Uomini e nobiluomini

This is a light comedy that might be hard to understand by other than an Italian audience. Following the second world war and the abolition of the monarchy, Italian noblemen fell on hard times, although nobility was still regarded with awe by the majority of the public. Nonetheless, the penniless noblemen were often depicted as objects of ridicule even as commoners aspired to the now meaningless titles. Uomini e Gentiluomini is a story about the love between a commoner and a titled woman whose uncle does everything he can to prevent the two from marrying. The uncle is played with verve by Vittorio De Sica, one of the foremost Actors/Directors of postwar Italy. The movie sees the first appearance of Elke Sommer, whose role of a housemaid speaking with the accent of the Venetian dialect is spirited and worthy of note, but the rest of the cast delivers predictable performances. Sylvia Pinal, who plays the part of the niece somewhat laconically, went on to become an iconic Mexican actress. De Sica and Sommer fans may want to look this one up, but overall it's hardly worth the effort.