Ferdinando e Carolina

The eighteenth century king of Naples lies dying and we trigger flashbacks of his life played as a bawdy romp.

Vintage Wertmuller - the handsomest film she has done with shuttered sun falling over palatial interiors and mobs of impressively costumed servants, courtesans and officials milling round the historical monuments and manicured lawns. The compressed form is remarkable, as when finally a cut puts the dying king's memory of the twenty year old naked Princess against a flash of her, aged, black veiled, long deceased, being dumped in the bed beside him. The women are presented gorgeously, juxtaposed with the comic, plain featured lead. The sinister side can just be spotted flashing by.

A lot of it needs more knowledge of Italian history than most viewers will bring to it - "Culture is the weapon that will return Naples to Spain."

A farcical romp involving King Ferdinando 1 of Naples and Princess Marie Carolina of Austria with whom he has an unsteady love-hate relationship, but nevertheless rules with her in the latter half of the 18th Century. Writers like to ridicule the aristocratic rulers and to distort historical facts which give them immeasurable pleasure in the process. This film is no exception. It's not only a film full of fun and action, but set design and costumes are of a very high standard and give an authentic touch to the period despite all the nonsense within the palace walls. Ferdinando as played by Sergio Assisi gives a whirlwind performance as he unbuttons every female bodice on sight or ends up under their billowing skirts. It seems he has sex tattooed on his brain. Even Carolina says he thinks of nothing else.

There are some memorable scenes beginning with the sound of rumbling bowels during a quiet game of cards (quite startling at first). There is a surprisingly unrefined game of blindman's buff where rabbits and white mice add originality to this age-old parlour game. The film is punctuated with comical incidents throughout. Some are only mildly funny, while others are quite hilarious.

In the latter part of the film when Ferdinando is rapidly failing in health he reflects on some of the cruel deeds during his life as he lies gasping on his death bed. Some horrifying close-ups of severed heads and cut throats all-bloodied come as a sudden shock so unexpected in a farce of this type. Some viewers may wish to close their eyes for a moment or two.

In the lighter moments of the film Fernando seems to spend much of his time racing about the palace like a naughty teenager bouncing about on the capacious beds for some more "hankie-pankie" as he calls it. Neatly woven into the story is the political intrigue between Austria and Naples and the use of royal mistresses to seduce the King or distract him from his intentions. I get the feeling that amongst all the silly capers there is more than an ounce of truth in the way that royalty is portrayed in manipulating events for their own ends as they seek expansion of their power over other territories.