Lo scapolo

Another beautifully observed comic gem from Antonio Pietrangeli with Alberto Sordi 'in piena forma' as the bachelor of the title. Sordi's films are noted for having a dig at the Italian way of life and he often parodies the less redeeming features of the peacock that is the Italian male. Here he plays Paolo, a fridge salesman and tinpot Don Juan. His biological clock urges him to settle down but he soon discovers that finding a winner in the Love Stakes is no easy matter. It finally dawns on him that the antipathy shown towards him by one of his clients, played by svelte Swiss Miss Madeleine Fischer, actually conceals far deeper feelings..........

I am ashamed to admit that for a while the appeal of Signor Sordi eluded me but having the seen the error of my ways I now recognise him for the superlative artiste that he is.

Every character in this is perfectly cast and Pietrangeli again shows the touches of a master. The film is aided by the quirky, understated score of Angelo Lavagnino.

This is early days for this director with his best films yet to come. Following his tragic death at just forty-nine his final film 'How, when and with whom' was completed by the talented Valerio Zurlini.

This is of course very much a period piece and the sexist attitudes on display will be total anathema to Feminists but it nonetheless remains touching, delightful and thoroughly entertaining.

Firstly I've got a strange way of doing scores out of ten - I won't bore you with the details except to say that I never give 10's so really I kind of mark out of 9.....so my 4/10 here is more like a normal person's 5.5 out of 10. What I'm trying to say is that The Bachelor is not bad at all. It is only occasionally funny, and it goes over stuff we have seen on countless other movies. It is also very predictable. But I enjoyed Sordi's performance and watching the flawed but likeable mamma's boy character he embodied stumble through the story. I particularly enjoyed his performance in the sequence towards the end with him dancing awkwardly. I also enjoyed the film's insight into 50's Rome and culture. This is one of those films that takes you off to another time and place and you can lose yourself for a while.

Any film with Alberto Sordi it's a delight, together with Peter Sellers, they remain the most gifted comedians of all time. This is not Sordi's greatest film, but it's a good film anyway, it's definitely worth seeing. Antonio Pietrangeli, the director, who died very young (49 years old) has made several excellent films, absolute masterpieces actually, films to be seen and seen again at any time: "I Knew Her Well" (1965), "The Magnificent Cuckold" (1964 ), "The Visit" (1963), "The Parmesan" (1963). Antonio Pietrangeli also worked with Alberto Sordi in the episode "Fata Marta" from "The Queens" (1966). In this "The Batchelor" there are some other excellent actors: the great later comic actor, Nino Manfredi, very young here, and the beautiful Sandra Milo, Fellini's mistress, here in her first film role, and another beauty, the Swiss Madeleine Fischer.