Gastone

A weak, static dramatic comedy about stage entertainers in Italy after World War I, ranging from the vaudeville comic and the tango dancers, to the singer in sexy clothes and the fiery dancer. Director Mario Bonnard seems more concerned with the melodramatic elements of the story of how Gastone (Alberto Sordi), an actor who dreams of fame, nurtures a beautiful maid and dancing student (Anna Maria Ferrero), whom he plans to use for his own benefit, with unexpected results. The director seems literally far too distanced from the spectacle itself, filming mostly all numbers in long shots and avoiding close-ups of his actors. You know that a production is creatively in trouble, when you have sexy Chelo Alonso in a guest appearance and she is either filmed from the back, or simply left out of the frame. In the only musical number she shares with Sordi, Bonnard and editor Eraldo da Roma opted to show Sordi's reactions instead of Chelo's provocations through dancing. And we are talking here about a beautiful woman who was a star at the Folies Bergère in Paris, and the Queen of Péplum (film genre with demigods or strong men as protagonists). The rest of the musical numbers are uninspired and routine, and Gastone's predicaments seem all too uninteresting.

...Only Alberto Sordi could play the role of an unemployed theater actor,who hustles his way through unpaid bills, who constantly overvalues himself,scorns the lesser arts(e.g.films), but is constantly humiliated by his poverty, and accepts any role at the last minute !!

This film is one of few which gives an affectionate view of the Italian theater between the two world wars called "avan-spettacolo" (before the show).Infact,before any film was shown in Italy the cinema would entertain the restless crowds with vaudeville type shows,comedy,magic and singing(usually skimply dressed women).These shows evolved into something well established so the films were shown elsewhere !! Many of Italy's best actors/actresses came from this background,where they had to do a hard apprenticeship,under the guidance of a master actor !Only after 5-10 years apprenticeship, could they finally aspire to be "avan-spettacolo" stars ! (Since foreigners mostly know Italian films through Federico Fellini's art,it may interesting to note,that the "avan-spettacolo" is almost faithfully reconstructed in Fellini's film "Roma",1972?).

This explains why Italy's best actors/actresses were the 1950's /1960's stars of the Italian cinema,of which the most loved is Alberto Sordi.Here are the names of some these stars...Gianni Agus,Macario,Ugo Tognazzi,Marcello Mastroianni,Walter Chiari,Paolo Stoppa,Aldo Fabrizzi,Toto.....the list is endless..........all great actors, ...and I must say the Italian actors of today are a poor imitation ! No wonder !!,... they have no experience,but alot of pretensions,bordering on arrogance !! This film is a light comedy,but very realistic in the portrayal of the excessive vanity,self-esteem and unrealistic dreams that actors have ! My vote for the film 8.