Avanti! (1972)

A successful businessman goes to Italy to arrange for the return of his tycoon-father's body only to discover dad died with his mistress of long standing.

Director:

Billy Wilder

Writers:

Samuel A. Taylor (play) (as Samuel Taylor), Billy Wilder (screenplay)

Stars:

Jack Lemmon, Juliet Mills, Clive Revill

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jack Lemmon	...	Wendell Armbruster, Jr.
Juliet Mills	...	Pamela Piggott
Clive Revill	...	Carlo Carlucci
Edward Andrews	...	J.J. Blodgett
Gianfranco Barra	...	Bruno
Franco Angrisano	...	Arnoldo Trotta
Pippo Franco	...	Mattarazzo
Franco Acampora	...	Armando Trotta
Giselda Castrini	...	Anna
Raffaele Mottola	...	Passport Officer
Lino Coletta	...	Cipriani
Harry Ray	...	Dr. Fleischmann
Guidarino Guidi	...	Maitre D'
Giacomo Rizzo	...	Barman
Antonino Faà di Bruno	...	Concierge (as Antonino Faa' Di Bruno)

Storyline

Baltimore industrialist Wendell Armbruster crosses paths with London shop girl Pamela Piggott when they come to Ischia to pick up the bodies of her mother and his father, who have been killed in an automobile accident after a ten-year summertime affair. Straitlaced Wendell tries to avoid a scandal while free-spirited Pamela is impressed by the romantic setting. After some confusion with the bodies and a blackmail attempt by unscrupulous locals, Wendell and Pamela extend their parent's affair into the next generation.

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Plot Keywords:

female frontal nudity | blackmail | businessman | mistaken identity | red tape | 

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Taglines:

When someone knocks on your door and says permesso?...be careful before you say Avanti!

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Like many of the comedies of Billy Wilder, Avanti! deals with matters relating to marital infidelity. It's a topic that Wilder covered in such films as The Apartment, The Seven-Year Itch, and Kiss Me, Stupid. And yet Avanti! failed to garner much controversy, unlike Kiss Me, Stupid, for its depiction of marital infidelity, likely due to the nature of Wilder's classical style and the changing social norms in the intervening eight years between films. "It seemed so tame in a way," Mills said in 2017 of the film's handling of its characters' love affair, even with the nudity. "There were no great love scenes. It was a love story. It was more a romance and a romantic film to me than anything. There certainly wasn't any controversy about it, the adultery and all that. I think the fact that it was a romantic comedy. Jack Lemmon and Billy Wilder could really get away with anything, I think."

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Goofs

When the US flag was draped over the coffin at the end of the movie, the canton (the blue field with stars) was over the upper left of the coffin, as viewed from the foot of the coffin. The canton is to go to the upper right of the coffin, the deceased's left shoulder.

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Quotes

J.J. Blodgett: We don't need an export licence. We're gonna bypass all that bull...
Wendell Armbruster: Bypass, how can you do it?
J.J. Blodgett: No sweat. We're appointing your father commercial attaché to the embassy in Rome, and that entitles him to all the rights and immunities of a diplomat.
Wendell Armbruster: But wait a minute, we're going to appoint him...
J.J. Blodgett: Why not?
Wendell Armbruster: A dead man?
J.J. Blodgett: Just proves that we don't discriminate against anybody for reasons of race, creed, color, or state of health.

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Connections

References Oh! Calcutta! (1972)

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Soundtracks

Palcoscenico
Written by Enzo Bonagura (as E. Bonagura), A. Giannini and Sergio Bruni (as S. Bruni)

User Reviews

A comedy, a romance, a satire, a jewel!

Years ago I thought I was familiar with all of Billy Wilder's movies and as I thumbed through what might have been an old copy of Playboy, perhaps a Sex in the Cinema article, I came across a picture of a nude Juliet Mills and Jack Lemmon sitting on the rocks in an unknown Billy Wilder film, and was determined to one day see that film and much more of the Nanny from The Nanny and the Professor. VCRs were just coming on the market, so I had to wait a few years till Cinemax showed it in the early morning. I stayed up most of the night to satisfy my prurient interest and what I ended up with was a film I didn't want to end, a tune that played over and over again in my head for days, and one of my most favorite movies.

Yes, this movie is a comedy, sometimes a very black comedy, and sometimes a satire filled with irony. Yes, it's a romance, all about a wonderful romance that sparks up between two seemingly opposite people in the strangest of places at the strangest of times under the strangest of circumstances, the way romance quite often does. And at times there's sadness and pain to tug at your heart. It's all about discovering who you really are when you've lost your way in all life's confusion, and also about perhaps being better than your parents when you get older and more like them.

Lemmon is the consummate cad, Juliet Mills the most charming Englishwoman to grace a celluloid comedy, Clive Revill is perfect in his most Oscar-deserving role as the hotel manager Carlo Carlucci, the Italian cast members never fail to entertain, and the music is as catchy and memorable as any Bernstein or Tiomkin or Goldsmith score. The movie may be 2-1/2 hours long, but the time passes quickly as Lemmon and Mills rediscover love and youth and passion, and I always find myself wishing that I could see the two lovers returning a year later like their parents.

Billy Wilder may have given us dramatic gems like Stalag 17, Double Indemnity, The Lost Weekend, and Sunset Boulevard, given us comedic gems like Seven Year Itch and Some Like It Hot, and romantic gems like The Apartment and Irma La Douce, but it wasn't till the end of his career that he could take qualities from all of those and give them a magical, lyrical feel and atmosphere and come up with a jewel like Avanti!

Details

Country:

Italy USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

17 December 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

Avanti!

Filming Locations:

Faro di Carena, Capri Island, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$2,750,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$22,482

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Mirisch Corporation, Phalanx Productions, Jalem Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

144 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1