Mario Monicelli

Peppe, formerly a boxer, organizes the break-in of a pawnshop. Tiberio, an unemployed photographer, Mario, a receiver, the Sicilian Michele and Capannelle, an ex-jockey, are the other members of the gang (imdb)

A group of rogues steal a scroll granting its bearer the property of the land of Aurocastro in Apulia (south of Italy). They elect a shaggy knight, Brancaleone from Norcia, as their leader, and decide to get possession of this supposedly wealthy land. Many adventures will occur during the journey. (imdb)

Mario Monicelli's wonderfully full portrait of an early workers' strike at a Turino textile factory. (IMDB Comments)

The film starts where L'armata Brancaleone has ended. Brancaleone da Norcia (again played by Vittorio Gassman) is a poor but proud Middle Ages knight leading his bizarre and ragtag army of underdogs. However, he loses in a battle all his "warriors" and therefore meets the Death's incarnation... (Wikipedia)

Italy, 1916. Oreste Jacovacci and Giovanni Busacca are called, as all the Italian youths, to serve the army in the WWI. They both try in every way to avoid serving the army. (imdb)

The four old friends meet on the grave of the fifth of them, Perozzi, who died at the end of the first episode. Time has passed but they are still up for adventures and cruel jokes, and while they recall the one they created together with the late friend, new ones are on their way, starting right there at the cemetery. (imdb)

Beniamino and his family have lived in a school from the end of World War II. But five years have passed and they are compelled to move. In Rome, however, it is difficult to find an apartment. First he gets a job as keeper of a graveyard but in the night they mistake Checchino for a ghost and they flee. Then they try lo live in the Coliseum. Last they find a fine and large apartment, only to find out that the same apartment has been rented to other people too. (Baldinotto da Pistoia)

Elena lives on a Tuscan farm, separated from her ineffectual husband Leonardo, who is more concerned with his mistress Lolli than his wife or two daughters, Franca and Malvina. This collection of female figures inhabiting a world virtually without men is completed by Elena's sister Claudia and Elena's housekeeper Fosca. The only male in the house is a senile old uncle who spends most of his time knitting. This unusual stable female environment is suddenly shaken by several crises. (imdb)

Fabrizi plays Bottoni, a detective who has been given three months to bring Esposito to justice. Deciding to bore from within, Bottoni ingratiates himself with Esposito's warm-hearted family. He finally meets his prey at a colorful family get-together. The men discover that they're kindred spirits. But this does not dissuade Bottoni's determination that the law must take its course. (allmovie.com)

This Italian political satire explores a fictional attempted military/right-wing takeover of Italy. Grifondi (Ugo Tognazzi) is the main plotter in this scheme, but he also has the support of the police and the military. There was another, more sinister group waiting for just such an event, and when the first coup fails, the second one begins. Interestingly, this was the first film funded by Italnoleggio, a nationally supported production company. (Allmovie.com)

Il Marchese del Grillo is a 1981 comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli, starring Alberto Sordi as the titular character. The movie depicts some episodes of the life of a noble in the Rome of the early 19th century. Loosely based on folklore accounts about the real Onofrio del Grillo (who actually lived in the 18th century), this character plays a number of pranks, one even involving Pope Pius VII. (karagarga.net)

Ercole Pappalardo (Totò), married, five sons, lives with only dream to be upgraded from his current position in the post department. Everithing goes wrong, he accidentally spits on the minister's face, he insults him trough a parrot (!), and finally they discover he has no titles to fit his current position. After all this tragicomic events he takes a definitive decision: he will die to communicate from the afterlife the lotto numbers to his wife! Written by 1felco (imdb)

Totò, one of Italy's all-time great comedians, stars as a Neopolitan petty criminal named Don Felice... (imdb)

Toto' a colori was the first Italian movie to be shot with a colour film, but the sensitivity was very low (6 asa!) so the actors had to act under a very strong lighting and high temperature. (imdb)

Alberto Menichetti lives with an aunt and an old housekeeper, Clotilde; he has a job in a firm and his boss is Mrs. De Ritis, a widow whose husband was killed during a wild boar hunt. She likes him but Alberto likes Marcella; she is under age and he is awaiting her birthday to declare his love. His greater traits are to be fearful of everything and to be selfish. This nature will get him into trouble. (imdb)

During a police raid in Villa Borghese agent Antonio Caccavallo (Toto`) arrests Carolina amongst other prostitutes. However Carolina is innocent and she left home pregnant in fear of the future. Antonio is obligated to take Carolina back home but the trip is not as easy as he expects... (forzaitalia.com)

Dramatic farce about four desperate prisoners trying to regain their social status. (bfi)

Comedy of errors about two film extras involved with a young jewel thief on New Year's Eve in Rome. Based on the short stories by Alberto Moravia. (bfi)

A comedy drama about a troupe of third-string variety-act performers who tour Italy's provinces putting on shows in decrepit movie theatres. (worldcat)

The adventures of two derelicts. They are prisoners in a battleship, then, after a mutiny, they succeed to become officers. They leave the boat and start to drift all around the Spain with the mere goal to reach something to eat. A prostitute could set their life. (imdb)

A couple of young movie makers have secretly filmed for over a year what was going on in a hotel room, trying to realize a "live act" of common people living their life. They get in touch with old and money-tight producer Mengaroni to edit their movie, but while they contact the accidental actors for gathering authorization, he starts to manipulate their work. (imdb)

The Razzi family owns a small factory of sweets in Macerata. Their desire to enlarge their business to cope with the new Unified European Market brings to a string of fatal mistakes that will ultimately doom their wealth. (imdb)

The life and times of Claudia Bertelli, born in Milan in 1949 from bourgeois parents, educated in England, rebel and single mother, then feminist and married woman and again doctor in the developing countries and mystical nun who dies peacefully in 2011. (imdb)

Film commemorating Rossini, looking into his personality and aspects of his character ranging from a precarious childhood to his loves, humour, manic-depression, obssessions and his genius. (imdb)

Autobiographical fantasy about a mediocre writer under analysis, obsessed by a life-long love-hate relationship with his father, and an unsatisfying marriage to a girl many years his junior. (bfi)

50 year old Giulio (Tognazzi) and his 17 year old goddaughter, Vincenzina (Muti) fall madly in love with each other and soon are wed. Unfortunately for Giulio he walks in on his friend and Vincenzina upon a return from a trip. His jealousy and anger get the best of him and he kicks his wife out of the house. Years pass and Giulio decides to rekindle the lover affair with Vincenzina. (imdb)

The story of a farmer that succeeded to contest the king Alboino in front of all his Royal court, in the Verona (Italy) of the 12th century, using just his cunning. He will risk several times his own life, but the king won't win any dispute at all. (imdb)

A bank officer sets off for his provincial home town to see his dying father, and takes along a casual aquaintance, an American girl. (bfi)

The stories of three different couples: 1- Il Frigorifero. [Monica Vitti, Enzo Jannacci] 2- La Camera. [Alberto Sordi, Rossana di Lorenzo] 3- Il Leone [Alberto Sordi, Monica Vitti] (bfi)

Don Paolo, a young parson troubled by his love for Agnese, tries to make peace in a little village in Sardinia where two families are at war. (imdb)

Three episode film about the problems which face wives with their husbands. (bfi)

A little boy sets out to find a mother of his own choice, having none of his own, and is helped by God. (bfi)

Story of a quack doctor who falls in love with one of his "patients". (imdb)

There is a special kind of payment for "borrowing" another man's wife. (imdb)

Antonio Scaparro (Toto) is obsessed for women. He invents his own way to hide from them - in the attic of his house. (letterboxd)

From the novel "Vae Victis" by Annie Vivanti. (bfi)

The great Italian opera composer recalls his eventful life on his deathbed: his childhood in Busseto, his studies in Milan, his first opera "Oberto, conte di San Bonifacio", the death of his wife and his children killed by smallpox. (imdb)

Drama of a wife who is the victim of a rival's wickedness and the vicissitudes of life, and sees her home ruined and her husband's love die. (bfi)

A cook from Sardinia who had emigrated to Milan goes back to his native island thinking he has inherited some money with his uncles death. He finds out he has to avenge his death instead. (imdb)

Crime melodrama of police inspector who suspects his daughter of the murder he is investigating. (imdb)

Two American sailers in Rome get beaten up near the Colosseum. Unconscious, they dream that they are in Ancient Rome, in the time of Nero, first as slaves, then gladiators and finally as the Emperor's favourites. When they come round, they find the Military Police waiting for them. (bfi)

Three men consider selling their soul to Satan in order to possess a beautiful woman. (imdb)

Pietro, an honest businessman, is wrongly accused of the murder of his business associate and jailed. Actually the man is alive and has set him up to avoid bankruptcy. Pietro's life is shattered of course and when after many years he is released from prison, he seeks revenge. (imdb)

Adventures of Casanova with a secret Slav organisation in the time of Catherine II of Russia. (imdb)

A group of teachers argues about what text to choose to teach history in their school. When they leave the meeting room the two busts of Napoleon and Julius Caesar, which are in the room, come to life and begin debating too. (imdb)

Beppe Musolino is falsely accused of murder. He is tried and once found guilty is imprisoned. Unexpectedly he escape from prison and to survive he start living like an outlaw brigand. He falls in love for Mara, a village girl, and with her help he hunts down all of the witnesses who lied about him at the trial. (imdb)

The plans of a publicity agent to put on a charity concert are nearly wrecked by a lawyer who wants to take over a restaurant, but the situation is saved by local co-operation. (imdb)

Jean Valjean, pursued through the years for a minor infraction by the implacable policeman Javert, attempts to create a life for himself and for his adopted daughter Cosette amid the revolutionary struggles of France. (imdb)

A wealthy family meets for the funeral of the grandmother who died electrocuted. Now, everyone wants that belonged to her

Story of a girls revenge on the family who were responsible for her brother's death. (bfi)

Good-natured and devout, a French house painter takes the train to Rome, where he has decided to go on a pilgrimage. There he meets a scatterbrained dresser who has been assigned by a music hall star to bring her the gown she is to wear on stage. The two men get stolen by Cleo, a charming thief. Once in Rome, the painter finds himself penniless and the dresser without the gown... (imdb)

An examination of crime in post-war Italy, using the case-study of a disillusioned student who falls in league with local gangsters.

A madman is so obsessed by the protruding eye of the old man with whom he lives that he plots to murder him. (imdb)

The story of Jean Valjean, still pursued by Javert, continues with a love developing between Cosette and radical student Marius, a blackmailing attempt by suspicious innkeeper Thenardier, and a climax on the barricades of Paris.