I saw this film for sale for almost nothing at a store closing in town. I was not familiar with it but I was already a big fan of Giancarlo Giannini. I have never been disappointed with his films and this movie is no exception. Set in a Naples that could substitute for any city in any age, this is a satire that spends all its energies lifting up the many veils that shroud the underworld. While most people think of the dark side of (any) town as the 'bad side of the tracks' where nasty people live, they too are human beings who struggle, not always successfully to get by. This film is not an apology or a critique of the low life's that inhabit the 'dark side'. The obvious thematic current is to Dante and the underworld he spent much of his life writing about. However, we cannot escape the mirror the film holds up and it is not such a stretch to identify the larger scale of society in the husk of the cast off and discarded lower realms.
Any satire worth its social salt should make us laugh and also leave us a bit uncomfortable at the same time. The bumbling and grasping Giannini who sort of has a job (seems like he is tolerated and might even be not formally employed - to me it was never made clear) is both pathetic, hilarious and always looking for ways to make a quick thousand lira, while at the same time keeping a look out for those people he owes money to. As a matter of fact when you think about it, he's probably not all that far removed from the mysterious "Picone" character, who we find out was a man of many shades, masks and personalities. A man who owed and loaned huge amounts of money, always on the run from something and going to another while his wife and kids sort of know him; at least they have the fantasy of knowing a part of him.
It's a really funny film that seems to be always coming apart at the seams. Very good, sometimes poignant dialog keeps pace with the sometimes frantic action. Colorful characters appear in chapter after chapter, each adding a bit of spice to the underworld that Giannini's character is falling into or slipping through. All of the actors are superb, as you'd expect in higher quality Italian films. The children are natural and simple. Lina Sastri is wonderful as the confused wife. But of course, this film like many others, runs like spokes out of Giannini. He is a hell of a fine dramatic and comedic actor. That face of his is impossible to take your eyes off. I loved it. Not his best work but still terrific stuff.
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