''Berlinguer ti voglio bene'' (internationally released as ''Berlinguer, I Love You'') is a

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

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 ...

written and directed by

Giuseppe Bertolucci Giuseppe Bertolucci (27 February 1947 – 16 June 2012) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 26 films between 1972 and 2012. He was the younger brother of Bernardo Bertolucci. Selected filmography * '' Berlinguer, I Lo ...

. It is the debut film for both Bertolucci and

Roberto Benigni Roberto Remigio Benigni (; born 27 October 1952) is an Italian actor, comedian, screenwriter and director. He gained international recognition for writing, directing and starring in the Holocaust comedy-drama film ''Life Is Beautiful'' (1997), f ...

. It is based on the stage play ''Cioni Mario di Gaspare fu Giulia'', which Bertolucci wrote and directed in 1975 and in which Benigni played the character of Mario Cioni, a character he later resumed in the television mini-series ''Onda libera''. The title quotes Cioni's declaration of love for

Enrico Berlinguer Enrico Berlinguer (; 25 May 1922 – 11 June 1984) was an Italian politician, considered the most popular leader of the Italian Communist Party (PCI), which he led as the national secretary from 1972 until his death during a tense period in Ital ...

, then leader of the

Italian Communist Party The Italian Communist Party ( it, Partito Comunista Italiano, PCI) was a communist political party in Italy. The PCI was founded as ''Communist Party of Italy'' on 21 January 1921 in Livorno by seceding from the Italian Socialist Party (PSI) ...

Plot

Mario is a man of the underclass of

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

, who works as a construction worker. His friends make jokes of him, but Mario is indifferent, living in the myth of

. Mario has an

Oedipus complex The Oedipus complex (also spelled Œdipus complex) is an idea in psychoanalytic theory. The complex is an ostensibly universal phase in the life of a young boy in which, to try to immediately satisfy basic desires, he unconsciously wishes to hav ...

and is very attached to his mother. When he loses a game of poker with a friend, he tells Mario that the penalty is that he must have sex with his own mother. Mario is disgusted, but gradually he falls in love with his mother. However, she rejects him and prefers to go to bed with the friend who made the cruel bet with Mario. Mario finds his friend is now his stepfather.

Cast

: Mario Cioni *

Alida Valli Alida Maria Laura, '' Freiin'' Altenburger von Marckenstein-Frauenberg (31 May 1921 – 22 April 2006), better known by her stage name Alida Valli (or simply Valli), was an Italian actress who appeared in more than 100 films in a 70-year career, ...

: La Mamma *

Carlo Monni Carlo Monni (23 October 1943 – 19 May 2013) was an Italian film, television and stage actor. Born in Campi Bisenzio, Florence, Monni started his artistic activity in early seventies, as an actor in the Tuscan vernacular comic theater. Afte ...

: Bozzone * Mario Pachi: Gnorante

References

External links

* *
Modernity degraded of the peripheries: an analysis of «Berlinguer, ti voglio bene»
Linda Brodo, Stefano Brugnolo, in "Intersezioni" 3/2014, pp. 473–498, Il Mulino. 1977 films 1977 comedy films Films directed by Giuseppe Bertolucci Italian comedy films {{1970s-Italy-comedy-film-stub