''A Day in Court'' (Italian: ''Un giorno in pretura'') is a 1954 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 Steno and starring

Peppino De Filippo Peppino De Filippo (born Giuseppe De Filippo; 24 August 1903 – 27 January 1980) was an Italian actor. De Filippo was born in Naples, brother of actor and dramatist Eduardo De Filippo and of Titina De Filippo. He made his stage debut at th ...

Silvana Pampanini Silvana Pampanini (25 September 1925 – 6 January 2016) was an Italian film actress, director and singer. She was also the niece of the well-known soprano of the golden era of opera, Dame Rosetta Pampanini. Silvana Pampanini caused a sensation ...

Sophia Loren Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress. She was named by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest female stars of Classical Hollywood ci ...

, and

Alberto Sordi Alberto Sordi (15 June 1920 – 24 February 2003) was an Italian actor, voice actor, singer, comedian, director and screenwriter. Early life Born in Rome to a schoolteacher and a musician and the last of five children, Sordi was named in hon ...

. The film is an anthology, consisting of a day's cases before Judge Salomone Lo Russo in a court in Rome.

Plot

The cat thief. A poor old man, accused of stealing and eating a cat, is found guilty. Leopoldo and Teresa. An engaged couple are accused of compromising behaviour in a parked car. She falls for their handsome young advocate and goes off with him instead. Paolo and Elena. She accuses him of abandoning the marital home, leaving her penniless. He proves her adultery, first by a tape recording and secondly by film from a hidden camera. Don Michele and Anna. Don Michele, a keen young Catholic priest is accused of starting a brawl in a pool hall. He pleads guilty, but proceedings are interrupted by Anna, a beautiful young prostitute. She explains that in a bus she lifted his wallet, which was then seized by her pimp, who went off to play pool. The priest followed and the fight ensued, for which he gets three months. Nando. Accused of immodesty by going around naked, Nando explains that on a hot day he took a dip in a stream and found his clothes gone. Entering an apparently empty house to find something to cover himself, he surprised a nearly-blind old lady. When she found her glasses, her screams brought others and Nando was arrested. A policeman explains that he had taken the man's clothes to the station, but forgot all about them when told that his wife had just had a baby. Given three months, an enraged Nando vows revenge. Gloriana. A sad old woman accused of drunkenness and harassing people, says she was a much-loved variety artiste during the First World War. The judge remembers her giving a sexy show behind the front when he was a young lieutenant. Due to a mix-up she had nowhere to stay for the night, so he was ordered to give her his room. When he took out his things and returned to the officers' mess, he was ordered for the honour of the army to go back and claim her. In fact, he passed a freezing night on her balcony. After dismissing the case, he retires to his chambers and explains to a bust of the celebrated Roman lawyer Marcus Tullius Cicero that, despite basing his career on strict application of the criminal law, sometimes one has to temper justice with mercy. Lazio vs Roma. At a football match three months later, Lo Russo is cheering his son who plays for Lazio. Nearby, Nando is cheering for Roma. A brawl starts and both men are arrested.

Cast

as Judge Lo Russo *

as Gloriana *

as Nando *

as Anna * Tania Weber as Elena *

Leopoldo Trieste Leopoldo Trieste (3 May 1917 – 25 January 2003) was an Italian actor, film director and script writer. Trieste was born in Reggio Calabria. He worked with directors such as Pietro Germi, Francis Ford Coppola, Giuseppe Tornatore, Mario Bava, ...

as Leopoldo *

Walter Chiari Walter Annicchiarico (8 March 1924 – 20 December 1991), known as Walter Chiari , was an Italian stage and screen actor, mostly in comedy roles. Biography Walter Annicchiarico was born in Verona, Italy on 8 March 1924 to a family originally ...

as Don Michele * Armenia Balducci as Teresa *

Virgilio Riento Virgilio Riento (29 November 1889 – 7 September 1959) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 108 films between 1936 and 1959. Selected filmography * ''Sette giorni all'altro mondo'' (1936) - Man on train * '' Il signor Max'' (1937) - ...

as Virgilio Pampinelli *

Giulio Calì Giulio Calì (26 March 1895 – 20 January 1967) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1927 and 1966. Life and career Born in Rome, Calì started his career on stage, being mainly active in Roman dialect thea ...

as Augusto Mencacci *

Turi Pandolfini Turi Pandolfini (1 November 1883 – 6 March 1962) was an Italian stage and film character actor. He appeared in 46 films between 1917 and 1961. Life and career Born in Catania, Sicily as Salvatore Pandolfini, the nephew of the actor Angel ...

as clerk of the court *

Vincenzo Talarico Vincenzo Talarico (28 April 1909 – 16 August 1972), was an Italian screenwriter and film actor. He wrote for 27 films between 1940 and 1966. He also appeared in 15 films between 1946 and 1964. He was born in Acri, Italy and died in Fiuggi ...

as defence lawyer *

Ubaldo Lay Ubaldo Lay (14 April 1917 - 27 September 1984) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Life and career Born in Rome as Ubaldo Bussa, after graduating in law, Lay was admitted to the Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1939, from which he graduated with ...

as Anna's pimp * Amalia Pellegrini as rich old lady

About the film

Lucio Fulci Lucio Fulci (; 17 June 1927 – 13 March 1996) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. Although he worked in a wide array of genres through a career spanning nearly five decades, including comedies and Spaghetti Westerns, he garn ...

and

Paolo Heusch Paolo Heusch (26 February 1924 – 16 October 1982) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Life and career Born in Rome, Heush started his career immediately after the World War II as a script supervisor. Between 1949 and 1957 he w ...

were assistant directors. It was shown as part of a retrospective on Italian comedy at the 67th Venice International Film Festival. It took in around 473 million lire at the Italian box office. A young

originated the idea and format for this film, and then helped to write the screenplay and assist Steno in directing it, making it the largest screen credit in his career up to this point. Critics said the film was carried by the versatile acting of

, who was convinced to become a comedian by the Italian actor

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 ...

. Alberto Sordi's character of Nando Moriconi became so popular, he reprised the role in several later Italian comedies, such as ''

An American in Rome ''An American in Rome'' (originally ''Un americano a Roma'') is a 1954 Italian comedy film directed by Steno. The film consists in a satire of Americanization, and it was referred as "a milestone in the evolution of Italian self-identification". ...

'' (1954), without ever sharing the credit with Fulci. Fulci always took credit for creating the Nando Moriconi character, although Alberto Sordi said it was his portrayal of the character that made it so popular. Fulci said that in post production, producer Carlo Ponti almost cut the segment out for time constraints, but Ponti's wife Silvana Mangano made him leave it in. The film made a fortune as a result, according to Fulci, and helped launch Sordi's comedy career.Howarth, Troy (2015). Splintered Visions: Lucio Fulci and his Films. Midnight Marquee Press. page 30.

References

Bibliography

* Chiti, Roberto & Poppi, Roberto. ''Dizionario del cinema italiano: Dal 1945 al 1959''. Gremese Editore, 1991.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Day in Court 1954 films 1954 comedy films 1950s Italian-language films Italian black-and-white films Films directed by Stefano Vanzina Films scored by Armando Trovajoli Films set in Rome Italian comedy films Minerva Film films Legal films 1950s Italian films