Le vieux garçon

"Il bisbetico domato" ("The taming of the Scoundrel") contains in the title a reference to Shakespeare's work "The taming of the shrew"... That's all, because the film has no other connection with the English author.

A rich farmer is well known for being very unkind. He's misanthropic, misogynous and cantankerous. Until he meets by chance a gorgeous girl...

The movie is a typical tailored story for Adriano Celentano, one of the biggest Italian music stars -he's hugely popular in German speaking countries and in the Eastern Europe as well. "Il bisbetico domato" is not a musical, and it is directed by the couple Castellano & Pipolo (authors of many Celentano flicks). It stars beautiful diva Ornella Muti.

The film is fine and funny, although not a cinematic monument. It's just a pretty film, with humor and without big inventions. Certainly we laugh, but above all we watch it because of the main actors -the couple works very well. At the time of its release the picture was, as usual, a smash hit in Italy.

I think you can really appreciate these movies, first, if you're a Celentano fan. I also think you should see them in the Italian version only -because the singer/showman has a peculiar voice and a way of telling the lines you'd completely miss with the translation.

I've liked Adriano Celentano as a singer and an actor since I was a young girl. He was enormously popular in the USSR (and justly so). I love his voice, style, and the choice of songs, and I listen to his CDs often. I've seen several of his comedies (Serafino (1969), directed by Pietro Germi, The Con Artists, Ace) and one of my favorite is "Il Bisbetico domato", (1980) or "The Taming of the Scoundrel". Celentano plays a 40 years old wealthy farmer - misanthropic and misogynous virgin. On the evening he turns 40 and celebrates by himself, eating dinner prepared by his loyal house-maid, someone knocks at his door...and gorgeous Ornella Mutti enters his house and the movie. He insults her with the gusto and tries to resist her charms but she sets to prove that no one can resist love when it comes. ...And it comes even to such unbearable and unpleasant character as Elia. Celentano and Mutti both shine and the comedy is amusing and entertaining even after all these years.

A superb Italian comedy that I keep watching everytime I am with a new girlfriend because it is a sure thing to enjoy and comment afterwards ......Celentano,s serious face when he delivers his punchlines are all the money and on the other hand Ornella,s irresistable beauty is fully blossomed....her mole on the bridge of her nose was is and will be the most distinquishable imperfection surpassing easily Scarlet Johansons swollen lip or Natalie Dormer,s cruked smile......... the girl is a godess ...and the chemistry between her and Adriano is undeniable......allthough Ornella is a happy grandmother now and plays barefoot with her grandchildren till her feet turn black (we are fb friends) she still remains as beautiful as ever

I loved Celentano's "Joan Lui": it's one of the best "so bad so good" movie I've ever seen. So I've tried to watch others movies with him.

Let's go with this one:

Sexist? Yes. Funny? Depends: do you like unfunny Italian 80s comedy? Plot? Next question please. Characters? Lisa (Ornella Muti) has serious script problems. Dialogs? Classic Celentano's no-sense talking: "Sure at 100%" "100 x 100?" "10'000!" "Why?", it's up to you if this is a pro or a cons.

In the whole movie I would save only the 2 trashiest moment: the crushing of grapes and the basket game. You could see that behind the camera, in these two scenes, there is the "genius" hand of Celentano: strange music, weird Adriano dance and epileptic editing!

Elia is a confirmed bachelor in the thirties, living with a housemaid in an Italian village. The film starts with men talking about Elia's unbearable character, and these statements are illustrated by him entering and insulting everybody who comes in his way. The housemaid finds women for Elia, but he always succeeds in chasing them away with his awfulness until on a rainy night beautiful Lisa knocks on the door...

Although this film is done with little expense, its obviously exaggerated character can be very amusing. Undoubtedly it is a matter of taste; either you love it or you hate it.