Miss Wolf and the Lamb

I saw this the other night at the Festiva del Cinema on the Tiber Island in Rome, a fabulous and evocative venue. There was a large audience there in expectation of seeing Carlo Verdone's latest film; this was added at the last minute, unannounced. The audience adored it, asked for a repeat, but there wasn't enough time. This is a funny, tender, and highly imaginative short with some Fellinian overtones, involving a bashful young priest driving an archbishop from the airport to the Vatican. Along the way he has a flat tire which he is unable to handle, and a street-walker comes to his aid and sets things right. He drives off in a daze thinking about her. Roberto Leoni is an unsung giant among storytellers, he has written something like 80 screenplays. It is through him and the few like him that Italian cinema is still breathing. The grumpy old archbishop of excellent in a minor part,the leading lady is sensuously stunning and delivers a wonderfully wicked characterization as the streetwalker. The feckless young priest couldn't be better cast. 15 delightful minutes.