''Goodnight, Ladies and Gentlemen'' ( it, Signore e signori, buonanotte, french: Mesdames et messieurs bonsoir) is a 1976 French-

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or e ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

anthology film An anthology film (also known as an omnibus film, package film, or portmanteau film) is a single film consisting of several shorter films, each complete in itself and distinguished from the other, though frequently tied together by a single theme ...

. It comprises twelve episodes on themes of corruption in various Italian institutions, each by a different writer and director collectively credited as "Cooperativa 15 Maggio". The episodes are a satire of a typical programming day of an Italian public broadcaster, with a fictional

TG3 ''TG3'' (''TeleGiornale 3'') is the brand for Italian state-owned TV channel Rai 3's news programmes. They are shown domestically and across Europe on Rai 3. The newscasts are aired from Rai's Studios in Saxa Rubra, Rome, Italy, except for the 1 ...

journalist (

Marcello Mastroianni Marcello Vincenzo Domenico Mastroianni (28 September 1924 – 19 December 1996) was an Italian film actor, regarded as one of his country's most iconic male performers of the 20th century. He played leading roles for many of Italy's top di ...

) interviewing a number of the other characters. The film stars

Vittorio Gassman Vittorio Gassman (; born Gassmann; 1 September 1922 – 29 June 2000), popularly known as , was an Italian actor, director and screenwriter. He is considered one of the greatest Italian actors, whose career includes both important productions ...

Ugo Tognazzi Ugo Tognazzi (23 March 1922 – 27 October 1990) was an Italian actor, director, and screenwriter. Early life Tognazzi was born in Cremona, in northern Italy but spent his youth in various localities as his father was a travelling clerk fo ...

Nino Manfredi Saturnino "Nino" Manfredi (22 March 1921 – 4 June 2004) was an Italian actor, voice actor, director, screenwriter, playwright, comedian, singer, author, radio personality and television presenter. He was one of the most prominent Italian a ...

Paolo Villaggio Paolo Villaggio (; 30 December 1932 – 3 July 2017) was an Italian actor, voice actor, writer, director and comedian. He is noted for the characters he created with paradoxical and grotesque characteristics: Professor Kranz, the ultra-timid G ...

Senta Berger Senta Verhoeven (née Berger; ''Austrian German:'' , ; born 13 May 1941) is an Austrian-German actress. She received many award nominations for her acting in theatre, film and television; her awards include three Bambi Awards, two Romys, an Ad ...

Adolfo Celi Adolfo Celi (; 27 July 1922 – 19 February 1986) was an Italian film actor and director. Born in Curcuraci, Messina, Sicily, Celi appeared in nearly 100 films, specialising in international villains. Although a prominent actor in Italian ...

, and

Felice Andreasi Felice Andreasi (8 January 1928, in Turin – 25 December 2005, in Cortazzone) was an Italian film, television, and stage actor. He appeared in over 50 films in Italy between 1972 and 2005. Biography He was considered one of the leading stage ...

Cast

as Paolo T. Fiume, a fictional television journalist for

news *

as CIA agent / Inspector Tuttunpezzo (

dual role A dual role (also known as a double role) refers to one actor playing two roles in a single production. Dual roles (or a larger number of roles for an actor) may be deliberately written into a script, or may instead be a choice made during produc ...

) *

as Cardinal Felicetto de li Caprettari *

as the general / the retiree (dual role) *

as Professor Schmidt / quiz presenter (dual role) *

as Signora Palese *

as Vladimiro Palese *

as valet speaker in

Vatican City Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—' * german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ') * pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—' * pt, Cidade do Vati ...

Andréa Ferréol Andréa Ferréol (born Andrée Louise Ferréol; January 6, 1947) is a French actress and officer of the Ordre national du Mérite (2009). Her debut was in the 1973 film ''La Grande bouffe'', which made a big scandal at the Cannes Film Festival. ...

as Edvige *

Sergio Graziani Sergio Graziani (10 November 1930 – 25 May 2018) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Graziani attended the Silvio d'Amico National Academy of Dramatic Arts, and began his career on stage in the late 1950s, working as well as a voic ...

as Cardinal Canareggio *

Monica Guerritore Monica Guerritore (5 January 1958 in Rome, Italy) is an Italian actress of cinema, theatre and television. Biography Born in Rome to a Neapolitan father and a Calabrian mother, after her debut at just sixteen years of age under the direction of G ...

as Paolo's assistant *

Carlo Croccolo Carlo Croccolo (9 April 1927 – 12 October 2019) was an Italian actor, voice actor, director and screenwriter. Biography Born in Naples, Croccolo began his acting career on the radio and he appeared in more than 100 films since 1949. His debut ...

as Questore *

Eros Pagni Eros Pagni (born 28 August 1939) is an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Born in La Spezia, at the age of 17, Pagni started attending the Silvio d'Amico National Academy of Dramatic Arts in Rome and then went back to Genoa and played ro ...

as Commissioner Pertinace *

Mario Scaccia Mario Scaccia (26 December 1919 – 26 January 2011) was an Italian actor and author. He was a prominent figure in the Italian theatre of '900. Biography Born in Rome, the son of a painter, during the Second World War Scaccia was conscripted i ...

as Cardinal Piazza-Colonna *

Franco Scandurra Franco Scandurra (27 July 1911 – 15 April 2003) was an Italian actor. He appeared in more than fifty films from 1941 to 1984. Filmography References External links * 1911 births 2003 deaths Italian male film actors {{Italy- ...

as Cardinal Decano *

Gianfranco Barra Gianfranco Barra (born 5 April 1940) is an Italian film, television and stage actor. He has appeared in more than 80 films. Born in Rome, Barra studied at the Silvio d’Amico Academy of Dramatic Arts in his hometown. First active on stage, he m ...

as policeman Nocella *

Renzo Marignano Renzo Marignano (26 March 1923 - 25 November 1987), sometimes credited as Renzo Marignani, was an Italian actor and film director. Born in Genoa, after World War II Marignano was one of the founders of ''Cimofilm'', a production company speciali ...

as interviewer in Milan

Plot

The film focuses on various depictions of low corrupt society within Italy in the 1970s. The journalist Paolo T. Fiume (

) is a recurring character between various episodes within the film, in which he interviews a number of different characters.

Episodes

The

comprises twelve episodes: *''Gianni Agnelli kidnapped'' – A Milanese businessman (a fictionalized

Gianni Agnelli Giovanni "Gianni" Agnelli (; 12 March 192124 January 2003), nicknamed ("The Lawyer"), was an Italian industrialist and principal shareholder of Fiat. As the head of Fiat, he controlled 4.4% of Italy's GDP, 3.1% of its industrial workforce a ...

) is kidnapped; while interviewed on the news, he declares that his ransom will be deducted from his workers' salaries, citing their "familial bond" as justification. *''One Language for All – The English Lesson'' – A televised children's English lesson on the names of body parts is aided by an attractive female nude model. A CIA agent approaches her to aid in the assassination of a peace conference delegate, but she kills the agent as she is a spy for a rival agency. *''The Bomb'' – In a docudrama, a police superintendent and a fire chief evacuate a police station due to a bomb threat, only to find that it was a ticking alarm clock. Not wishing to appear foolish, they set a real bomb to destroy the building but mistakenly kill themselves in the process. *''A City in the Mirror'' – Naples triptych: **''Let the Little Children'' – A documentary shows the Archbishop of Naples publicly rewarding the pregnant mother of a large family for her fertility. Her oldest son has been working to support her and his eight siblings, but the burden becomes too much and he kills himself by jumping from the balcony. **''We Eat the Children'' – Following the suicide, a sociologist is interviewed regarding child poverty. The sociologist proposes to solve the overpopulation problem by eating babies of the poor, suggesting various cooking methods. **''The Four Politicians'' – A panel discussion with Naples' last four administrators is unable to focus on the city's problems. The four men are revealed to be related and had appointed each other to powerful offices. They attempt to divert the discussion with gibberish and evasion, then lose control and begin tearing apart and eating a model of the city. *''The Retreating General'' – While waiting to lead his soldiers at a celebratory parade, a general drops one of his medals in a toilet and becomes soiled while retrieving it. He becomes increasingly filthy while trying to remedy this and ultimately shoots himself in the head to avoid humiliation. *''Inspector Tuttumpezzo'' – A children's show, narrated in rhyme, shows the incorruptible police inspector Tuttumpezzo go to arrest a corrupt politician, who is hosting a party. However, due to deception and bizarre circumstances, Tuttumpezzo fails in his duty and serves as a waiter at the party. *''The Character of the Day'' – A journalist interviews a homeless retired man who begs and deceives to supplement his tiny pension. He claims that he wants for nothing, but breaks down at the mention of meat because he has not tasted meat in years. *''The Disgrace-o-meter'' (original: ''Il Disgraziometro'') – A quiz show which rewards the competitor with the greatest misfortunes. *''The Holy Throne'' – A docudrama examines a historical struggle for the papal throne. Two opposing bishops have most of the college of cardinals killed, then compromise on a seriously ill priest to act as their shared puppet. However, the new pope suddenly recovers, and the bishops regain their faith at this miracle – only to be executed by the pope, who had feigned illness for years in a plot to gain power. *''The Ceremony of the Caryatids'' – At the Italian Chamber of Deputies, a celebration marks the fourteenth term of President

Giovanni Leone Giovanni Leone (; 3 November 1908 – 9 November 2001) was an Italian politician, jurist, and university professor. A founding member of the Christian Democracy (DC), Leone served as the President of Italy from December 1971 until June 1978. H ...

, attended by the highest representatives of state and church, many of whom are very elderly and infirm, with a speech given by a man unable to articulate complete sentences. Following an ovation, those assembled suddenly unleash themselves in a lively ''

tarantella () is a group of various southern Italian folk dances originating in the regions of Calabria, Campania and Puglia. It is characterized by a fast upbeat tempo, usually in time (sometimes or ), accompanied by tambourines. It is among the mo ...

'' folk dance. The broadcast returns to the studio where the host and his assistant share a passionate kiss and end the broadcast with "Ladies and gentlemen, goodnight".

Production

The filmmakers initially credited their work to "Cooperative 15 Maggio" to protect the individual writers, directors and producers from retaliation.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Goodnight, Ladies And Gentlemen 1976 films 1976 comedy films 1970s Italian-language films Italian anthology films Films directed by Luigi Comencini Films directed by Nanni Loy Films directed by Luigi Magni Films directed by Mario Monicelli Films directed by Ettore Scola Films set in Rome Films set in Naples Films set in Milan Films about journalism Films critical of the Catholic Church Films about terrorism Films about television Films with screenplays by Ugo Pirro Films with screenplays by Age & Scarpelli Films with screenplays by Ruggero Maccari Films with screenplays by Ettore Scola French anthology films French satirical films Italian satirical films 1970s Italian films 1970s French films