It's hard to like this movie if you are familiar with Italian comedies from the 1950s e 1960s, and even harder if you already know the work of Mario Monicelli. Yes, this rates below average compared to the rest of his stuff, but if you're Italian you'll find it funny anyway because of the silly, but somehow true portrait it shows of Italy and Italians. The only other funny thing is seeing Danny DeVito, Susan Sarandon and so on in their 1970s self. Apart from all this, this movie should only serve as a starting point for the rest of Mario Monicelli's works.
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minavagante13 August 2000
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Sophia Loren isn't bad to look at in this comedy about an Italian girl coming to America to meet up with her fiance, and is stopped in customs for trying to get a mortadella (pig sausage) through. She is upset by her fiance's attitude towards what she considers a stupid law, and thus ends up sitting in customs while a reporter (William Devane of "Knot's Landing" fame) builds public interest. She tells her story to a sympathetic customs worker, and before you know it, she is a media darling.
This is a bad comedy with good intentions; It is one of those 70's comedys that went against convention, but in a day when all sorts of danger can be transported overseas, the idea of customs officers even considering letting Loren through seems ridiculous. There are some interesting moments, particularly the tape recording of a song Loren sings with flashes of her Italian past flashing by. Future stars like Susan Sarandon, Danny DeVito (as a congressman!), David Doyle (of "Charlie's Angels" fame), and Devane add some curiosity to this comedy curio, but that's about it. Loren would have been better off going an "I Love Lucy" route, and just eaten the damn thing! (Come to think of it, she did....) -
Mario Monicelli (b. 1916), the great comedy director who has been convulsing Italian audiences for over 5 decades, directs Sophia Loren on this caustic caricature on aspects of the American culture, like the "religious" enforcement of some funny laws such as the one - now revoked- that used to ban the import of Italian salami on the grounds that it could kill North Americans, the American government phobia for any bad press image, the workaholism of some people who needs lots of Scotch to fight off stress and than lots of "waking pills" to turn on again, as well as the dilemma and drama of a recently arrived Italian immigrant who tries to renegade his own cultural habits to become "a good American". Sophia Loren acts just great in this movie. As a word of caution, I would say that "comedies don't get exported" and only a few Americans who possess a very fine sense of humor might enjoy (or even grasp at all) some caustic critiques of their own culture. This might help explain why this movie has such an unusual voting distribution in the US, with several 10's and 0's, "love" or "hate" judgments...
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metowersey25 November 2005I disagree with any negative comments about this film. This film is special because the majority of the plot takes place in one location, a U.S. immigration area of an airport(NY I think). The film was so engaging, that I had not thought of where the scenes had taken place until after I had seen the film. Also, I saw the film in spoken Italian with English subtitles, while I was living in Italy. I was self-teaching myself the Italian language while I lived there, and found this a handy way to enhance my listening skills.
The fact that the whole film revolves around a 'Mortadella', and that it is eaten within a day or so, thus bringing an end to the reason the character is being held in customs is hysterical! It is a great portrayal of how a country (American isn't the only one!) will maintain and abide by laws that are simply absurd and not practical. With every rule there is usually some exception to it that has not yet been thought of. And this film very comically displays such an example.
I highly recommend this film, but not to one with a short attention span, as there are no car chases. This film will entertain anyone who is patient and can appreciate cultural differences, a great actress such as Sofia Loren, and perhaps a bit of Salami, Pastrami, Bologna or even Mortadella. (Make sure you have this when watching the film. Trust me, you will get hungry.) I also recommend it is viewed in the original Italian Language with English subtitles, as so much can be lost through dubbing.
I look forward to watching more 'old' Sophia Loren movies, they are very entertaining.
Thanks for reading.
Marie -
Lilcount3 December 2014La Mortadella is a quirky and charming comedy from the great Mario Monicelli ("Big Deal on Madonna Street.") Sophia Loren is in fine form as a bride-to-be bringing a mortadella (pig salami) into the United States as a wedding present for her intended. Unfortunately, US Customs didn't allow foreign meats to be brought into the country for fear of disease. Sophia rails against the pettiness of the law, refuses to surrender the salami, and gets her 15 minutes of fame thanks to manic reporter William Devane.
The business with the salami gets resolved about halfway through the movie, which then settles into a remake of the old Ginger Rogers vehicle "Tom, Dick and Harry." Sophia has to choose among her estranged fiancé, Devane, or an amorous customs inspector. Monicelli, a confirmed Socialist, pokes some good-natured fun at American capitalism and culture before resolving the romantic matrix in an unsurprising way. I can't say I was surprised by Sophie's choice, but I was mildly disappointed.
Still, it's a lot of fun, if a bit slow paced for modern tastes, and there are good performances from the leads (although Devane is a bit over the top)and amusing cameos by future first stringers like Danny De Vito and Susan Sarandon. Even seeing it in a badly faded print couldn't ruin it. 8 out of 10. Recommended. -
I saw this movie some years ago. I enjoyed it very much, as I cold relate to the whole plot. How many of us Europeans brought something as a gift, to friends in the US only to have it confiscated by US customs. The whole idea that she would bring an expensive Mortadella ( a type of Bologna, containing lumps of Pork Fat ) This is something prized by Italians. Yes the plot is silly, but that is what the Director had intended. It is sad, that such a comedy would fail to entertain an American Audience. I remember a similar instance with the Movie Mostly Martha, Germany. The plot was very funny and entertaining. However America seemed to find it not so, and created their own version, which was a total bore!