''I mostri'' (also known as ''Opiate '67'' or, in a cut version, ''15 from Rome'') is a 1963

commedia all'italiana Commedia all'italiana (, pl. Commedie all'italiana, "Comedy in the Italian way") or Italian-style comedy is an Italian film genre born in Italy in the 1950s and developed in the 1960s and 1970s. It is widely considered to have started with Ma ...

film by Italian director

Dino Risi Dino Risi (23 December 1916 – 7 June 2008) was an Italian film director. With Mario Monicelli, Luigi Comencini, Nanni Loy and Ettore Scola, he was one of the masters of '' commedia all'italiana''. Biography Risi was born in Milan. He had an ...

. It was coproduced with

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

. The film was a huge success in Italy. It was censored in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. In 1977 an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...

nominee sequel was filmed, entitled '' I nuovi mostri'' (''

Viva Italia! ''I nuovi mostri'' (English-language version: ''Viva l'Italia!''; meaning of Italian original title: "The new monsters") is a 1977 commedia all'italiana film composed by 14 episodes, directed by Dino Risi, Ettore Scola and Mario Monicelli. It is ...

'').

Plot

The film features several episodes in which actors

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 ...

and

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 ...

are the greatest performers. The themes of the short stories are intended to offer a clear picture of the habits, vices, of cheating and taste typical of the majority of Italians in the Sixties. Obviously the characters and funny situations are written and staged in a way that touches the limits of satire and coarseness, however many of these issues are still recognized by the Italian company. The satire of the episodes affects people of both noble origins of poor people, both political and police officers who abuse their power and, last but not least the middle classes. To remember are the episodes as'' The Monster'' in which a man who has killed the whole family and has barricaded himself in the house was arrested by two policemen (Gassman and Tognazzi) and photographed with the present. However, although the man is a murderer, the two cops are real monsters of ugliness. Another episode to remember is ''Education'' in which the parent Ugo Tognazzi educates his son (

Ricky Tognazzi Ricky Tognazzi (born Riccardo Tognazzi; ; 1 May 1955) is an Italian actor and film director. He has appeared in 50 films and television shows since 1963. His film ''The Escort (1993 film), The Escort'' was entered into the 1993 Cannes Film Festi ...

) being a perfect cheat to appear more masculine and smart, to pay much less and not plunging into heavy or boring situation would certainly not born. He instructs his son in beating their classmates who do not want him to copy the tasks and lie age when he went to the fair to not pay the ticket. When the child grows, the first thing it will do is make amends for his teachings repaying his father with a pistol and with the theft of all his possessions.

Episodes

The original version is composed of 20 episodes, all starred by

and

. *"L'educazione sentimentale" *"La raccomandazione" *"Il mostro" *"Come un padre" *"Presa dalla vita" *"Il povero soldato" *"Che vitaccia" *"La giornata dell'onorevole" *"Latin lovers" *"Testimone volontario" *"I due orfanelli" *"L'agguato" *"Il sacrificato" *"Vernissage" *"La musa" *"Scende l'oblio" *"La strada è di tutti" *"L'oppio dei popoli" *"Il testamento di Francesco" *"La nobile arte"

External links

* 1963 films 1963 comedy films 1960s Italian-language films Italian black-and-white films Films set in Italy Films set in Rome Commedia all'italiana Italian anthology films Films directed by Dino Risi Films with screenplays by Age & Scarpelli Films with screenplays by Ruggero Maccari Films scored by Armando Trovajoli 1960s Italian films {{1960s-Italy-comedy-film-stub