Peccato che sia una canaglia (1955)

When young and attractive Lina Stroppiani, a thief like the rest of her family, tries to steal the taxi of Paolo, together with two accomplices, she can't possibly know that this will have ... See full summary »

Director:

Alessandro Blasetti

Writers:

Alberto Moravia (story "Il fanatico"), Suso Cecchi D'Amico (subject)

Stars:

Vittorio De Sica, Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vittorio De Sica	...	Vittorio Stroppiani
Sophia Loren	...	Lina Stroppiani
Marcello Mastroianni	...	Paolo
Mauro Sacripanti	...	Peppino (as Giorgio Sanna)
Michael Simone	...	Totò
Margherita Bagni	...	Elsa, moglie di Michele
Wanda Benedetti	...	Valeria, moglie di Carletto
Maria Britneva	...	La turista inglese (as Maria Britnewa)
Manlio Busoni	...	Il funzionario della Casa per il Mezzogiorno
Giulio Calì	...	La guardia notturna
Pietro Carloni	...	Il signore intriguante
Memmo Carotenuto	...	Cesare, il tassinaro
Marga Cella	...	La padrona del bar
Pasquale Cennamo	...	Il maresciallo
Nino Dal Fabbro	...	Il radiologo

Storyline

When young and attractive Lina Stroppiani, a thief like the rest of her family, tries to steal the taxi of Paolo, together with two accomplices, she can't possibly know that this will have far reaching consequences...

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Plot Keywords:

based on short story | thief | taxi | passionate kiss | kissing in public | 

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Taglines:

...and too good to be missed!

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

29 April 1955 (Belgium)

Also Known As:

Dommage que tu sois une canaille

Filming Locations:

Piazzale Ugo La Malfa, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Documento Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Sono solo un artigiano (2001)

User Reviews

Theft, Italian style, in a gem of a screwball comedy from Italy...

Wow! Until you hear SOPHIA LOREN speak in her native language, you'd never guess how fast she can talk--especially when it comes to a breezy comedy like this involving a family of thieves run by VITTORIO DeSICA and trying to fleece, among others, MARCELLO MASTROIANNI from his cab while trying to stay one step ahead of the authorities.

Her fast talk is exceptional--and funny--considering the situations she gets into. She has a fluency in Italian that she never showed in her English speaking roles and a terrific sense of timing and humor. She also looks fabulous.

But the real star of the film is VITTORIO DeSICA as the smooth talking and very elegant head of a family of thieves. Grandma is adept at stealing wallets and the kids are handy at stealing tires off cars. From the start, it's obvious that Sophia (as Lina) and Marcello (as Paolo) are bound to fall in love despite the stormy relationship that has them embroiled in arguments over all of their mishaps.

It's amusing from start to finish, which has the predictable ending which has the two of them in a clinch from which they're in no hurry to abandon after a quarrel, not even with a bunch of onlookers wondering why he slapped her first.

It's a pure joy to watch these pros at work, but it's clear that DeSica has to be one of the most consummate actors of Italian cinema--just as wonderful before the camera as behind it. And Sophia and Marcello keep up with him every step of the way.

Watching this with subtitles is worth it, even though they speak so fast that you'll spend a lot of time just reading the English captions.