Das Monster

After seeing the trailer for this film, in France and in French, I thought that it should be given a wide berth. But I watched it with a friend one night and still laugh about it 10 years later. It was brilliant. Absolute pure genius. While the scenes looked ridiculous in the trailer, they were very funny in the context of the film. The story is simple, innocent bumbler is mistaken for a serial killer, but the talent of Benigni, both in his writing and his acting, makes the error plausible and for a great film. The scene on the scaffolding is one of my all time favorite comedy moments and the several unexpected meetings with a neighbour, whilst Benigni is walking along on his haunches (trying to avoid his caretaker as he is behind in his rent)are both funny and very touching, especially when Nicoletta Braschi comes on the scene. Just watch it and enjoy. But only if it's in it's original version, Italian. Otherwise don't!

The movie is built around Loris, the character played by Roberto Benigni. who delivers his best performance. He is 100% believable in this role. The movie has almost all classic ingredients of a great comedy and they work.

Roberto Benigni's character captures that facet of most of us men at some point in our lives. A lazy and not so well organized guy, far from hansom looking, who'd like to have a lot of women and money, but is not yet successful with either, improvising plans and schemes to get them fast and easy, getting himself in trouble instead, and plunging into more trouble the more he tries to sort things out.

Eventually the police is after him (the police surveying tape is hilarious), and as goofy as Benigni's character is, the police match him with style. They dispatch a bait to unleash the monster within, and Loris has to go great lengths to avoid unleashing that monster =))

Watch this movie in Italian with subtitles, don't let some lousy dubbing spoil your experience.

What Einstein did for the world of science Benigni has done for the world of cinema.

Since being captivated and devastated (in a brilliantly sad way) by "La Vita e Bella", I've been eager to seek out other Benigni films. I was thrilled to find "Johnny Stecchino" and "Il Mostro" on the shelves of my local video store.

Both are works of comedic genius! While Benigni employs very similar formulas and plot devices (mistaken identity, physical humour and petty theft) the plots are vastly different but both equally hilarious. "Il Mostro", as well as "Johnny Stecchino" will have you laughing within a minute of pressing play on your VCR. Rent these both for a night of back to back gut-busting fun!

This is one of the funniest movies of all time. Roberto Benigni is the definitive next-generation Charlie Chaplain. His use of camera angles to get the dummies in compromising positions, depending on how it's seen, and the way he can include so many different characters so effectively in the movie is amazing. My favorite scene is when the Detective is analyzing Loris when Loris leaves the restaurant. "Now he is punishing it - 'No, not in public'" and "And we can all see what this means." If you want to see it, I've seen the film at Jumbo video in the foreign films section. I advise that you go out and rent it IMMEDIATELY! I gave it a ten, and so will you.

What an excellent movie 'Il Mostro' is! It is absolutely certain that it will destroy you from the first moment.

Make sure you watch it in Italian audio though. A lot of Benigni's (as of course any other actor's) performance comes out of projecting his lines and Benigni always sounds hilarious.

And don't expect to see 'scary movie' here. This is quality comedy, with great script and a genius actor.

Don't miss it!

9/10