Questi fantasmi

Based on a play by the eminent Eduardo De Filippo, this old-fashioned but agreeable mix of haunted house thrills and comedy of errors is tailor-made for the talents of its two international stars - Sophia Loren and Vittorio Gassman (who particularly shines); incidentally, this constituted their only teaming following their stardom (having also made 3 other films together during the early 50s). Still, the film also treats several social issues like poverty, suicide, adultery and prostitution - but it's all done with a decidedly light touch.

The supporting cast is equally well chosen: Mario Adorf (as the head of an institution/order of nuns where Loren used to work and who still loves her, while being mistaken by Gassman as the house ghost!), Aldo Giuffre' (as the opportunistic caretaker of the haunted building) and Margaret Lee (as a Fellini-esquire hooker, abused but ever-optimistic, who also lodges at the house). The film also features a good score by the always reliable Luis Enrique Bacalov.

While no classic, the gags and lines are pretty consistent; the last joke even involves an uncredited cameo by Marcello Mastroianni!

This is the kind of film that local TV stations used to program on Sunday afternoons: unfunny 60's comedies no one had ever heard of. The confused plot reads like one from a screwball comedy, but the necessary energy to pull it off are missing. Instead, there just a lot of poorly paced talking and ranting.

Totally sucking the life out of the film is the odd re-dubbing of every sound effect and line of dialog. Since everyone's mouths seem to match English perfectly, you have to wonder what the purpose of this was. Since everyone constantly sounds four inches from the microphone, whether they're running down the stairs or whispering across an alley, the film has a strange antiseptic quality, devoid of any room noise or natural ambiance. Sophia fans should simply watch her and mute the sound.

Maria and Pasquale (33 year old Loren and Gassman) are newlyweds, and live in a haunted house. Pasquale is a tone deaf singer, and bad luck follows him everywhere. Maria has an old friend, a guardian angel, who helps them. And wants Maria. A fun, silly storyline... in return for living in the castle, they must make it look very active and occupied. For some reaon. A madcap caper! From what I can tell, it was filmed in Rome, so some actors are speaking english, while the natives speak italian. The Turner Classic version is all dubbed in english. Co-stars Mario Adorf. Some fun, silly situations. All story driven. Pretty good. And Sophia Loren! Directed by Renato Castellani. Nominated for a Bafta for the 1955 version of Romeo and Juliet. Distributed by MGM in the US and England. Based on a play by Eduardo De Filippo.

The summary plot provides a decent outline of what you "should expect" from Ghosts, Italian Style. Unfortunately Ms. Loren's talent was totally wasted in this mixed up so-called comedy. It seems the director Renato Castellani kept losing focus on his star Ms. Loren who plays a frustrated but still loving and devoted wife named Maria Lojacono. Instead the director Renato Castellani in his attempt to keep the laughter rolling he focused more on Maria's husband a man named Pasquale Lojacono (played by actor Vittorio Gassman) who is a big loser in the income department and he gets sucked in to live in a haunted mansion for free rent.

Into the picture comes an infatuated former admirer of Maria Lojacono's whose name is Alfredo Mariano (played by Mario Adorf). Alfredo fell in love with Maria when she was a young girl living with the nuns in a monastery that Alfredo still manages and owns. When Maria walks back into Alfredo's heart once again he chases Maria and locates her in the haunted mansion that her husband Pasquale foolishly agreed to rent for free, ghosts or no ghosts.

This film ends up being a poor man's version of any one of the Abbott & Costello 1948-1953 franchise horror/comedy flicks that kept me laughing from beginning to end. In the film Ghosts, Italian Style I could not even force a fake laugh. When Sophia Loren was in any scene at least I smiled though.

Still, I can only rate this film a poor 3 out of 10 rating

Sofia Loren and Vittorio Gassman do a good job acting this movie. The roles are intentionally silly but they are able to keep them from going overboard until the end of the movie, when everything falls apart. In other films, it seems sometimes that Vittorio Gassman is too aware of the camera, but not here. He allows his character to go wild, but I never felt that it was too much, until the end.

The direction is pretty good, until the end. There were some good funny scenes and everything seemed to flow well.

The writing was also pretty good, until the end when I wasn't sure what was going on. Even at the end there were some good scenes and some good jokes, it's a shame that everyone allowed the story to fall apart. This also had the negative effect of losing the thread of all of the tenants, the neighbor, and even the main story regarding the apartment. I would have liked to have had some closure on these stories.

I laughed a number of times during this movie, but they lost me after a while, and on top of that, what ever happened to the ghosts? Why were they given the apartment? It would have been better, and would have made more sense, if there had been ghosts. Without them, the whole premise of them getting the apartment for free was lost.

Watch this movie only if you want to see Sofia Loren at the height of her beauty and you would be happy watching her in front of a brick wall for 1 hour and 32 minutes.