Ein himmlischer Teufel

After partnering with Massimo Troisi in "Nothing left to do but cry", this time Benigni sought out the veteran Walter Matthau to play opposite in this "Little devil", who is, of course, himself, in almost all of his films but here literally.

A Benigni devil on the loose, after being exorcised by Father Matthau. An assumption that serves wonderfully for the comedian, director and co-writer to give vent to his madness, first in the convent and then through the streets of beautiful Taormina.

The script has imbalances and inconsistencies, but what matters is the fun, which is a lot, especially when Benigni finally finds his soul mate, the inevitable Nicoletta Braschi, who also has a delightful character.

You don't have to be an Italian to appreciate the humor, but it's certainly an advantage if you understand Italian... Needless to say, Benigni is funny enough even WITHOUT words; and contrasted with the dry, serious priest (Matthau is brilliant here) he appears more absurd than ever. Who but Benigni could play the part of the devil so convincingly, with such comic innocence and enthusiasm? Who but Walter Matthau could capture so perfectly the mood of the cynical, dry-humoured priest? In this light-hearted film, there is nothing predictable except, perhaps, for the odd friendship that springs up between the two men - and that, with this unbeatable team, you are in for some hilarious moments. A film worth seeing again and again !!!

My wife Dani turned me on to this film and it has to be one of the funniest films I've ever seen in my life! The shame is that it is so difficult to find ....we only managed to find a rental copy in Curitiba, Brasil and a German language version via Amazon.com.de (Germany). Why is it that the US and UK distributors do not carry it? We think that it is his best film and by the way, one of Walter Matthau's finest and funniest performances!

I've seen ( rented ) this movie in VHS with English voice and Norwegian subtitles a few years back. Been searching for it now for a long time without any success. The film is one of the funniest I've ever seen. It seems to me that the distributor is missing a fine turnover by not releasing the film in DVD. Id be grateful for any tips where to get this movie in English, in Italian I will miss the finer meaning of the words unfortunately. Benigni is one of the most talented film-makers around, I enjoy his work both in front of and in the back of the camera. This is what I wanted to say, however the silly rule is that one have to write at least 10 lines so the last words are nothing but some fill-up to achieve the 10 lines

I have seen this classic in Greece in English un-dubbed seemingly. I have been trying to find a copy for years. If anyone has news I would appreciate help.

It is indeed likely the funniest film I've ever seen and far superior to much of RB's other work. Perhaps the language problems I've read of herein explain the failure of Netflix to carry it.

As for Matthau, I've never liked him personally, but in this he is uproariously droll.

Any news in tracking this film we be greatly thanked.

George Slater