Fantômes à l'italienne

Newlyweds Sophia Loren and Vittorio Gassman are struggling to make ends meet after he loses his job. When offered a 17th century mansion rent free, the husband quickly accepts. The catch is that it's supposedly haunted. They move in and soon the husband starts noticing a lot of strange things going on, such as money mysteriously appearing. He chalks this up to ghosts. In reality, it's his wife's wealthy admirer, who is providing for her without the husband's knowledge in hopes she will sleep with him. Later a hooker moves in and the wife believes the husband has become a pimp. It gets even stupider after that.

What a mess. It aspires to be a screwball comedy but this is pretty unfunny stuff. The leads try hard, and Sophia's certainly always nice to look at, but it's just a misfire from start to finish. Avoid unless you're a huge Sophia Loren fan.

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.

I recently saw this film on Turner Classic Movies. I was surprised to see that even though 37 years have passed, the film still is humorous. I have to admit, the idea is quite far fetched, but Sophia Loren and Vittorio Gassman do a fine job as the happy, (unhappy) couple. One comment stated that this is an "unfunny" comedy. This is the type of film where one must separate themselves from reality. Remember that this is a movie: made with the sole purpose of entertaining the viewer. Ponti, (Sophia's husband) made some excellent, but sadly forgotten little gems, that hopefully will be brought to wider attention in years to follow. This is a good film to see as a double feature, with (1972) "Lady Liberty", a sort of forgotten Sophia Loren film. I am surprised that MGM/UA has not released this film in a letter-boxed format on DVD. Watch for a quick cameo by Marcello Mastroanni.

Pasquale Lojacono (Vittorio Gassman) and his wife Maria (Sophia Loren) are working poor. Pasquale spots a mansion for rent with "unusual advantages". It comes rent free... but with ghosts. Maria does have an obsessed admirer in Alfredo Mariano (Mario Adorf) who Pasquale mistakes for a ghost.

This is a bit of a cash grab with Sophia Loren's rising stardom. It's a screwball comedy with a fun oddball premise. I like the premise. It doesn't get much funnier as the story keeps going. It's mildly funny. The dubbing probably takes some of the humor out of this. It screws up the tone and the comedic timing.

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!