Italy’s crises of employment and housing are the subjects of its sentimental story, which is also a wildly imaginative tale brought to life with astonishing special effects and slapstick stunts. Its Chaplinesque star, Francesco Golisano—a nonprofessional actor and a superbly subtle physical comedian—plays Totò, a penniless orphan in a shantytown on the outskirts of Milan. When a predatory landlord summons his private army to displace its residents, Totò miraculously obtains the power of wish fulfillment, which he first deploys in an effort to help them—but his desperate neighbors quickly abuse this power, with chaotic results.
About the film
Details
- Running time
- 1 hr. 40 min.
- Country, year
- Italy, 1951
- Genre
- Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Comedy
- Language
- Italian, English
- Subtitles
- English, Lithuanian
- Age rating
- Pegi 13
Credits
- Director
- Vittorio De Sica
- Screenplay
- Cesare Zavattini, Vittorio De Sica
- Producers
- Vittorio De Sica
- Cinematography
- G. R. Aldo (Aldo Graziati)
- Music
- Alessandro Cicognini
- Cast
- Emma Gramatica, Francesco Golisano, Paolo Stoppa
Festivals and awards
- didysis žiuri prizas
- geriausias dailininko darbas
Director
Vittorio De Sica
Best known for the 1948 film The Bicycle Thieves, Vittorio de Sica directed more than 40 films, starred in more than 150 and gained critical recognition in both these roles. From the light-hearted, fluffy comedies to more arresting subjects in the wake of WWII and later mainstream endeavours, his works were instrumental in the forming of the canon of post war Italian cinema, their influence still being felt decades later.
