L'infirmière de nuit

The print I saw of this Italian sex comedy was dubbed into Spanish for some reason,which turned out to be a good way to watch it (I don't understand Italian very well and the English-dubbed versions of films like this are often downright annoying). The language doesn't matter much though since these kind of Italian comedies feature the most broad, slapstick humor imaginable--kind of like the Three Stooges with lots of gratuitous nudity.

Perennial Italian buffoons(stooges)Lino Banfi and Alvaro Vitali play, respectively, a philandering dentist and his dimwitted assistant. An elderly, apparently ailing long-lost "uncle" of Banfi's wife comes to stay at his flat, but little does anyone suspect he's actually a jewel thief in disguise out to steal a jewel hidden in the apartment. Banfi, however, sees this as an opportunity to hire the very sexy niece of one of his patients (played by the very sexy Gloria Guida) as an "enfermera del noche" (night nurse) for this supposedly sick old man, all so he can pull such hare-brained stunts as sneaking a space heater into her room to get her to take off her uniform. Guida's nurse gets involved in the diamond heist, but also falls for Banfi's handsome son (the very unattractive Banfi always somehow manages to have a handsome son). The son meanwhile is also being pursued by the sexy, hot-to-trot wife (Anna-Maria Clementi) of a boxer who lives next door. And future porn star Paola Senatore rounds out the cast as Banfi's luscious mistress (yeah, right).

Guida, Clemeti,and Senatore all strip off regularly (why would anyone watch this nonsense otherwise?). This film came late in Guida's 70's sex comedy career, and it's nice to see her play a somewhat more "adult" role--i.e. a nurse rather than a wayward schoolgirl, underage prostitute, or (ha, ha) innocent virgin. Even dubbed into Spanish, it's obvious here that Guida was improving as a comic actress. Unfortunately, this was also about the time she took up a second career as a disco singer, and she belts out a number here (there is no God!). But seriously, if I have to watch ANYONE sing disco I'd at least prefer it be Gloria Guida in one of her skin-tight disco body suits. Movies like this appeal to a VERY select audience (basically me when I'm REALLY drunk),but if you like them in general, this one's pretty par for for the course.

While Lino Banfi is given a "with the participation of" credit (the last one on the list) it is clear from the start he is playing the dominant part, while top billed Gloria Guida appears in the opening (under the credits), only to disappear for almost 20 minutes until all the other characters and plot lines are neatly set up, which includes some if not all of the following:

Banfi is dentist Nicola Pischella, once again married (on film) to Francesca Romana Coluzzi and cheating on her within the first five minutes with Paola Senatore. As always Alvaro Vitali (he of convenient face-slapping height) plays the assistant dentist, Peppino. Nothing new so far. Word comes by telegram (delivered by one scene wonder Jimmy Il Fenomeno) that rich uncle Alfredo (Mario Carotenuto) is coming over to visit and, what a surprise, change his last will and testament. But Alfredo is actually a thief in disguise, there to find a diamond hidden amongst the chandelier 20 years earlier. Pretending to be extremely ill, now all he needs is a nurse to care for him at night. So Lino hires the granddaughter of one of his clients, Angela (Gloria Guida) returning just in time to hit that 20 minute mark.

Meanwhile, Lino and Francesca Romana's son Carlo (Leo Colonna) is being stalked by a lonely boxer's wife (Annamaria Clementi) living downstairs, while falling for Angela at the local disco. The silly boy is kept in the dark about her night job, being too busy studying for his medical exams in the next room. Lino, that is to say Nicola, starts to lust after Angela himself (while wooing her for his son at a restaurant in a rock) as if having two women to please weren't enough.

Carlo and Angela enter a dance contest at "La Discoteca Io Valentino", and get Pepino Vitali to fill Guida's little nurse's outfit in her absence. Naturaly the same night Nicola tries to make his move and 'uncle Alfredo' makes a final grab for the diamond. This summary may sound like the same old cockamamie as usual, yet "L'Infermiera di Notte" somehow manages to outgrow the sum of it's parts. This is mainly thanks to the great ensemble cast of Italian regulars, including three beauties in various stages of undress (compared to the usual one). Even Guida's disco number 'La Musica è' (an instrumental version of which runs through the entire film as the main theme) worked for me. Must have been the mood I was in.

8 out of 10