''La casa stregata'' () is a 1982 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

Bruno Corbucci Bruno Corbucci (23 October 1931 – 7 September 1996) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He was the younger brother of Sergio Corbucci, and wrote many of his films. He was born in Rome, where he also died. The vast majority o ...

and starring

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 ...

and

Gloria Guida Gloria Guida (; born 19 November 1952) is an Italian actress and model. She is best known for starring in commedia erotica all'italiana, particularly the ''La liceale'' series, and also in erotic coming-of-age-drama films in the mid-1970s. Li ...

Plot

In a mythical "Arabian Nights" prologue two crossed lovers are struck by a curse cast unto them by a powerful witch (

Lia Zoppelli Lia Zoppelli (16 November 1920 – 2 January 1988) was an Italian stage, television and film actress. Life and career Born in Milan, Zoppelli made her stage debut in 1939, shortly after her high school graduation, with the company Maltagliati ...

) who had betrothed her own daughter, Candida, (

) to the evil tyrant Ali Amman, while the girl was passionately in love with "Giorgiafat" (

); the witch turns the two lovers into salt statues forcing their disembodied souls to wander for a thousand years before re-incarnating and meeting again. If they would be able to prolong Candida's virginity until the thousandth anniversary of the curse expires, they will be able to live happily, if not the curse would renew itself. A thousand years later Giorgio is a young Italian bank clerk who has to move from Milan to Rome for work reasons, promising his girlfriend Candida to find a suitable abode for them and her own mother (again,

). After many comical incidents Giorgio finds a luxurious mansion for rent at a ludicrously low price and is soon joined by Candida and her mother. The couple is soon married, but a series of supernatural incidents prevents them from consummating; the poltergeist activity seems centered around Giorgio's pet dog (a Great Dane who starts talking in a heavy southern accent) and a mysterious character who looks like the faithful servant of "Giorgiafat".

Cast

as Giorgio Allegri *

as Candida Melengo *

Yorgo Voyagis Yorgo Voyagis ( el, Γιώργος Βογιατζής, Giorgos Vogiadzis ; born 6 December 1945) is a Greek actor. Career as an actor Voyagis' film debut was in Michael Cacoyannis's ''Zorba the Greek'' (1964). He reappeared three years later in ...

as Oscar *

as Anastasia, Candida's Mother * Angelo Pellegrino as Elpidio * Leo Gavero as The Bank Manager *

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 The Realtor * Vittorio Ripamonti as Don Alvino * Nicola Morelli as Albani *

as The Vet (uncredited) * Marilda Donà as Lucia

Production

''La casa stregata'' was shot on location 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 ...

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 ...

and at Villa Giovanelli-Fogaccia and DePaolis In.Ci.R. Studios. Among the cast was

, in which this was among her last films he appeared in.

Release

''La casa stregata'' was distributed theatrically by

Cineriz ''Cineriz'' was an Italian media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films, founded in the early 1950s by the businessman Angelo Rizzoli. The company catalogue counts also many films directed by Federico Fellini, Gil ...

on March 4, 1982 in Italy.

Reception

From contemporary reviews, Aldo Vigano of ''

La Stampa ''La Stampa'' (meaning ''The Press'' in English) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Turin, Italy. It is distributed in Italy and other European nations. It is one of the oldest newspapers in Italy. History and profile The paper was fou ...

'' criticized Corbucci's direction and found the film to be similar to

Giorgio Capitani Giorgio Capitani (29 December 1927 – 25 March 2017) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 40 films between 1954 and 2012. He also wrote for 12 films. He was born in Paris, France. Selected filmography * ''The Flame T ...

's film ''

Bollenti spiriti ''Bollenti spiriti'' is a 1981 Italian fantasy-comedy film directed by Giorgio Capitani. Cast * Johnny Dorelli as Giovanni Guiscardo * Gloria Guida as Marta * Lia Tanzi as Nicole * Alessandro Haber as Vittorio * Lory Del Santo as Lilli * France ...

'' released the previous year. Leonardo Autera of ''

Corriere della Sera The ''Corriere della Sera'' (; en, "Evening Courier") is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average daily circulation of 410,242 copies in December 2015. First published on 5 March 1876, ''Corriere della Sera'' is one of It ...

'' complained about the profanity, finding it "repetitive to the point of boredom."

References

Footnotes

Sources

External links

* 1982 comedy films 1982 films Films directed by Bruno Corbucci Films scored by Detto Mariano Italian comedy films Films shot in Milan Films shot in Rome 1980s Italian films {{1980s-Italy-comedy-film-stub