''Il ragazzo di campagna'' ("The country boy") is a 1984 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

Franco Castellano Franco Castellano (20 June 1925 – 28 December 1999) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He wrote for 94 films between 1958 and 1997. He also directed 21 films between 1964 and 1992. Most of the films he co-wrote and co-directe ...

and

Giuseppe Moccia Giuseppe "Pipolo" Moccia (22 June 1933 – 20 August 2006) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He wrote for 96 films between 1958 and 2001. He also directed 21 films between 1964 and 1997. Most of the films he co-wrote and co-dir ...

. It was shown as part of a retrospective on Italian comedy at the 67th Venice International Film Festival. ''Il ragazzo di campagna'' has a

cult status A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

in Italian cultureRenato Pozzetto, un ragazzo d'oro
/ref> in its satyrical representation of the contradictions of the hectic life in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

in the mid-1980s, the years of the '' sorpasso'' (e.g., when Artemio resolves to take a taxi cab to cross the street in the impossibly trafficked

Piazza San Babila Piazza San Babila is a city square in Milan, Italy. The square had always existed as a "largo" since Roman times, as the road to Bergamo would cross the walls of the Roman city. In medieval times as the city expanded beyond its Roman walls the h ...

). The inadequateness of Pozzetto-"country boy" in relating to Milan is reminiscent of that of

Totò Antonio Griffo Focas Flavio Angelo Ducas Comneno Porfirogenito Gagliardi de Curtis di Bisanzio (15 February 1898 – 15 April 1967), best known by his stage name Totò (), or simply as Antonio de Curtis, and nicknamed ''il Principe della risata ...

in another extremely popular film, '' Toto, Peppino, and the Hussy''.

Plot

Artemio (Pozzetto) is annoyed by his monotonous life as a farmer in the countryside of Lombardy. On his 40th birthday, he decides to move to the big city of

and look for a job and a new life there. There he meets his cousin Severino (

Massimo Boldi Massimo Antonio Boldi (born 23 July 1945) is an Italian stand-up comedian and actor. Biography Boldi was born in Luino on 23 July 1945. In 1955 his family moved to Milan, where he joined evening classes and began working as a window-dresser an ...

), who is supposed to help him familiarize with the city, but actually turns out to be a trickster and purse snatcher. Having realized the illicitness of Severino's businesses, Artemio quits him. He later falls in love with a victim of Severino's snatching, a career girl named Angela. The gap between his countryman mentality and her modern and dynamic lifestyle leads to a number of comical misunderstandings, but also provides a basis for their friendship to grow. Meanwhile, Artemio's attempts at finding a job are impeded by his naivety and candor. The love affair with Angela seems to be taking a good fold, until Artemio understands that Angela is not interested in a stable relationship as that would interfere with her job. Disenchanted and disappointed, Artemio finally resolves to go back to his country town. There, he is welcomed by his long time admirer, Maria Rosa, who has in the meantime grown to a beautiful girl. When Angela unexpectedly visits Artemio, he rejects her in favor of Maria Rosa.

Cast

Renato Pozzetto Renato Pozzetto (born 14 July 1940) is an Italian actor, director, comedian, and singer. Biography Pozzetto was born into a working-class family from Milan and grew up in the town of Gemonio (in the Province of Varese). After graduation, he made ...

as Artemio *

Massimo Serato Massimo Serato, born Giuseppe Segato, (31 May 1916 – 22 December 1989) was an Italian film actor with a career spanning over 40 years. Serato was born in Oderzo, Veneto, Italy and started appearing in films in 1938. He played leading roles in ...

as the rower *

Enzo Cannavale Vincenzo "Enzo" Cannavale (5 April 1928 – 18 March 2011) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films since 1949, including ''Cinema Paradiso'', which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 62nd Academ ...

as the blind man * Donna Osterbuhr as Angela *

Clara Colosimo Clara Colosimo (23 May 1922 – 15 June 1994) was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 65 films between 1968 and 1991. Selected filmography * ''Alfredo, Alfredo'' (1972) * '' Sex Pot'' (1975) * '' Il mostro'' (1977) * '' Zanna Bianca e ...

as Giovanna - mother of Artemio * Renato D'Amore as the blacksmith *

as Severino Cicerchia * Sandra Ambrosini as Maria Rosa *

Dino Cassio Dino Cassio (2 April 1934 - 9 July 2012) was an Italian actor and singer. He appeared in more than sixty films from 1964 to 2008. Selected filmography References External links * 1934 births 2012 deaths Italian male film actors< ...

as Commissario Polizia (Pirata) * Armando Celso *

Franco Diogene Franco Diogene (20 October 1947 – 27 May 2005) was an Italian actor and comedian. Life and career Born Concetto Francesco Diogene in Catania, he was the son of a Sicilian father and a Ligurian mother. At 5 years old, Diogene moved to Genoa ...

as 1st Recruitment Manager *

Enzo Garinei Enzo Garinei (4 May 1926 – 25 August 2022) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in nearly 80 films since 1949. He was also a professional voice artist, best remembered as the Italian voice of Sherman Hemsley in the American sitcom ''The Je ...

as the manager of apartment house

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ragazzo Di Campagna 1984 films 1984 comedy films Italian comedy films 1980s Italian-language films Films set in Milan Films directed by Castellano & Pipolo Films scored by Detto Mariano 1980s Italian films