Unfair Competition (2001)

Two textile traders, with the shop close to one another, fight for the supremacy of their own business during the racial laws in Italy.

Director:

Ettore Scola

Writers:

Furio Scarpelli (story), Ettore Scola (screenplay)

Stars:

Diego Abatantuono, Sergio Castellitto, Gérard Depardieu

4 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Diego Abatantuono	...	Umberto Melchiori
Sergio Castellitto	...	Leone DellaRocca
Gérard Depardieu	...	Professor Angelo
Antonella Attili	...	Giuditta DellaRocca
Claudio Bigagli	...	Police inspector
Sandra Collodel	...	DellaRocca's Maid
Augusto Fornari	...	Zio Peppino
Elio Germano	...	Paolo Melchiori
Sabrina Impacciatore	...	Matilde
Eliana Miglio	...	Mrs. Di Veroli
Rolando Ravello	...	Ignazietto Paspinelli
Gioia Spaziani	...	Susanna DellaRocca
Anita Zagaria	...	Margherita Melchiori
Simone Ascani	...	Lele DellaRocca
Walter Dragonetti	...	Pietruccio Melchiori / narrator

Storyline

Two linen fabric dealers with their shops close to one another, battle against each other for more and more costumers. Umberto constantly loses clients because of the tough competition brought by Leone, who offers the best prices in the neighborhood. But they leave differences aside when the rise of Fascism places Anti-Semitic politics which rigidly control business like the one conducted by the Jewish Leone, and those new regulations are viewed by Umberto as completely unfair. The long rivalry soon becomes a great friendship.

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Plot Keywords:

shop | fascism | rome italy | nazi | italian fascism | 

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

23 February 2001 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Competencia desleal

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$99,418

Company Credits

Production Co:

Medusa Film, Massfilm, Agidi

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michele Riondino auditioned for the role of Paolo.

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Quotes

Professor Angelo: [correcting a kid's lesson] 5 for the grammar, less 5 for the ideas, equals zero. Yes. Zero.
Umberto Melchiori: I won't discuss the grammar but the ideas were quite clear.
Professor Angelo: This dammed regime killed the critical sense of the country, it left us stupid. Even the children got pompuous. Where's the irony?
Umberto Melchiori: You're asking me? I don't know.
Professor Angelo: You don't know anything.
[pauses]
Professor Angelo: It's dead.
Umberto Melchiori: Who?
Professor Angelo: The irony.

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Connections

References A Special Day (1977)

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Soundtracks

La Bohème: Mi chiamano Mimì
Music by Giacomo Puccini

User Reviews

good but not Scola at his best

I went to see this because I absolutely loved Una giornata particolare (starring among others Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni, Ettore Scola's other movie about the enforcement of racial laws in Italy in 1938. Concorrenza SLeale is not as good, showing some great points but somehow lacking "a glue" that keeps it all together; maybe the movie should have concentrated a little bit less on the daily life of the two families, although this is probably the only way to tell such a story. all the actors are great, the kids, the elderly, Castellitto and Abatantuono and (of course) Depardieu, with a special mention for Sabrina Impacciatore (the shop assistant) and Emanuele Salce as the weird guy hired by Abatantuono. still on the good points, the historical reconstruction is great: a street with *real* homes was built in cinecitta', and all the props are from the right period, from ad posters to a technical drawing-table; unfortunately this does not apply to the dialogues, which are a little bit too informal, even inside a family, for 1938 Italy.

All in all, one to see, but first enjoy "Una giornata particolare", you won't regret it.