The best of 70 years of Italian comedies
I soliti ignoti (Big deal on Madonna Street) – 1958
The best caper movie parody ever. A group of ill-assorted petty thieves carefully plan a robbery in a Roman apartment, and, of course, there is no shortage of mishaps.
La grande guerra (The Great War) – 1959
The first devastating world war, through the eyes of two humble, lovable slackers. Actors in a state of grace and laughs galore, but tragedy always lurks.
Audace colpo dei soliti ignoti (Fiasco in Milan) – 1969
A sequel that cleverly reinvents the successful formula of I soliti ignoti. This time it ups the ante-the heist will take place in Milan and involve some of the brightest criminal minds around.
Tutti a casa (Everybody go home) – 1960
After the September 8, ’43 armistice and the surrender of the Italian army, some soldiers attempt to return home amidst a thousand vicissitudes and a divided country. In the catastrophe, they will discover friendship and, for the first time, fight for what they believe.
Il sorpasso (The easy life) – 1962
In a booming Italy, an occasional summer trip lays bare two different approaches to life. The best example of Italian-style comedy, it had a decisive influence on the cultural background of an entire country. Perhaps the most famous of all Italian comedies
I mostri (Opiate ‘67) – 1963
A sampling of more or less despicable characters and situations that, to varying degrees, challenged the morals of the time. By a narrow margin the best and most caustic of the countless episodic comedies of Italian cinema.
Signore e signori (The birds, the bees…and the Italians) – 1965
A merciless and amused look at the everyday pettiness – almost all of it sex-related – of the inhabitants of a small town in the Northeast. Of course, no one is saved.
L’armata Brancaleone (For love and gold) – 1966
In the Middle Ages , a motley group of beggarly adventurers crosses Italy to claim possession of a fortress by the sea, led by the reckless and hapless Brancaleone da Norcia. Memorable.
Operazione San Gennaro (Treasure of San Gennaro) – 1966
A group of American criminals involves a small-time con man to pull off an ambitious heist in the heart of Naples. But Naples is no ordinary city.
Brancaleone alle crociate (Brancaleone at the Crusades) – 1970
Sequel of the successful L’Armata Brancaleone. The leader is the same, the team is different, and it counts the greatest comic talents of the time. This time it’s off to the Crusades in the Holy Land, with the throttle pressed on laughter.
Lo scopone scientifico (The scientific cardplayer) – 1973
A family living in the Roman slums awaits the annual visit of a wealthy American heiress to tempt fate with cards and improve their miserable condition. All-star cast for an original and fierce interclass satire.
Amarcord (ST) – 1973
Federico Fellini recounts, with lightness and dreamy humor, episodes from his childhood in a provincial town, between the discovery of eroticism and the ridiculousness of the time and the adult world.
Fantozzi (ST) – 1975
The first appearance of accountant Ugo Fantozzi, the hapless clerk who for years embodied the stereotype of the little Italian who does nothing but suffer. Hilarious and cruel.
Il ragazzo di campagna (The country boy) – 1984
An estranged country boy moves to the city. Not just any city, but 1980s Milan, at the height of yuppie and postmodern frenzy. Tender and surreal.
Parenti serpenti (Dearest relatives) – 1992
An articulate middle-class family gathers at their grandparents’ house in a small town in central Italy to celebrate Christmas. Grudges, envy, and small and large miseries are the main course.
Ferie d’agosto (August vacation) – 1995
Deep ideological, political, and social differences emerge, with increasing intensity, on a charming Mediterranean island where two extended family groups spend summer vacations.
L’ultimo capodanno (Kaputt mundi) – 1998
Collection of grotesque episodes centered on various human types, more or less realistic, in a large residential complex in the Roman suburbs. It is the last night of the year, and everything is decidedly over the top. Pure delirium.
Italian comedies of the third millenium
Il ritorno di Cagliostro (The return of Cagliostro) – 2003
The intriguing and completely fake story of the first major Sicilian film production company. A kind of mockumentary that does not fail to flog, with panache and without moralizing, local society and customs.
Boris – Il film (Boris: the film) – 2011
A TV crew that has always been engaged in the most bland and sloppy serial productions tries its hand for the first time at a feature film with a socio-political theme. What can go wrong?
Smetto quando voglio (I quit whenever I want) – 2014
The increasingly hostile employment scenario forces a group of college graduates to reinvent themselves as drug dealers. They will not succeed badly, but crime, it is known, is not an exact science.
