''Storie scellerate'', internationally released as ''Bawdy Tales'', is a 1973 Italian

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Sergio Citti Sergio Citti (30 May 1933 – 11 October 2005) was an Italian film director and screenwriter, born in Rome. He often worked with Pier Paolo Pasolini, but also worked for others such as Ettore Scola. His own films include ''We Free Kings'', ...

Plot

The film is set in 1800, in Rome. Two thieves are imprisoned and condemned to death. To pass the time, the two tell ribald stories: in the first a duke and a man named Nicolino discover that their wives have betrayed them with the boys and with a priest; in the second story two farmers are fighting a clappers asimile ''Rustican Cavalry'' by

Giovanni Verga Giovanni Carmelo Verga di Fontanabianca (; 2 September 1840 – 27 January 1922) was an Italian realist ('' verista'') writer, best known for his depictions of life in his native Sicily, especially the short story and later play ''Cavalleria ...

, because their wife has betrayed both. In the third story a priest lover of beautiful women kills one of his pilgrims, because he is in love with one of the girls of his menagerie; in the last story a husband sells all of his money to gain his wife's affection. He tells her that since he is now broke he intends to kill himself. The wife has a different plan to take on an elderly man who has been making eyes at her in public as a live-in

john John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

. The husband accepts and all three live together as a happy family. The wife soon becomes bored of the two and takes a much younger lover with whom she meets frequently in a meadow outside of town. The elderly man informs the husband of this and the two ambush and kill the young man. Soon the wife dies of heart break and the husband and john are executed for their crime. It is now

Judgment Day The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...

and the archangel is listing all their crimes before the Lord and asking all of them how they plead. The two husbands and the wife give self-serving answers about how they wish to go to Paradise and serve the Lord whom they have always cherished while the young man says he would prefer to go back to Earth so he can screw around and get drunk like in the old times. The angel banishes the three to Hell but sends the young lover to Paradise. The two thieves now have the nooses around their throats and are laughing, almost in tears at the funny ending to the story. They are executed and the film ends on a shot of them hanging lifeless from the nooses.

Cast

Franco Citti Franco Citti (; 23 April 1935 – 14 January 2016) was an Italian actor, best known as one of the close collaborators of director Pier Paolo Pasolini. He came to fame for playing the title role in Pasolini's film ''Accattone'', which brought hi ...

: Mammone *

Ninetto Davoli Giovanni "Ninetto" Davoli (born 11 October 1948) is an Italian actor who became known through his roles in several of Pier Paolo Pasolini's films. Biography Davoli was born in San Pietro a Maida, Calabria. He was discovered by poet, novelist ...

: Bernardino *

Nicoletta Machiavelli Nicoletta Machiavelli (1 August 1944 – 15 November 2015) was an Italian film actress, also known as Nicoletta Rangoni Machiavelli and Nicoletta Macchiavelli. Life and career The daughter of a Florentine father and of an American mother, Mach ...

: Caterina di Ronciglione * Silvano Gatti: Duca di Ronciglione *

Enzo Petriglia Enzo Petriglia (born 27 September 1946) is a retired Italian lightweight boxer who won a bronze medal at the 1967 Mediterranean Games. Next year he competed at the Mexico Olympics, but was eliminated in the fourth round by the eventual silver me ...

: Nicolino * Santino Citti: Il Padreterno *

Giacomo Rizzo Giacomo Rizzo (born 17 January 1939) is an Italian film actor. He has appeared in more than 40 films since 1970. He starred in ''The Family Friend'', which was entered into the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. Selected filmography * '' Il sindacalista ...

: Don Leopoldo *

Gianni Rizzo Gianni Rizzo (1925–1992) was an Italian film actor. Between 1944 and 1986 he appeared in over seventy films and television productions, in a variety of supporting roles. His screen roles included parts in a number of peplum films, such as '' Th ...

: Il cardinale

References

External links

* 1973 films Italian comedy films 1973 comedy films Films directed by Sergio Citti Films produced by Alberto Grimaldi Films scored by Francesco De Masi 1970s Italian-language films 1970s Italian films {{1970s-Italy-comedy-film-stub