''The Little Devil'' (original Italian name ''Il piccolo diavolo'') is a 1988 Italian surreal

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by and starring

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

, also starring

Walter Matthau Walter John Matthau ( Matthow; ; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, known for his "hangdog face" and for playing world-weary characters. He starred in 10 films alongside his real-life friend Jack Lemmon, including '' The Od ...

Stefania Sandrelli Stefania Sandrelli (born 5 June 1946) is an Italian actress, famous for her many roles in the "Italian-style comedy" (''commedia all'italiana''), starting from the 1960s. She was 14 years old when she starred in ''Divorce Italian Style'' as Ang ...

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 wh ...

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 Australia and some European countries, an English-language version of the film, with local subtitles, has been screened and circulated on

VHS VHS (Video Home System) is a discontinued standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes, introduced in 1976 by JVC. It was the dominant home video format throughout the tape media period of the 1980s and 1990s. Ma ...

. In the English version, the voices of the main actors have been dubbed by themselves; some scenes might have been filmed in both languages.

Plot

In the North American

Pontifical College A pontifical university or athenaeum is an ecclesiastical university established or approved directly by the Holy See, composed of three main ecclesiastical faculties (Theology, Philosophy and Canon Law) and at least one other faculty. These acade ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, Father Maurice is in deep turmoil because of Patricia, a woman who loves him and expects him to make up his mind regarding his intentions toward her. While making an attempt, he is summoned by a novice for an emergency, that of an overweight woman possessed by a demon. Father Maurice performs the rite of

exorcism Exorcism () is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be do ...

, expelling the demon from the woman. The demon, an escaped little devil named Giuditta, not wanting to return whence he came, starts following Father Maurice everywhere and often indulges in mischief, sometimes innocently getting Father Maurice into trouble. Father Maurice fails several times to get rid of Giuditta, who, in one instance, replaces an ill Father Maurice at Mass, turning the solemn ceremony into a fashion parade. Seeing that he is showing signs of exhaustion, Father Maurice's peers advise him to take a vacation. Eventually, another agent "from the same place as Giuditta" appears 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 re ...

as Priest *Annabella Schiavone as Giuditta, the woman

Awards

Roberto Benigni won the

David di Donatello The David di Donatello Awards, named after Donatello's ''David (Donatello, bronze), 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 Cin ...

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