| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Sergio Castellitto | ... | Joe Morelli (Giuseppe Romolo) | |
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Tiziana Lodato | ... | Beata |
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Franco Scaldati | ... | Brigadiere Mastropaolo |
| Leopoldo Trieste | ... | Mute | |
| Clelia Rondinella | ... | Anna's mother | |
| Tano Cimarosa | ... | Grandpa Bordonaro | |
| Nicola Di Pinto | ... | Communal Functionary | |
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Costantino Carrozza | ... | The Collector |
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Jane Alexander | ... | Princess |
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Tony Sperandeo | ... | 1st Baldalamenti |
| Leo Gullotta | ... | Vito | |
| Luigi Maria Burruano | ... | Flirtatious Client | |
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Carmelo Di Mazzarelli | ... | Old Man in Wheelchair |
| Antonella Attili | ... | Nurse | |
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Domenico Dolce | ... | Peasant on Bus |
"Dottore" Joe Moretti travels round Sicily doing screen tests for the big Roman studios. He's a conman and takes money or favours for his efforts. Beata, a young illiterate convent girl desperately wants to change her life and falls for him, belatedly he realises his feelings for her. Their love affair is doomed when he's arrested. Written by David Morgans <in2023@wlv.ac.uk>
Master director Tornatore returns to the same subject of his wonderful Cinema Paradiso: a movie about movies. This time, at the end of the forties, a bad guy goes on the road of a very poor Italia pretending to be a scout for movie studios of Rome. But, in fact, his camera was stolen and had no tape in it. He steals money from these poor people full of dreams to become movie stars. Sometimes, they talk with their hearts with very deep emotions, but the man don't care. One day, a teenager takes very seriously her faith to be a movie star and goes with the bad man. Her love tortures the man. This is a strong statement about celebrity, dreams and poverty. Sergio Castellito, one of the best actors of Italy, gives a very strong performance, so is the charming young Lodato (Gee! Isn't she beautiful?) This movie is one of the best of the risky genre of movies about movies. For me, it's the third best of the kind, after Woody Allen Purple Rose of Cairo, and, of course, Cinema Paradiso. See this movie! It's a very moving intelligent piece of European savoir faire.