''Totò nella luna'' (internationally released as ''Toto in the Moon'') is a 1958 Italian

comedy science fiction Science fiction comedy (sci-fi comedy) or comic science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction or science fantasy that exploits the science-fiction (SF) genre's conventions for comedic effect. Comic science fiction often mocks or satirizes st ...

film written and directed by Steno. The script was co-written by Lucio Fulci. The film starred Sylva Koscina, fresh from her appearance in the 1958 blockbuster ''

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted th ...

''.

Plot

Achilles Paoloni, employed by ''Soubrette'', a small publishing house of the knight Pasquale Belafronte, writes a science fiction novel that he hopes in vain to publish with the help of the hostile knight. U.S. scientists are aware that Achilles has a substance in the blood suitable for spaceflight, the glumonio, inheritance of the unusual breast milk-based monkey when he was newborn. When two FBI agents are sent to the office to propose a space mission to Achilles, he thinks they are representatives interested in publishing his novel overseas. The cavalier Pasquale, aware of it, goes back on years of insults and hostility to the poor Achilles and does everything to publish the novel at his own expense, even agreeing to the marriage between the young man and his daughter Lydia. Soon, however, he realizes that it was a mistake: the U.S. does not want to launch the rocket in space at all (the title of the novel by Achilles), but the young man himself, however, also disputed by a mysterious foreign power guided by the interplanetary scientist German Von Braut and the beautiful spy Tatiana. The planes of the two rival powers are hampered by strange aliens (the Annelids) that send down two "cosoni", identical copies of Pasquale and Achilles, in order for them to be shipped on the moon (a parody of '' Invasion of the Body Snatchers''), this is to prevent the conquest of space most humans affect the peaceful balance between peoples aliens. Comic situations and various misunderstandings cause the true Paschal and "cosone" Achilles are found together on the moon. Pasquale will adapt to living in space only when extraterrestrials will transform the clone of Achilles into a beautiful girl.

Cast

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 ...

: Pasquale Belafronte * Sylva Koscina: Lidia *

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 ...

: Achille * Sandra Milo: Tatiana *

Luciano Salce Luciano Salce (25 September 1922 – 17 December 1989) was an Italian film director, comedian, tv host, producer, actor and lyricist. His 1962 film ''Le pillole di Ercole'' was shown as part of a retrospective on Italian comedy at the 67th Ve ...

: Von Braut *

Giacomo Furia Giacomo Matteo Furia (2 January 1925 – 5 June 2015) was an Italian film, television and stage actor. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1948 and 1998. Life and career Born in Arienzo, near Caserta, Furia started his acting career ...

: commendator Santoni * Jim Dolen: O'Connor * Francesco Mulé: il vigile urbano *

Marco Tulli Marco Tulli (20 November 1920 – 20 March 1982) was an Italian character actor, probably best known in the role of "Smilzo" in the Don Camillo film series. Born in Rome, Tulli debuted as actor while he was still a university student, at the en ...

: un creditore

Release

''Toto nella luna'' released on November 28, 1958.

References

Sources

External links

* 1958 films Films directed by Stefano Vanzina Italian science fiction comedy films 1950s science fiction comedy films 1958 comedy films 1950s Italian films {{1950s-sf-film-stub