Allegro non troppo (1976)

An enthusiastic filmmaker thinks he's come up with a totally original idea: animation set to classical music! When he is informed that some American named "Prisney" (or something) has ... See full summary »

Director:

Bruno Bozzetto

Writers:

Bruno Bozzetto (screenplay), Guido Manuli (screenplay)

Stars:

Maurizio Nichetti, Maurizio Micheli, Marialuisa Giovannini

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Marialuisa Giovannini	...	The Cleaning Girl
Néstor Garay	...	The Orchestra Master
Maurizio Micheli	...	The Presenter
Maurizio Nichetti	...	The Animator
Mirella Falco	...	Non-Exercising Orchestra Member
Osvaldo Salvi	...	Man in gorilla costume
Jolanda Cappi	...	Fallen Orchestra Member
Franca Mantelli	...	Dancing Orchestra Member

Storyline

An enthusiastic filmmaker thinks he's come up with a totally original idea: animation set to classical music! When he is informed that some American named "Prisney" (or something) has already done it, he decides to do his own version, using an orchestra comprising mostly old ladies and an animator he's kept locked in a dungeon. Several different classical pieces are animated, while the animator plots his escape.

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Plot Keywords:

classical music | parody | slapstick comedy | live action animated hybrid | bottle | 

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Taglines:

An animated medley of satire, surrealism, spoofery, and general nonsense - set to superb music by Vivaldi, Debussy, Stravinsky, Dvorak, Ravel, and Sibelius...

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Fantasy | Music | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the live action scenes surrounding the animated musical sequences, Signor Rossi, the most famous figure created by Bruno Bozzetto, has a cameo appearance.

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Goofs

Since this film is a parody AND a cartoon, it's arguable whether anything can be legitimately considered a goof. However, at the end of the film, when the director sends Franceschini down to the archives, each time he pulls a finale off the pile the same animation is reused all three times. The effect is that Franceschini takes the same stage each time, only to have it reappear when he goes back for the next.

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Quotes

[last lines]
The Orchestra Master: We're unemployed, then.
The Presenter: Unemployed...until the next movie. I've already got an idea. A brand-new idea. We could do a love story.
The Orchestra Master: A love story?
The Presenter: But not the usual kind about men and women. Lots of men and lots of women.
The Orchestra Master: Wife-swapping?
The Presenter: No, not that same old stuff. Something different. I like asymmetry. Seven men and one woman.
The Orchestra Master: That'll cost a lot.
The Presenter: No, not at all. We'll get little tiny men and make the woman real tall. It'll be fantastic!
The Orchestra Master: Sounds scary.
[...]

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Crazy Credits

L'orchestra rappresentata nel film non ha alcuna connessione con le orchestre sinfoniche che hanno realmente eseguito i brani musicali. [The orchestra represented in the film has no connection with the symphony orchestras who actually performed the music.]

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Alternate Versions

There are two cuts to be found on home video. A 1985 release by RCA/Columbia Home Video on VHS and LD is English dubbed and edited for content. These edits appear only within the live-action interludes, a full 10 minutes worth though - this version is 75min run time. Interesting what they chose to remove, considering that much of the animation itself could be seen by some as rather risqué and probably intended for an adult audience. The removed bits generally are those containing abuse by the conductor upon the orchestra and animator. This is the version that was theatrically released in the U.S.. The video transfer (both tape and LD) is somewhat green throughout, unlike the current version available from HomeVision on DVD and VHS which is the original Italian w/English subtitles and appears to be uncensored.

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Connections

Referenced in Dead Alive (1992)

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Soundtracks

The Firebird
Written by Igor Stravinsky
Performed by Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin (as the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra) conducted by Lorin Maazel

User Reviews

A light-hearted musical smorgasbord

If you are feeling at all depressed or bored with psychological thrillers, this is just the film to brighten up your dark moments. It's not hilarious, it won't have you rolling about in hysterical laughter, but it will put a smile on your face and you may even manage a chortle or two. It's pure fantasy, the stuff that dreams are made of....Debussy, Dvorak, Ravel, Sibelius whose music forms the basis of this film would probably be amused at how their music has been interpreted.

While the black and white scenes of the compere, the conductor, the orchestra and the cartoonist are amusing enough, they seem a bit forced in their attempt at humour (the cartoonist is no Charlie Chaplin) and the transition from black and white to colour is never very smooth. Even the sound level is not constant.

Wherever did they get the old ladies to represent the orchestra? They looked as if they stepped straight out of a Fellini film. In a couple of farcical scenes one old girl while blowing a fanfare on her trumpet ran out of breath and fell over backwards. Another was knocked off the stage when she was struck by a cork propelled from an exploding bottle of champagne.

While the film lacks the technical quality of Disney's Fantasia, it still has some amusing and original ideas. To the sound of Ravel's Bolero, we see some sludge at the bottom of a bottle give way to primitive life and then follows in rapid succession the origin of the various species of life on earth. Even Darwin would have been fascinated by this interpretation of his theory of evolution.

Allegro Non Troppo is far more sexual than any of Disney's work. The faun is depicted as a lecherous old man, an interpretation never seen before in any of the great ballets. There are heart-tugging moments too, particularly to the beautiful music of Sibelius, when we see a starved cat searching for food, warmth and company amongst the ruins of a home.

When one ponders over the number of hours the artists worked on this film, one can only admire their competence and artistry. See it at your first opportunity.

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

27 July 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Allegro non troppo

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bruno Bozzetto Film, Ministero del Turismo e dello Spettacolo

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1