casimirocontarini Reviews

No, the Case Is Happily Resolved (1973)

A little psychological gem

[8/10 · 12 March 2021]

An man witnesses a murder. The murderer himself sees him and chases after him, but he manages to shake the assassin off and get home. What ensues is a psychological tug-of-war between the eyewitness and the killer.

Riccardo Cucciolla plays a reputable, yet troubled professor who commits a heinous and wanton murder, killing a young prostitute. Enzo Cerusico is a low level clerk, married with a child, who's not strong-willed enough to inform the police right away about the killing.

He then gets caught in a web of lies... will he be able to get out of it? A curious, experienced journalist, portrayed by Enrico Maria Salerno, chimes in to shed some light.

That's an unsung gem of Italian Seventies. The film is shot in such a way that holds you glued to the screen till the end.

La gatta da pelare (1981)

A lackluster directorial debut for "commedia sexy" veteran Pippo Franco

[4/10 · 2 June 2016]

A cartoonist, jealous towards the psychoanalyst of his wife, dispels his jealousy by killing him in his strips. When the psychoanalyst is found dead, he gets in trouble with the police. Pippo Franco's debut as a director is a pretty weak detective story; it shows a lack of ideas and rhythm. It is a far cry from the racy comedies Franco starred in before and after this movie; his quips, which he lavishes on the public with checkered success, are definitely more refined and less lavatorial; but that is not enough for the film to get the passing mark. The screen writing is as lackluster as the acting of the two beauties (a mainstay of the Seventies and Eighties Italian sexy comedy), Janet Agren — who strips down naked to show a statuesque body — and Daniela Poggi. The plot is as flimsy as it gets and only seems to be a pretext to churn out jokes and slapstick gags.

Oh dolci baci e languide carezze (1970)

Interesting satire material turned into a nonsensical, incoherent farce

[5/10 · 30 May 2016]

A well-respected bourgeois family man falls in love with a hippy girl, with whom he doesn't get to have his way and for whom he gets in trouble with the law. A botched farcical comedy that claims to be social criticism but fails to deliver what it promises. Luciano Salce, who plays Carlo Valcini, the main character, is good and funny, delivers some good moments, but sometimes seems to be out of place.

The screen writing is very sloppy to the point that the story has glaring plot holes and lacks essential logical linking. The plot itself is rambling and flimsy, and the screenplay contains many a nonsensical or incoherent line and scene. That is a pity, because the underlying idea was quite interesting and could give rise to a biting satire on society. A 33-year-old Lino Banfi, playing an amusing gay inmate in one of the few well-made scenes, is worthy to be mentioned.

Il sindacalista (1972)

A light yet enjoyable critique of the Italian trade unionism

[7/10 · 30 May 2016]

A worker and unionist puts up a struggle with his boss, a boorish parvenu who takes over the home appliance factory after his father's death. His struggles aim at securing small perks so as to ameliorate the working conditions of his coworkers, but also at stroking his own ego. He'll end up being humiliated by the factory owner, who takes advantage of his battle to pursue his own interests. Veteran Luciano Salce directs an enjoyable comedy that hits home when it comes to bashing some deviant trade union activism, only aiming at short-sighted claims and ego-flattering actions. Lando Buzzanca's acting, while being sometimes over the top and a little bit stereotypical, succeeds in depicting the narcissist nature of this type of union organizer.

What's Your Sign? (1975)

An easygoing comedy

[7/10 · 16 May 2016]

A four-segment comedy starring the best comedy actors of that time (and of the Italian movie history). All of them stand on a flimsy plot and only benefit from the outstanding performance of their main characters. In the first one, Paolo Villaggio, playing a cruise captain, grapples with a shocking diagnosis: he's going to become a woman. A series of irresistible gags, also en travesti, ensues. Mariangela Melato wants to take part in a dancing contest with the consummate dancer Adriano Celentano. He plays hard to get but in the end shows up at the venue and dances with Ms. Melato in a beautifully filmed, and funny scene. Renato Pozzetto is a builder who commutes to his workplace. He's picked upon and mocked by the Count and his mistress whose house he's building along with his colleagues, but in the end he will have his revenge. The last chapter shows Alberto Sordi who, in his early fifties, plays Nando Moriconi again, after twenty years. He's a goofy, incompetent bodyguard who is tasked with defending a Milanese industrial tycoon.