''The Passionate Thief'' ( it, Risate di gioia) is a 1960 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 Mario Monicelli, starring

Anna Magnani Anna Maria Magnani (; 7 March 1908 – 26 September 1973) was an Italian actress.Obituary ''Variety'', 3 October 1973, pg. 47 She was known for her explosive acting and earthy, realistic portrayals of characters. Born in Rome, she worked her ...

and

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 ...

Plot

Two friends (Toto and Magnani) live by their wits working as comedians and cabaret at

Cinecittà Cinecittà Studios (; Italian for Cinema City Studios), is a large film studio in Rome, Italy. With an area of 400,000 square metres (99 acres), it is the largest film studio in Europe, and is considered the hub of Italian cinema. The studios we ...

, before being invited to friends' parties or masked balls during New Year's Eve in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. The two, however, even though they make people laugh all the time in public, live an inner conflict, namely that the two have always to be aware to give a smile to someone, but they can never be rich and happy because they are street artists and with a precarious wage.

Cast

as Gioia Fabbricotti (alias Tortorella) *

as Umberto "Infortunio" Pennazzuto *

Ben Gazzara Biagio Anthony Gazzara (August 28, 1930 – February 3, 2012) was an American actor and director of film, stage, and television. He received numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and a Drama Desk Award, in addition to nominatio ...

as Lello *

Fred Clark Frederick Leonard Clark (March 19, 1914 – December 5, 1968) was an American film and television character actor. Early years Born in Lincoln, California, Clark was the son of Fred Clark Sr. He attended Stanford University with plans to become ...

as The American *

Edy Vessel Edoarda Vesselovsky (born 23 October 1940), better known by her stage name Edy Vessel, Edi Vessel, or Edy Vesel, is an Italian actress and businesswoman. Biography Vesselovsky was born in Trieste in 1940. In her youth, she worked as a model ...

as The girl * Gina Rovere as Mimi *

Toni Ucci Antonio "Toni" Ucci (13 January 1922 – 16 or 19 February 2014)E' morto Toni Ucci
16 February ...

as L'amico de Milena

References

External links

* * * * * 1960 films 1960 comedy films Films based on works by Alberto Moravia Films directed by Mario Monicelli Italian comedy films 1960s Italian-language films Films with screenplays by Suso Cecchi d'Amico Films with screenplays by Age & Scarpelli Films set in Rome Films shot in Rome 1960s Italian films {{1960s-Italy-comedy-film-stub