L'art de se débrouiller

Alberto Sordi is the sort of man who can always find a way to get along. When his reactionary uncle is mayor, he is a reactionary; when he wants to bed a socialist, he turns socialist; he seduces and weds a rich young woman who owns flour mills; when the Fascists take power, he's fine with that, and when Italy falls at the end of the Second World War, he turns communist, Christian Democrat or film producer as seems best to him for the moment,

Luigi Zampa's comedy about the affable and corrupt Sordi is, of course, a satire of the corrupt people who ran Italy, while high-minded people fought and eventually got their own way. Sordi's corruption is so complete, his ability to sound convincing at every stage, that he seems to be unaware of what a lout he is. His buffoonish idiocy is so complete that there is nothing to hate in him. It's a great comic performance that indicts the rapacity of the ruling classes in a manner that a who're obviously angry movie could not.

Alberto Sordi, one of the major actors in post World War II Italy, had a tendency to make one movie after another, meaning that he could either star in masterpieces ("I Vitelloni" directed by Fellini, to name just one example) or appear in dreadful flicks. It seems that he was never really choosy in his career. He fortunately met a few directors who knew how to direct him and use his skills: not only Fellini, but also Risi, Rosi..., and the lesser known Luigi Zampa. I was expecting another star vehicle for Sordi but "L'Arte di Arrangiarsi" ("The Art of Getting Along") is more subtle than that. Indeed, Sordi plays once again one of those petty characters he has often played. Fortunately, the film was not made just in praise of Sordi's talent. With the story of Sasa Scimoni (Alberto Sordi), Zampa recounts forty years or so of Italian history with irony and dark humor, portraying Italian society with all its imperfections. The main character of the film is an expert at changing sides, his only interest in life being women and money. It wouldn't be so much a problem if Sasa didn't live in a troubled era: from the 1910s to the 1950s, Italy underwent a period of drastic political changes (especially with the rise and fall of Mussolini) and no less than two world wars. Impossible to pull through such an eventful period without getting some fingers burnt, as Sasa will learn. Zampa was a good satirist, but his films did not have the same impact or strength as works from directors like Risi or Fellini. One can tell why when watching "L'Arte di Arrangiarsi": it is a well-written comedy (maybe a little too well-written...), Alberto Sordi is in good shape, but it lacks that little spark that would have taken the film much higher. Maybe it wasn't enough biting? It is nevertheless a very enjoyable film, not only for Sordi's fans, but for all those who love Italian comedies.