''Of Life and Love'' ( it, Questa è la vita) is a 1954 Italian

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Aldo Fabrizi Aldo Fabrizi (; born Aldo Fabbrizi; 1 November 1905 – 2 April 1990) was an Italian actor, director, screenwriter and comedian, best known for the role of the heroic priest in Roberto Rossellini's ''Rome, Open City'' and as partner of Totò in ...

Giorgio Pastina Giorgio Pastina (1905–1956) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He directed '' Henry IV'', a 1943 film version of Luigi Pirandello's '' Henry IV''.Anile, Alberto, '' Orson Welles in Italy'' (Indiana University Press, 2013), p. 94 S ...

Mario Soldati Mario Soldati (17 November 1906 – 19 June 1999) was an Italian writer and film director. In 1954 he won the Strega Prize for ''Lettere da Capri.'' He directed several works adapted from novels, and worked with leading Italian actresses, su ...

and

Luigi Zampa Luigi Zampa (2 January 1905 – 16 August 1991) was an Italian film director. Biography Son of a worker, Zampa studied filmmaking from 1932 to 1937 at the Italian film school Centro sperimentale di cinematografia in Rome. He directed several ...

Plot

The film tells four episodes from stories written by

Luigi Pirandello Luigi Pirandello (; 28 June 1867 – 10 December 1936) was an Italian dramatist, novelist, poet, and short story writer whose greatest contributions were his plays. He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his almost magical power ...

(from the work: ''Novelle per un anno'').

The jar

A landowner ignorant and arrogant he is afraid that his big jar is broken because of a storm that is coming and he entrusts it to one of its employees silly that the rocks. The owner angrily dismisses the man and called Zi 'Dima, the master repairman to fix the jar, but they get stuck in there.

Ventaglino

A woman spends all his possessions for a fan and starts to play the role of a prostitute.

The license

Rosario chiarchiaro she won the enmity of his countrymen because he wants to settle the "license Evil Eye" so that his family can live in more favorable conditions. To do this, disguises herself as a true bearer of bad luck (think that Toto had a great fear for jettatori) finally getting his job

Tight Formal Wear

The portly professor Fabio Gori (Fabrizi) is invited to the wedding of one of his former students, for which he borrows a set of formal wear, which is hopelessly too small for him, but which he insists on wearing. Arriving at her house, he discovers that the bride's mother has died from the excitement of seeing her daughter wed. The groom's rich and arrogant family are opposed to the marriage and try to take advantage of the situation to postpone the wedding indefinitely. Gori knows that the groom is a good man and that he would make his ex-student happy. Knowing that if he doesn't act, the relatives will be able to divide the couple definitively, he insists that the matrimony go ahead despite the misfortune. In the end he confesses that he found the strength to react to the hypocritical protests of the groom's relatives because of his irritability due to wearing such a tight garment. The film is presented by actor and voice actor

Emilio Cigoli Emilio Cardi Cigoli (18 November 1909 – 7 November 1980) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Cigoli was born in Livorno to actress Giovanna Cigoli. His grandfather worked as a silent film actor. He began his career on stage a ...

, located in dubbing room, he explains the meaning of the four episodes.

Cast

Turi Pandolfini Turi Pandolfini (1 November 1883 – 6 March 1962) was an Italian stage and film character actor. He appeared in 46 films between 1917 and 1961. Life and career Born in Catania, Sicily as Salvatore Pandolfini, the nephew of the actor Ange ...

: Zi' Dima (segment "La giara") * Antonio Nicotra: Don Lolò Zirafa (segment "La giara") * Domenico Modugno: Tamantino (segment "La giara") * Franca Gandolfi: Daughter (segment "La giara") * Myriam Bru: Tuta (segment "Il ventaglio") *

Pina Piovani Pina Piovani (20 March 1897 – 2 January 1955) was an Italian stage and film actress.Bìspuri p.126 She was married to the actor Giulio Battiferri. Partial filmography * ''Napule... e niente cchiù'' (1928) - Paquita - stella del varietá * ' ...

: Daughter (segment "Il ventaglio") *

Totò Antonio Griffo Focas Flavio Angelo Ducas Comneno Porfirogenito Gagliardi de Curtis di Bisanzio (15 February 1898 – 15 April 1967), best known by his stage name Totò (), or simply as Antonio de Curtis, and nicknamed ''il Principe della risata ...

: Rosario Chiarchiaro (segment "La patente") * Armenia Balducci: Rosinella Chiarchiaro (segment "La patente") *

Mario Castellani Mario Castellani (24 November 190625 April 1978) was an Italian comic actor, best known as the sidekick of famous comic actor Antonio De Curtis (Totò). He appeared with the latter in all his major movies, as well as many of Totò's theatre pro ...

: Judge (segment "La patente") *

Anita Durante Anita Durante (28 September 1897 – 2 May 1994) was an Italian actress. Born Anita Bianchi in Rome into a humble family, after attending a dramatic society for several years Durante made her official debut on stage in 1919, in Ettore Petro ...

: Wife (segment "La patente") *

Virna Lisi Verna or Virna may refer to: People * Verna Aardema (1911–2000), American author of children's books * Verna Bloom (1939–2019), American actress * Virna De Angeli (born 1976), Italian former sprinter * Virna Dias (born 1971), Brazilian reti ...

: Daughter (segment "La patente") *

: Professor Fabio Gori (segment "Marsina stretta") *

Lucia Bosè Lucia Bosè (28 January 1931 – 23 March 2020) was an Italian actress. Life and career Lucia Bosè was born in Milan to Francesca Borloni and Domenico Bosè. After a number of years working in a bakery, Pasticceria Galli, in her native city, ...

: Angela Reis (segment "Marsina stretta") *

Walter Chiari Walter Annicchiarico (8 March 1924 – 20 December 1991), known as Walter Chiari , was an Italian stage and screen actor, mostly in comedy roles. Biography Walter Annicchiarico was born in Verona, Italy on 8 March 1924 to a family originally ...

: Andrea Migri (segment "Marsina stretta") *

Zoe Incrocci Zoe Incrocci (21 September 1917 – 6 November 2003) was an Italian actress and voice actress. Biography Born in Brescia, Incrocci was the older sister of the screenwriter Agenore Incrocci. She made her film debut at young age in a supporting ...

: Andrea's sister (segment "Marsina stretta")

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Of Life And Love 1954 films 1954 comedy films 1950s Italian-language films Italian black-and-white films Films based on works by Luigi Pirandello Films directed by Luigi Zampa Films directed by Mario Soldati Films directed by Aldo Fabrizi Films directed by Giorgio Pastina Films set in Sicily Films set in Rome Films shot in Rome Italian anthology films Italian comedy films 1950s Italian films