''Let's Hope It's a Girl'' () is a 1986 Italian

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

Mario Monicelli Mario Alberto Ettore Monicelli (; 16 May 1915 – 29 November 2010) was an Italian film director and screenwriter, one of the masters of the ''commedia all'italiana'' ("Italian-style comedy"). He was nominated six times for an Academy Awards, Os ...

. For this film Monicelli was awarded with a

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 ...

for

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * As ...

and a

Nastro d'Argento The (plural: ''Nastri d'Argento''; English: Silver Ribbon) is an Italian film award, held since 1946 by the ''Sindacato Nazionale Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani'' (Italian National Union of Film Journalists). Awards are given annually in ...

in the same category. The film also won the

David di Donatello for Best Film The David di Donatello Award for Best Film (Italian: ''David di Donatello per il miglior film'') is one of the David di Donatello awards presented annually by the Accademia del Cinema Italiano (ACI). The award recognizes the most outstanding Ita ...

, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Producer, Best Editing and Best Script.

Plot

Elena Leonardi lives apart from her husband, with her younger daughter, a niece, a housemaid who has a daughter of the same age, and her husband's senile old uncle, in a rural farmhouse in the country. Her husband returns to propose a big renovation project to build a modern SPA, but she cannot offer her support because of the farm's severe economic situation and his history of failed business ideas and debts. The husband dies in a car accident that was partially caused by exasperation that the family doesn't take him seriously, in business or in the education of his daughters, one of whom he has just found in bed with yet another fiancé she had just brought home the day before. The grieving family decides to sell off the whole property, pay off the debts, and split up: some would move to Rome, the senile uncle would be tricked to stay in a hospice, the older daughter would get married, and the housemaid would finally follow her husband who had emigrated in Australia many years earlier. The plan eventually falls apart. In the end the family reunites at the farm and decides not to sell it off, despite not knowing how to pay for its upkeep or pay off the debts. They decide to continue to live together in the country.

Cast

Liv Ullmann Liv Johanne Ullmann (born 16 December 1938) is a Norwegian actress and filmmaker. Recognised as one of the greatest European actresses of all time, Ullmann is known as the muse and frequent collaborator of filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, whom she date ...

: Elena *

Catherine Deneuve Catherine Fabienne Dorléac (born 22 October 1943), known professionally as Catherine Deneuve (, , ), is a French actress. She is considered one of the greatest European actresses on film. In 2020, ''The New York Times'' ranked her as one of th ...

: Claudia *

Philippe Noiret Philippe Noiret (; 1 October 1930 – 23 November 2006) was a French film actor. Life and career Noiret was born in Lille, France, the son of Lucy (Heirman) and Pierre Noiret, a clothing company representative. He was an indifferent student a ...

: Count Leonardo *

Giuliana De Sio Giuliana De Sio (born 2 April 1957) is an Italian actress, the younger sister of pop music, pop-Folk music, folk singer Teresa De Sio. She won two David di Donatello for Best Actress and a Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress. Biography and career ...

: Franca *

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 ...

: Lori Samuelli *

Bernard Blier Bernard Blier (; 11 January 1916 – 29 March 1989) was a French character actor. Life and career Blier was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where his father, a researcher at the Pasteur Institute, was posted at the time. His rotund featu ...

: Uncle Gugo *

Giuliano Gemma Giuliano Gemma (; 2 September 1938 – 1 October 2013) was an Italian actor. He is best known internationally for his work in Spaghetti Westerns, particularly for his performances as the title character in Duccio Tessari's '' A Pistol for Ringo'' ...

: Guido Nardoni *

Athina Cenci Athina Cenci (; born 13 March 1946) is a Greek-born Italian former actress, stand-up comedian and politician. Life and career Born in Kos, Greece, Cenci was co-founder and member, together with Francesco Nuti and Alessandro Benvenuti, of th ...

: Fosca * Paolo Hendel: Mario Giovannini *

Lucrezia Lante della Rovere Lucrezia Lante della Rovere (; born 19 July 1966) is an Italian film, television and theatre actress, who made her debut in Mario Monicelli's ''Let's Hope It's a Girl, Speriamo che sia femmina'' (1986), where she acted along with Catherine Deneu ...

: Malvina *

Adalberto Maria Merli Adalberto Maria Merli (born 14 January 1938) is an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Born in Rome, Merli is active on film and television and he has appeared in over 27 films since 1965. He had his breakout role in the 1968 RAI televisi ...

: Cesare Molteni * Nuccia Fumo: Rosa Nardoni * Paul Muller: Priest *

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. After hav ...

: Autista

References

External links

* * 1986 films Commedia all'italiana Films directed by Mario Monicelli Italian comedy films Films set in Tuscany Films set in Rome Films shot in Lazio Films about families Films with screenplays by Suso Cecchi d'Amico 1986 comedy films Films scored by Nicola Piovani 1980s Italian-language films 1980s Italian films Italian-language comedy films {{1980s-Italy-comedy-film-stub