The movie describes with precision and sensitivity the daily life of the Italian immigrant community in post-war Germany. Poverty is never far away, and all the parties, nice costumes and laughters cannot really make you forget it. Alberto Sordi is splendid in the role of Totonno, sympathetic, cynical and unscrupulous drummer. Mario, interpreted by Renato Salvatori is the exact opposite: naive, sensitive and full of good intentions, he stands out by his freshness and his honesty in this world where everything is chattiness and where friendships are rather superficial. A magnificent impossible love story between Mario and big boss wife Paula Mayer, interpreted by the sublime Belinda Lee, brings a touch of tragic beauty to this deeply human story. This magnificent actress, too rare in cinema because she disappeared much too early at the age of 25, is alone worth watching the film. The close-ups of her face against the background of the port of Hamburg are deeply moving. Her beauty, made strength and fragility literally bursts the screen.
Review of The Swindlers
