Due soldi di speranza

Good comedic tinged neo-realism, I much prefer it like this than when it's drenched in melodrama. Not that this is lacking drama, it's a good portrait of the struggles of post-war poverty with two lovable leads, but it trusts the audience to understand their pain without dragging them through hell.

Hearty and spirited countryside dramedy, in equal turns daft, annoying, quaint, amusing and oddly enchanting. A good ending leaves a good aftertaste, but it was often a patchy affair.

While it goes from one screaming scene to the other, I still adored this frustrating courtship! Maria Fiore had so much spunk, I kept rooting for her to win Vincenzo Musolino over. And the film brings Two Cents Worth of Hope (1952) in the end, in a very spirited and lively series of events that could only be described as very Italian.