''A Day in Court'' (Italian: ''Un giorno in pretura'') is a 1954 Italian

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 and starring

Peppino De Filippo Giuseppe "Peppino" De Filippo (24 August 1903 – 27 January 1980) was an Italian actor. De Filippo was born in Naples, brother of actor and dramatist Eduardo De Filippo and of Titina De Filippo. He made his stage debut at the age of six. ...

, Silvana Pampanini,

Sophia Loren Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress, active in her native country and the United States. With a career spanning over 70 years, she is one of the ...

, and

Alberto Sordi Alberto Sordi (15 June 1920 – 24 February 2003) was an Italian actor, comedian, voice dubber, director, singer, composer and screenwriter. Sordi is considered one of the most important actors in the history of Italian cinema and one of the b ...

. The film is an anthology, consisting of a day's cases before Judge Salomone Lo Russo in a court in Rome.

Plot

The cat thief. A poor old man, accused of stealing and eating a cat, is found guilty. Leopoldo and Teresa. An engaged couple are accused of compromising behaviour in a parked car. She falls for their handsome young advocate and goes off with him instead. Paolo and Elena. She accuses him of abandoning the marital home, leaving her penniless. He proves her adultery, first by a tape recording and secondly by film from a hidden camera. Don Michele and Anna. Don Michele, a keen young Catholic priest is accused of starting a brawl in a pool hall. He pleads guilty, but proceedings are interrupted by Anna, a beautiful young prostitute. She explains that in a bus she lifted his wallet, which was then seized by her pimp, who went off to play pool. The priest followed and the fight ensued, for which he gets three months. Nando. Accused of immodesty by going around naked, Nando explains that on a hot day he took a dip in a stream and found his clothes gone. Entering an apparently empty house to find something to cover himself, he surprised a nearly-blind old lady. When she found her glasses, her screams brought others and Nando was arrested. A policeman explains that he had taken the man's clothes to the station, but forgot all about them when told that his wife had just had a baby. Given three months, an enraged Nando vows revenge. Gloriana. A sad old woman accused of drunkenness and harassing people, says she was a much-loved variety artiste during the First World War. The judge remembers her giving a sexy show behind the front when he was a young lieutenant. Due to a mix-up she had nowhere to stay for the night, so he was ordered to give her his room. When he took out his things and returned to the officers' mess, he was ordered for the honour of the army to go back and claim her. In fact, he passed a freezing night on her balcony. After dismissing the case, he retires to his chambers and explains to a bust of the celebrated Roman lawyer Marcus Tullius Cicero that, despite basing his career on strict application of the criminal law, sometimes one has to temper justice with mercy. Lazio vs Roma. At a football match three months later, Lo Russo is cheering his son who plays for Lazio. Nearby, Nando is cheering for Roma. A brawl starts and both men are arrested.

Cast

as Judge Lo Russo * Silvana Pampanini as Gloriana *

as Nando *

as Anna * Tania Weber as Elena * Leopoldo Trieste as Leopoldo *

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 originall ...

as Don Michele * Armenia Balducci as Teresa * Virgilio Riento as Virgilio Pampinelli * Giulio Calì as Augusto Mencacci * Turi Pandolfini as clerk of the court *

Vincenzo Talarico Vincenzo Talarico (28 April 1909 – 16 August 1972), was an Italian screenwriter and film actor. He wrote for 27 films between 1940 and 1966. He also appeared in 15 films between 1946 and 1964. He was born in Acri, Italy and died in Fiugg ...

as defence lawyer * Ubaldo Lay as Anna's pimp *

Amalia Pellegrini Amalia Pellegrini (16 June 1873 – 13 September 1958) was an Italian actress. She appeared in more than sixty films from 1935 to 1958. Selected filmography References External links * 1873 births 1958 deaths Italian film actress ...

as rich old lady

About the film

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 ...

and Paolo Heusch were assistant directors. It was shown as part of a retrospective on Italian comedy at the

67th Venice International Film Festival The 67th annual Venice International Film Festival, was held from 1 to 11 September 2010, at Venice Lido in Italy. American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino was the jury president for the main competition. The Golden Lion was awarded to ''Somewhere ...

. It took in around 473 million lire at the Italian box office. A young

originated the idea and format for this film, and then helped to write the screenplay and assist Steno in directing it, making it the largest screen credit in his career up to this point. Critics said the film was carried by the versatile acting of

, who was convinced to become a comedian by the Italian actor

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 ...

. Alberto Sordi's character of Nando Moriconi became so popular, he reprised the role in several later Italian comedies, such as '' An American in Rome'' (1954), without ever sharing the credit with Fulci. Fulci always took credit for creating the Nando Moriconi character, although Alberto Sordi said it was his portrayal of the character that made it so popular. Fulci said that in post production, producer Carlo Ponti almost cut the segment out for time constraints, but Ponti's wife Silvana Mangano made him leave it in. The film made a fortune as a result, according to Fulci, and helped launch Sordi's comedy career.Howarth, Troy (2015). Splintered Visions: Lucio Fulci and his Films. Midnight Marquee Press. page 30.

References

Bibliography

* Chiti, Roberto & Poppi, Roberto. ''Dizionario del cinema italiano: Dal 1945 al 1959''. Gremese Editore, 1991.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Day in Court 1954 films 1954 comedy films 1950s Italian-language films Italian black-and-white films Films directed by Stefano Vanzina Films scored by Armando Trovajoli Films set in Rome Italian comedy films Minerva Film films 1950s legal films 1950s Italian films