I soliti ignoti (1958)

Director:

Mario Monicelli

Writers:

Agenore Incrocci (story) &
Furio Scarpelli (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

22 November 1960 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime

Plot:

A motley quintet of inept small-time thieves bungle the burglary of a local pawnshop in this Italian farce.

Plot Keywords:

Pawnshop | Boxer | Photographer | Burglar | Sicilian

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins

Cast

Vittorio Gassman	...	Peppe il pantera
Renato Salvatori	...	Mario Angeletti
Memmo Carotenuto	...	Cosimo
Rossana Rory	...	Norma
Carla Gravina	...	Nicoletta
Claudia Cardinale	...	Carmelina
Carlo Pisacane	...	Capannelle
Tiberio Murgia	...	Michele Ferribotte
Gina Rovere	...	Teresa, wife of Tiberio
Gina Amendola	...	Mario's 'Mother'
Elvira Tonelli	...	Assunta
Elena Fabrizi	...	Signora Ada (as Elisa Fabrizi)
Pasquale Misiano	...	Massimo
Renato Terra	...	Eladio
Aldo Trifiletti	...	Fernando, doorkeeper
Nino Marchetti	...	Luigi
Mario De Simone	...	Il ricettatore
Marcello Mastroianni	...	Tiberio
Totò	...	Dante Cruciani
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Edith Bruck	...	The Woman quarrelling under the skylight (uncredited)
Franco Carli	...	(uncredited)
Mario Feliciani	...	Police inspector (uncredited)
Ida Masetti	...	Gabriella (uncredited)
Mario Meniconi	...	Paolo (uncredited)
Mimmo Poli	...	Prisoner (uncredited)
Lisa Romey	...	Emilia (uncredited)
Amerigo Santarelli	...	(uncredited)
Gustavo Serena	...	(uncredited)
Roberto Spiombi	...	Piero (uncredited)

Directed by
Mario Monicelli

Writing credits
Agenore Incrocci		(story) &
Furio Scarpelli		(story)
Agenore Incrocci		(screenplay) &
Furio Scarpelli		(screenplay) &
Suso Cecchi d'Amico		(screenplay) &
Mario Monicelli		(screenplay)
Italo Calvino		(short story "Furto in una pasticceria") uncredited

Produced by
Franco Cristaldi	....	producer

Original Music by
Piero Umiliani

Cinematography by
Gianni Di Venanzo

Film Editing by
Adriana Novelli

Production Design by
Piero Gherardi

Set Decoration by
Vito Anzalone

Costume Design by
Piero Gherardi

Makeup Department
Romolo de Martino	....	makeup artist (as Romolo De Martino)

Production Management
Gino Millozza	....	production supervisor
Nicolò Pomilia	....	production manager (as Nicolo Pomilia)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mario Maffei	....	assistant director

Art Department
Italo Tomassi	....	manager of art department (uncredited)

Sound Department
Oscar Di Santo	....	sound technician
Luigi Puri	....	sound technician

Camera and Electrical Department
Erico Menczer	....	camera operator

Editorial Department
Marisa Letti	....	assistant editor (as Maria Luisa Letti)

Music Department
Piero Umiliani	....	conductor

Other crew
Renato Jaboni	....	production secretary
Silvana Mangini Colizzi	....	script supervisor (as Silvana Mangini)
Vincenzo Taito	....	administrator
Renato Cominetti	....	voice dubbing: Tiberio Murgia (uncredited)
Nico Pepe	....	voice dubbing: Carlo Pisacane (uncredited)
Monica Vitti	....	voice dubbing: Rosanna Roy (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Cinecittà (Stabilimenti Cinematografici)
• Lux Film
• Vides Cinematografica

Distributors

• Cristaldifilm (1958) (worldwide) (all media) (rights)
• Lux Film (1958) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Franco Cristaldi-Lux Films (1960) (worldwide) (theatrical)
• United Motion Pictures Organization (UMPO) (1960) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Janus Films (1960) (USA) (VHS)
• Connoisseur Video Collection (1988) (USA) (VHS)
• Tamarelle's International Films (1988) (worldwide) (VHS)
• Criterion Collection, The (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Home Vision Entertainment (HVE) (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Studio Canal (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Italia (2003) (Italy) (DVD) (restoration remastered version)
• Aquarius TV (2004) (Greece) (DVD)
• Aquarius TV (2004) (Greece) (TV)
• Koch Lorber Films (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Audio Visual Enterprises (2005) (Greece) (DVD)
• Barcino Barcino Films S.A. (Spain)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Music Group

Also Known As:

Big Deal on Madonna Street (USA)
Persons Unknown (UK)

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:S | Italy:T | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | Argentina:Atp | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Cinecittà

Trivia:

At the beginning of the project, Producer Grimaldi didn't want Vittorio Gassman to play his role because he was considered too beautiful and elegant to act like a loser boxer. Gassman acted with very strong make up, included a fake nose, to fill Grimaldi's requests.

Quotes:

Cosimo: [seeing other prisoners smoking in the prison yard] May your father and mother drop dead if you have a cigarette and aren't sharing.
[no one responds]
Cosimo: All orphans here, I see.

Movie Connections:

Featured in I soliti ignoti vent'anni dopo (1985)

Who are these guys anyway?

As is typical in most Italian comedies, Monicelli has taken a cup of post war Italy realism and stirred in a cup of scenes from the human condition along with a dash of physical comedy which makes 'Big Deal On Madonna Street' a bittersweet cake we all can enjoy.

Like DeSica and Visconti, Monicelli uses post war Italy as the atmosphere in which these characters find themselves trying to eke out their lives. The recurring Italian film maker's theme of man against a complicated, bureaucratic life is no more evident than here. Throughout the film, the characters impressively quote Italian law by chapter and verse however this does not help them as they all have spent time in jail. The absurdity of knowledge without benefit of improvement is a another theme used. As Toto waxes eloquently regarding the sundry ways to break into a safe (one which the film goer is led to believe he knows nothing about), these men attempt to gain knowledge which they believe will deliver the big score. However even with knowing the apartment is empty, the type of safe the valuables are in and the way to gain access to the safe, their plan is flawed by their inability to execute what seems to them to be a fool proof blue print for success.

While Monicelli's themes ring as clear as the bell that has Peppe il pantera (Gassman) on the canvas, the characterizations of this band of misfits are classic. A stuttering, would be fighter (Gassman), and an out-of-work photographer who has sold his camera to survive (Mastroianni)lead the crew. The scenes played between Gassman's 'everything's easy' attitude and Mastroianni's inquisitiveness provide the viewer with hilarious cat and mouse verbal trade-offs.

In the end, 'Big Deal On Madonna Street' strikes a chord for viewers because we have all felt, at times, completely helpless by the absurdity of life and our pursuit for 'the prize' that we perceive will deliver us from our situation. However like this crew at the end of the film, we wake up every morning and realize that it's back to work to grind out another day.