September 1943: in the general confusion a thief dressed as a priest and a sergeant exchange clothes and roles.
Acting
Totò's rubber-faced timing vs De Sica's aristocratic flop sweat.
Direction
Corbucci crafts farce without mocking the occupation's real danger.
Director
Sergio Corbucci
Totò
Antonio Capurro
Vittorio De Sica
Maresciallo Vittorio Cotone
Gianni Agus
Podestà Achille Pennica
Arturo Bragaglia
Don Nicola
Franco Giacobini
Basilio Meneghetti, il ladro di galline
Roland Bartrop
tenente Kessler
Olimpia Cavalli
Immacolata Di Rosa
Mario Laurentino
medico
Mimmo Poli
Postino
Mario De Simone
derubato alla stazione
Mario Castellani
ladro
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Corbucci shot this between his first spaghetti westerns; the comic timing trained him for Django's explosive setpieces.
Totò's Antonio is a classic 'scugnizzo' archetype—street-smart Neapolitan trickster who outwits power through chaos, not virtue.
IT
