Anni Facili
Sog.: Vitaliano Brancati; Scen.: Sergio Amidei, Vitaliano Brancati, Luigi Zampa, Vincenzo Talarico; F.: (1,33:1) Aldo Tonti; Mo.: Eraldo Da Roma; Scgf.: Piero Gherardi; Co.: Marilù Carteny; Op.: Franco Villa; Mu.: Nino Rota, dirette da Fernando Previtali; Ar.: Nanni Loy, Leopoldo Savona; Int.: Nino Taranto (Prof. De Francesco), Gino Buzzanca (Barone Ferdinando La Prua), Alda Mangini (Fedora Larina), Clelia Matania (Rosina De Francesco), Giovanna Ralli (Teresa), Gastone [Gabriele] Tinti (Pietro Loffredo), Armenia Balducci (Baronessina La Prua), Mara Berni (Maria Vercesi), Domenico Modugno (il giudice), Checco Durante (usciere), Riccardo Billi (Giovanni Pellecchia), Mario Riva (Mario Paolella); Prod.: Carlo Ponti e Dino De Laurentiis per Ponti-De Laurentiis Cinematografica; v.c. n. 15009 del 20/10/1953; Pri. pro.: 12 novembre 1953
35mm. L.: 2970 m. D.: 108′. Bn.
Film Notes
The role of a lifetime for Nino Taranto, a modest Sicilian professor who moves to Rome, gets lost in the maze of Roman ministries and gives in to corruption. One of Zampa’s greatest films and yet a work that has seen little distribution, Anni facili basically came out intact from one of the bitterest censorship battles of the post-war era. Three revisions of the script were needed before getting the green light for production. It was judged a “deliberately scandalous and savagely self-destructive” film, and the censor certificate took forever to be issued. The official reason: satire of a corrupt state bureaucracy. The hidden reason: the satire of neo-fascists, which triggered the lawsuit of Marshal Graziani. This time Andreotti did not subdue the liberties taken by government officials: but on October 22nd, 1953 the film was released and “l’Unità” exclaimed: “A victory for anti-fascism and for Italian film.” It was true, and for once critics smiled on Zampa. “The story of Anni facili demonstrates once again how a merely civic – forget revolutionary – impetus is weak in Italy and how ingrained instead is the idea that certain parts, situations and people of our society are sacred and untouchable,” wrote Moravia in “L’Europeo”.