''I Made a Splash'' () is a 1980 comedy film co-written and directed by

Maurizio Nichetti Maurizio Nichetti (born 8 May 1948) is an Italian film director, screenwriter and actor. His 1989 film '' The Icicle Thief'' won the Golden St. George at the 16th Moscow International Film Festival. In 1998 he was a member of the jury at the ...

Plot

In the 1950s, a child falls into a long sleep in front of the TV during a performance by

Nilla Pizzi Adionilla Pizzi (; 16 April 1919 – 12 March 2011), known by her stage name Nilla Pizzi, was an Italian singer and actress. Born in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy, she was particularly famous in Italy during the 1950s and 1960s. She is well know ...

. He awakens in the early 1980s and must face an entirely changed world dominated by consumism and advertising.

Cast

as Maurizio * Luisa Morandini as Luisa * Angela Finocchiaro as Angela * Carlina Torta as Carlina * Daniel Bongiovanni as Mimi's son * Flavio Bonacci as photographer * Walter Valdi as robber *

Ugo Bologna Ugo Bologna (11 September 1917 – 29 January 1998) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Born in Milan, the son of a municipal employee and a housewife, in 1936 Bologna started working as a primary school teacher, and in 1939 he atte ...

as customer * Massimo Sacelotti as Massimo * Guido Spadea as

impresario An impresario (from Italian ''impresa'', 'an enterprise or undertaking') is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, Play (theatre), plays, or operas, performing a role in stage arts that is similar to that of a film producer, film or ...

* Lyall Crawford as English director * Renato Dondi as waiter * Giulia Lazzarini as Ariel * Corrado Lojacono as fireman * Enzo Radicchio as publicist * Manuela Blanchard as advertising girl * Mirella Falco as woman in church *

Luis Molteni Gianluigi "Luis" Molteni (5 November 1950 – 28 February 2024) was an Italian actor, whose career spanned over 40 years. Life and career Born in Seregno, Molteni started his career in 1979, as a member of the theatrical company Quelli di Grok. ...

as man at reception

Production

Principal photography started in May 1980. The film was shot at Icet-De Paolis studios in

Cinecittà Cinecittà Studios (; Italian for Cinema City) 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 were constru ...

Reception

Piero Perona in ''

La Stampa (English: "The Press") is an Italian daily newspaper published in Turin with an average circulation of 87,143 copies in May 2023. Distributed in Italy and other European nations, it is one of the oldest newspapers in Italy. Until the late 1970 ...

'' noted how the film, "rich in wit and style, consisted mainly of a revisiting of the silent cinema that directly inspired it", particularly

Harry Langdon Henry Philmore "Harry" Langdon (June 15, 1884 – December 22, 1944) was an American actor and comedian who appeared in vaudeville, silent films (where he had his greatest fame), and talkies.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', December 27 ...

Max Linder Gabriel-Maximilien Leuvielle (16 December 18831 November 1925), known professionally as Max Linder (), was a French actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and comedian of the silent film era. His onscreen persona "Max" was one of the first r ...

Larry Semon Lawrence Semon (February 9, 1889 – October 8, 1928) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter during the silent film era. In his day, Semon was considered a major movie comedian, but he is now remembered mainly for working ...

and

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...

. According to Giovanni Grazzini from ''

Corriere della Sera (; ) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average circulation of 246,278 copies in May 2023. First published on 5 March 1876, is one of Italy's oldest newspapers and is Italy's most read newspaper. Its masthead has remain ...

'', in this film Nichetti displayed a "a greater maturity in narrative structure but a more fragile inspiration" than in his debut film '' Ratataplan''. ''

Cinema Nuovo ''Cinema Nuovo'' was a left-leaning Italian film magazine existed between 1952 and 1996. It was headquartered in Milan, Italy. History and profile ''Cinema Nuovo'' was established by film critic Guido Aristarco in 1952. The first issue was pub ...

s Ivo Franchi described the film as "structurally weak", with "flimsy characters" and comic situations he compared to TV variety show sketches.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1980 films 1980 comedy films 1980s Italian films Films about television Films about advertising Films directed by Maurizio Nichetti