''L'uomo, la bestia e la virtù'' (), internationally released as ''Man, Beast and Virtue'', is a 1953

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by Steno. It starred Italian comedian

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 risat ...

and famed actor

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...

. The film was originally shot in

Gevacolor Gevacolor is a color motion picture process. It was introduced in 1947 by Gevaert in Belgium, and an affiliate of Agfacolor. The process and company flourished in the 1950s as it was suitable for on location shooting. Both the companies merged i ...

, but only black-and-white prints exist today.

Sergio Leone Sergio Leone ( ; ; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian filmmaker, credited as the pioneer of the spaghetti Western genre. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema. Leone's film-making style ...

and

Lucio Fulci Lucio Fulci (; 17 June 1927 – 13 March 1996) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. Although he worked in a wide array of genres through a career spanning nearly five decades, including Commedia all'italiana, comedies and spagh ...

were both assistant directors on this film. Fulci said the film did not really do well, but it gave Fulci his first screenwriting credit, and he really enjoyed being in Orson Welles' presence. Welles was in Italy filming ''

Othello ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...

'' at the time, and Fulci said Welles' entire diet consisted of oranges which he ate in massive quantities. Fulci described

as being a very sad figure, and said

Carlo Ponti Carlo Fortunato Pietro Ponti Sr. (11 December 1912 – 10 January 2007) was an Italian film producer with more than 140 productions to his credit. Along with Dino De Laurentiis, he is credited with reinvigorating and popularizing Italian cin ...

forced him to star in this film against his will as

had signed a contract with the producer. Although filming went past the contracted period, Ponti never paid Orson Welles a penny in overtime either. The film was based on the 1919 novel and play of the same name by

Luigi Pirandello Luigi Pirandello (; ; 28 June 1867 – 10 December 1936) was an Italians, 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 bold and ...

. Pirandello's heirs were very disappointed with the film, which they said omitted most of the bawdy humor and the theme of dressing the actors up in animal costumes was jettisoned by the producers, leaving behind an emasculated version of Pirandello's play. The film vanished from sight for decades following its brief theatrical release, a black-and-white print only surfacing in the early 1990s, making it impossible to evaluate Mario Damicelli's much vaunted color cinematography.Howarth, Troy (2015). Splintered Visions: Lucio Fulci and his Films. Midnight Marquee Press. page 24.

Plot

Paolino (

) is in love with a married woman, Assunta (

Viviane Romance Viviane Romance (born Pauline Ronacher Ortmanns; 4 July 1912 – 25 September 1991) was a French actress. Viviane Romance was born in Roubaix, France. She began her career as a dancer at the Moulin Rouge in Paris. She was elected Miss Paris of 19 ...

). Both participate in a casual affair, but one day Assunta becomes pregnant. The woman's husband, Captain Perella (

), suddenly returns after months away from home for work. In order to avoid the shame and disgrace of discovery, Paolino hatches a complex plot to ensure that Perella spends a night of pleasure with Assunta to disguise the origin of her pregnancy. Little do they know the Captain is recovering from a series of trysts with multiple mistresses while on his sea voyage. Paolino dresses Assunta in sexy attire to pique her husband's interest and even tries to get him to eat some cake laced with stimulants.

Cast

as Paolino De Vico *

as Captain Perella *

as Assunta Perella * Franca Faldini as Mariannina *

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 prod ...

as The doctor *

Clelia Matania Clelia Matania (28 March 1918 – 14 October 1981) was an Italian film and voice actress. Life and career Born in London, the daughter of the Capri-born naturalized Briton painter Fortunino Matania (best known as Saturnino), Matania attended ...

as Grazia *

Giancarlo Nicotra Giancarlo Nicotra (30 April 1944 – 12 June 2013), sometimes spelled Gian Carlo Nicotra, was an Italian television writer, director and actor. Biography Born in Rome, Nicotra was the son of the actors Mariannina Libassi and Antonio Nicotra. H ...

as Nonò *

Rocco D'Assunta Rocco D'Assunta (7 February 1904 – 27 January 1970) was an Italian actor, comedian and playwright. Life and career Born in Palermo, D'Assunta started acting at very young age with several Sicilian stage companies, including the ones led by ...

as Zeppo *Italia Marchesini as Rosaria *

Carlo Delle Piane Carlo Delle Piane (2 February 1936 – 23 August 2019) was an Italian film actor. From 1948 until his death, he appeared in more than 100 films.1953 comedy films 1953 films Italian comedy films Italian films based on plays Lux Film films Films based on works by Luigi Pirandello Films directed by Stefano Vanzina 1950s Italian films