Guaglio (1948)

On his way to Africa, Don Pietro, a young missionary priest has his suitcase stolen in the station of Naples. While making every effort to retrieve his baggage he finds out how devastated ... See full summary »

Director:

Luigi Comencini

Writers:

Aldo Buzzi, Suso Cecchi D'Amico

Stars:

Adolfo Celi, Tina Pica, Mario Russo

Cast

Credited cast:
Adolfo Celi	...	Don Pietro
Tina Pica	...	Maddalena, la cuoca
Mario Russo	...	Peppinello
Luigi Dermasti	...	Ciccillo
Clemente De Michele	...	Totonno
Carlo Della Posta	...	Conte
Carlo Barbieri	...	Vescovo
Ettore Mattia	...	Commissario (as Ettore G. Mattia)
Il Duca di Civitelli
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Antonio Cirelli	...	Eduardo
Luigi Demastro
Giovanni Rinaldi	...	Peppino

Storyline

On his way to Africa, Don Pietro, a young missionary priest has his suitcase stolen in the station of Naples. While making every effort to retrieve his baggage he finds out how devastated and miserable the city of Naples is. Learning that he has been the victim of gang of local street urchins, he decides that is mission is here in Naples, not under distant skies. He creates a home for poor kids, assisted by Maddalena, the cook, with a view to putting the "scugnizzi" back on the right track. He is very successful with Peppinello, who shows gratitude for what the priest is doing and feels good in his new secure home. But other kids do not play by the rules and find the home a convenient place for hiding the product of their thefts...

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

28 March 1949 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Guaglio

Filming Locations:

Naples, Campania, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lux Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Thirty real-life "scugnizzi" (Naples street urchins) were hired to play the young thieves.

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Connections

Featured in Sono solo un artigiano (2001)

User Reviews

Neapolitan Boys' Town.

"Proibito rubare" ("Stealing Forbidden") was given a release in the United States as "Guagliò," short for "guaglione" or "boy" in Neapolitan dialect. Some of the ads even featured the phonetic transcription, namely "WAL-YO." It is about Don Pietro, a Neapolitan priest, who is appalled by the plight of street urchins or "scugnizzi" of Naples after one of them pinches his suitcase. He takes on the mission similar to that of Father Flanagan in "Boys' Town" and establishes a home for about twenty of these waifs at a convent. One of his most admiring young tykes is Peppinello, a cherub-faced little boy in tattered clothes, played by Mario Russo. He is the only one who really loves what the priest is doing and enjoys his new secure home. Many of the other boys, on the other hand, use this home as a 'Dead End Kids' hostel, a place to hide stolen watches and remain out of the sight of the police. Adolfo Celi plays Don Pietro (same name as the priest in Rossellini's "Open City!") with humor and charismatic warmth. The boys are uniformly fine. Character actress Tina Pica does a nice turn as a cook. Nino Rota of Fellini fame wrote the score. Suso Cecchi d'Amico, one of Italy's top screenwriters, collaborated on the story and script. Director Luigi Comencini would receive acclaim in the 1950's for his Gina Lollobrigida rustic comedies "Bread, Love and Dreams" and "Bread, Love and Jealousy" ("Frisky.") Although a lesser film than De Sica's "Shoe Shine," this is seen as a more optimistic successor to that earlier tragedy and it is a pleasure to watch.