The Hawks and the Sparrows (1966)
"Uccellacci e uccellini" (original title)

On an empty road, an old man is walking with his son. They meet a crow that can speak. They are changed into monks and Saint Francois sent them to preach for hawks and sparrows. A reflexion... See full summary »

Director:

Pier Paolo Pasolini

Writers:

Pier Paolo Pasolini (screenplay), Pier Paolo Pasolini (story)

Stars:

Totò, Ninetto Davoli, Femi Benussi

3 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Totò	...	Innocenti Totò / Brother Cicillo
Ninetto Davoli	...	Innocenti Ninetto / Brother Ninetto (as Davoli Ninetto)
Femi Benussi	...	Luna
Umberto Bevilacqua	...	Incensurato
Renato Capogna	...	The medieval rude fellow
Alfredo Leggi
Renato Montalbano
Flaminia Siciliano
Giovanni Tarallo	...	Starving peasant boy
Vittorio Vittori	...	Ciro Lococo

Storyline

On an empty road, an old man is walking with his son. They meet a crow that can speak. They are changed into monks and Saint Francois sent them to preach for hawks and sparrows. A reflexion about idealism.

---

Plot Keywords:

crow | italy | absurdism | slapstick comedy | philosophy | 

---

Taglines:

An off-beat comedy about serious matters by PIER PAOLO PASOLINI.

---

Genres:

Comedy | History

---

Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

4 May 1966 (Italy)

Also Known As:

The Hawks and the Sparrows

Filming Locations:

Assisi, Perugia, Umbria, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arco Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

On February, 14th, 1988 Laura Betti introduced a reconstructed version of the film (99 min) at the 'Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin'. This version contains a short episode with Totò called "Toto al circo", which was not included in the original release. Although director Pier Paolo Pasolini reported about his work on it, this episode had never been shown to the public before.

---

Crazy Credits

The opening credits are performed as a song.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Vesuvians (1997)

---

Soundtracks

"Uccellacci E Uccellini (Titoli Di Testa)"
Composed by Ennio Morricone and Pier Paolo Pasolini
Performed by Domenico Modugno

User Reviews

The Birds according to Pasolini

A picaresque approach by a master of the Italian cinema resulted in this personal and different film by Pier Paolo Pasolini. The director, who wrote and produced this picture, was in great form in this story that is more like a fable, deliciously acted by Toto and Ninetto Davoli, one of the best pairings in Pasolini's movies.

The film is, in many aspects, a road movie. From the beginning, we watch as Toto and Ninetto take to the road in their trip to nowhere, it seems, but a trip which permits Pasolini examine some of the things that obsessed him, mainly his dislike for organized religion, as he perceived it in his country, as it clashed with reality. He takes the life of Saint Francis and the story about his relationship with the birds as the main topic for the movie.

It's hard to add anything else to what already has been said by the valuable contributions to IMDb. This film is one of the most inspired by the director. In it, he doesn't pound on the viewer's head those things that were dear to him. In fact, the film has a whimsical touch as we follow the two travelers, Toto and Ninetto, through rural Italy as a raven keeps telling them stories.

Toto is perfect as the older man who is living in his own world and doesn't see the changes around him. Ninetto Davoli gives a great performance as the happy go lucky son. Their surname, is Innocenti, or Innocent, which in a way, fits their characters rather well.

The black and white cinematography by Mario Bernardo and Tonino Delli Colli works wonders for the film. Ennio Morricone's musical score also enhances all that one sees on the screen. This is a light Passolini, but one that delves deep into the subjects that were so dear to the director's heart.