Il Minestrone
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''Il minestrone'' is a 1981 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
Sergio Citti Sergio Citti (30 May 1933 – 11 October 2005) was an Italian film director and screenwriter, born in Rome. He often worked with Pier Paolo Pasolini, but also worked for others such as Ettore Scola. His own films include '' We Free Kings'', f ...
. It was entered into the
31st Berlin International Film Festival The 31st annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 13 to 24 February 1981. The Golden Bear was awarded to the Spanish film ''Deprisa, Deprisa'' directed by Carlos Saura. The retrospective was dedicated to British film producer Mic ...
.


Plot

Francesco and Giovanni are two tramps on the outskirts of Rome, forced to rummage through the trash forever in search of food. They meet and make friends and through a misunderstanding are arrested. They are locked up in the security cell of the police station with ''The Maestro'', a poor but well-dressed specialist in running away from the restaurants, taverns and eateries of Rome after having gorged without paying. Upon release, the three come together late in the evening and go to a restaurant where, at the end of a memorable binge (tagliatelle, tripe with tomato sauce, oxtail, asparagus, mozzarella with tomatoes, lamb with potatoes), they concoct a clever ruse to escape and cheat the owner Attilio. In running away, they fall into a cold and smelly mud puddle and take refuge in a cattle car to dry off and warm up. They fall asleep and wake to find themselves in a small town in Tuscany, and then begin to wander in the countryside of Poggibonsi (Siena). They try to scrounge food from the old woman Beatrice, but she does not even know how to feed the seven children living with her, and she is forced to sacrifice her old turtle. By and by they come across a restaurant owned by two hunters, who are in the habit of serving the customers only after enjoying their own comfortable meal and who keep their waiter chained up like a dog. The three friends release the waiter and decide to leave the restaurant without eating, sensing the danger of being caught and shot. After further wanderings, they are nearly lynched by a group of laborers after being caught eating the temporarily unguarded soup at the laborers' table. Left tied up while the mob goes off for a while, they are freed by the waiter who they had recently saved, who joins them. The waiter leads them to an old inn but when they arrive they are dismayed to learn that it has been turned into a funeral home. The next day, they come upon Gildo (Farnese), a failed industrialist who lost his entire fortune and who is about to commit suicide, saving him just in time, and after an initial skirmish, Gildo and his family join them. Gildo leads the group to the house of his father, a Marquis who initially humiliates him in front of the group by refusing to be moved by their plight while he samples bits from a vast spread of delicious dishes. The Marquis later accepts Gildo after forcing him to abandon his wife and children to their fate. For the rest of them, the search for food continues, and the group is joined by other strange characters that they come across. After a sumptuous and surreal "imaginary lunch", they find a strange box on a beach and gorge on the "gelatin" in it, which is unfortunately merely packing material for a missile. Poisoned by the ingestion of this non-edible substance, they are all admitted to a clinic, where they meet a holy man (Gaber), who convinces them to follow him. But he is not of sound mind, and he takes them quite by chance to a mountain pass, where the orchestra performs the Tyrolean'' leitmotif'' of the film (music was created and directed by
Nicola Piovani Nicola Piovani (born 26 May 1946) is an Italian light-classical musician, theater and film score composer, and winner of the 1998 Best Original Dramatic Score Oscar for the score of the Roberto Benigni film ''La Vita è bella'', better known to ...
), while the closing credits roll.


Cast

*
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 ...
as Maestro *
Franco Citti Franco Citti (; 23 April 1935 – 14 January 2016) was an Italian actor, best known as one of the close collaborators of director Pier Paolo Pasolini. He came to fame for playing the title role in Pasolini's film ''Accattone'', which brought hi ...
as Francesco *
Ninetto Davoli Giovanni "Ninetto" Davoli (born 11 October 1948) is an Italian actor who became known through his roles in several of Pier Paolo Pasolini's films. Biography Davoli was born in San Pietro a Maida, Calabria. He was discovered by poet, novelist ...
as Giovanni *
Daria Nicolodi Daria Nicolodi (19 June 1950 – 26 November 2020) was an Italian television and film actress and screenwriter. Early life and career Daria Nicolodi was born in Florence on 19 June 1950. Her father was a Florentine lawyer and her mother, Fu ...
as Eleonora, wife of Gildo *
Fabio Traversa Fabio Traversa (born 17 November 1952) is an Italian actor. Life and career Born in Naples, a real life friend of Nanni Moretti, Traversa appeared in Moretti's debut medium length film ''Pâté de bourgeois'' (1973) and made his feature film ...
as Waiter * Francesca Rinaldi as Francesca, daughter of Gildo *
Olimpia Carlisi Olimpia Carlisi (born 29 December 1946) is an Italian stage, film and television actress. Career Carlisi was born in Campi Bisenzio, Florence, on 29 December 1946. After her debut as a stage actress, she made her film debut working with Roberto ...
as Undertaker clerk *
Giorgio Gaber Giorgio Gaber (), byname of Giorgio Gaberscik (25 January 1939 – 1 January 2003), was an Italian singer, composer, actor, and playwright. He was also an accomplished guitar player and author of one of the first rock songs in Italian ("Ciao ti ...
as The Prophet *
Franco Iavarone Franco may refer to: Name * Franco (name) * Francisco Franco (1892–1975), Spanish general and dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975 * Franco Luambo (1938–1989), Congolese musician, the "Grand Maître" Prefix * Franco, a prefix used when ...
as Food Taster (as Franco Javarone) * Giulio Farnese as Gildo *
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 ...
* Daniela Piperno


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Minestrone, Il 1981 films 1980s Italian-language films 1981 comedy films Films directed by Sergio Citti Films with screenplays by Vincenzo Cerami Italian comedy films Films scored by Nicola Piovani 1980s Italian films