Tempo massimo

Vittorio de Sica is a poet, living a quiet life, henpecked by his aunt Amelia Chellini and his manservant Camillo Pilotto. He lives a quiet life, writing poetry. Then one day, Milly literally falls into his life in a parachute. He is entranced. Soon she is followed by her noisy friends, including Prince Nerio Bernardi, who wants to marry her, because he's broke, has debts, and she has money. Milly, however, is attracted to the shy, quiet, bearded de Sica, and when she is gone, he tries to make a man of himself and follows her, with Sra. Chelini's disapproval and the despairing aid of Pilotti. Bernardi, however, seeing a rival, fights unfairly.

It's a pleasant comedy, and director Mario Mattoli's first film, a standard effort carried on de Sica's modest performance and Milly's vivacity. There's also a role for Anna Magnani as Milly's maid in a key subplot, which has de Sica awkwardly competing in a bicycle race. Mostly, though, it's a pleasure seeing de Sica before he was a great director or movie star, just a good-looking leading man taking whatever role came his way and acquitting himself very well.

This film is the story of young man, coddled by his butler and rich, but overbearing mother, who finally wakes up to life and love when a beautiful young lady falls (literally) into his life. The film, set in Milan Italy features light hearted action, a rather funny bicycle race and a keystone cops style car chase near the end through downtown Milan. It is a love story in the style of Topper and Topper Returns. The film is Italian language and has recently been transferred from nitrate stock on a Rank Cintel wet gate telecine system. The quality of the print is near mint. This is another victory of film preservation from the dust of time.

"Tempo Massimo" was the first film by director Mario Mattoli. It is a romantic comedy about a forlorn young professor Giacomo (Vittorio De Sica) who lives with his tyrannical Aunt Agata. His affections are aroused by a woman who literally falls from the sky one day...in the form of Dora (Milly), who parachutes down to the edges of Lake Como. She captures the Professor's heart. But she is engaged to marry a gentleman named Bob...amusingly pronounced "Bawb."

It's hard to keep up with all the frenetic goings-on. Blink, Giacomo develops a passion for sports in order to get closer to Dora. Blink, there is a bicycle race. Blink, the professor is in jail. Blink, and he is hijacking a cab, then a Germans' tour bus in the streets of Milan to snatch Dora away from her groom-to-be. It is a finale that Mike Nichols would later give us in "The Graduate" with Dustin Hoffman snatching Katharine Ross at the last crucial moment in church.

Some of the songs Mr. De Sica croons are very pleasing. The movie has a very frivolous yet very ingratiating air. A young Anna Magnani has a tiny role as a maid. Director Mattoli would later incorporate some of this material into his 1948 Totò film "Totò al giro del mondo."

The movie opened in New York in 1936 at the World Theatre on West 49th Street. It was also shown in the 1978 series of films from the Fascist era, "Before Neo-realism," at the Museum of Modern Art.