, followed by other parts in a long series of modest comedy films. The turning point was in 1961, when he proved to be more ambitious by directing himself in movies such as “Il mantenuto”. Meanwhile, Luciano Salce offered him a beautiful part as the Fascist character Arcovazzi in “Il federale”. This was actually the beginning of an extraordinary career: in the following years, he could demonstrate his eclecticism interpreting the most varied typologies of characters, from a middle-aged engineer who has lost his mind for a young woman in “La voglia matta” (1962, also signed by Salce) to the unfortunate protagonist of “L’ape regina” (1963; this is the movie which marks the beginning of the extraordinary fellowship with Marco Ferreri), from the exaggerated and grotesque characterizations of “I mostri” (1963) directed by Dino Risi to the scathing portrait of a middle-class man in heat for a woman in the bitter movie entitled “La bambolona” (1968) by Franco Giraldi. Capable of sweeping over any register, including those despicable characters (such the barker in the superb movie entitled “La donna scimmia”, 1964, by Ferreri, or the incautious sex maniac of the harsh movie entitled “Venga a prendere il caffè... da noi”, 1970, by Alberto Lattuada), which were on the contrary rejected by other actors, Tognazzi won the Palm d’Or as best actor at Cannes Film Festival for the movie “La tragedia di un uomo ridicolo” (1981), directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. But he obtained his greatest success in the movie series starting with “Amici miei” (1975) directed by Mario Monicelli and “Il vizietto” (1978) by Edouard Molinaro. He has also directed five movies and he has been the most representative actor of the Italian comedy and probably the most internationally acclaimed Italian actor.
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