''The Little Devil'' (original Italian name ''Il piccolo diavolo'') is a 1988 Italian film directed by and starring

Roberto Benigni Roberto Remigio Benigni (; born 27 October 1952) is an Italian actor, comedian, screenwriter and director. He gained international recognition for writing, directing and starring in the Holocaust comedy-drama film ''Life Is Beautiful'' (1997), f ...

, also starring

Walter Matthau Walter Matthau (; born Walter John Matthow; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, comedian and film director. He is best known for his film roles in '' A Face in the Crowd'' (1957), ''King Creole'' (1958) and as a coach of a ...

Stefania Sandrelli Stefania Sandrelli (born 5 June 1946) is an Italian actress, famous for her many roles in the ''commedia all'Italiana'', starting from the 1960s. She was 14 years old when she starred in ''Divorce Italian Style'' as Angela, the cousin and love in ...

Nicoletta Braschi Nicoletta Braschi (; born 19 April 1960) is an Italian actress and producer, best known for her work with her husband, actor and director Roberto Benigni. Life and career Born in Cesena, Braschi studied in Rome's Academy of Dramatic Arts wher ...

and

John Lurie John Lurie (born December 14, 1952) is an American musician, painter, actor, director, and producer. He co-founded the Lounge Lizards jazz ensemble; has acted in 19 films, including '' Stranger than Paradise'' and '' Down by Law''; has composed ...

. In some European countries and in Australia, an English version of the film, with local subtitles, has been screened and circulated in VHS. In the English version, the voices of the main actors are dubbed by themselves; some scenes may have been filmed in both languages.

Plot

In the North American Pontifical College, in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Father Maurice (Walther Matthau) is in deep turmoil because of Patricia (Stefania Sandrelli), a woman who loves him and expects him to make up his mind and clear out his position towards her. While he is trying to do so, he is summoned by a novice for an emergency. The emergency turns out to be a fat woman possessed by a demon. Father Maurice performs the rite of exorcism and expels the demon from the woman. The demon (Roberto Benigni), a little escaped devil named Giuditta, having nowhere else to go, starts following Father Maurice everywhere and often indulges in mischief getting Maurice in trouble. In one instance Giuditta replaces a sick Father Maurice in Mass, turning the solemn ceremony in a beauty parade. Maurice tries to get rid of Giuditta in several failed efforts. Showing signs of exhaustion, his peers advise him to take a vacation. Eventually another agent "from where Giuditta came from" appears as Nina (Nicoletta Braschi) and manages to attract Giuditta who finally leaves Maurice and follows her "elsewhere".

Cast

as Giuditta, the little devil *

as Father Maurice *

as Nina *

as Patrizia *

as Cusatelli *Paolo Baroni as Saverio *

Franco Fabrizi Franco Fabrizi (; 15 February 1916 – 18 October 1995) was an Italian actor. Life and career Son of a barber and a cinema cashier, Franco Fabrizi started his career as a model and an actor in fotoromanzi. Fabrizi also starred on several rev ...

as Prete *Annabella Schiavone as Giuditta, the woman

Awards

won the

David di Donatello The David di Donatello Awards, named after Donatello's ''David'', a symbolic statue of the Italian Renaissance, are film awards given out each year by the ''Accademia del Cinema Italiano'' (The Academy of Italian Cinema). There are 26 award cat ...

Award for Best Actor.

External links

* * *
''The Little Devil''
at

Variety Distribution Variety Distribution is an Italian-based film distribution company. It distributes Italian films worldwide, produced from the 1930s onward. History Variety Distribution (formerly Variety Film and Variety Communications) has been in the film ...

1988 films 1988 comedy films 1980s Italian-language films Films set in Italy Films shot in Tuscany Films shot in Rome Films directed by Roberto Benigni Films with screenplays by Vincenzo Cerami Italian comedy films Columbia Pictures films 1980s Italian films {{1980s-Italy-comedy-film-stub