AVANTI C’È POSTO…

Mario Bonnard

Sog., Scen.: Aldo Fabrizi, Federico Fellini, Piero Tellini, Cesare Zavattini. F.: Vincenzo Seratrice. M.: Maria Rosada. Scgf.: Gianni Sarazani. Mus.: Giulio Bonnard. Int.: Aldo Fabrizi (Cesare Montani), Adriana Benetti (Rosella), Andrea Checchi (Bruno Bellini), Carlo Micheluzzi (Angelo Pandolin), Jone Morino (signora svanita), Pina Gallini (padrona di Rosella), Gioconda Stari (Teresa), Cesira Vianello (Cecilia Pandolin), Arturo Bragaglia (Tullio), Virgilio Riento (controllore). Prod: Giuseppe Amato per Cines. 35mm. Bn.

info_outline
T. it.: Italian title. T. int.: International title. T. alt.: Alternative title. Sog.: Story. Scen.: Screenplay. F.: Cinematography. M.: Editing. Scgf.: Set Design. Mus.: Music. Int.: Cast. Prod.: Production Company. L.: Length. D.: Running Time. f/s: Frames per second. Bn.: Black e White. Col.: Color. Da: Print source

Film Notes

In the 1930s, Aldo Fabrizi was a theatre celebrity in Rome known for his monologues about the complications of everyday life (his filler line was: “Have you noticed?”). In the middle of the war, producer Peppino Amato gave him his cinema debut, in a film directed by veteran Mario Bonnard. However, Fabrizi not only acted in the movie but was also its creator. He called on other screenwriters to collaborate on the script, including a very young Federico Fellini. The film’s story revolves around one of Fabrizi’s most successful stage characters, the tram driver, and his chance encounter with a young woman in need (Adriana Benetti). The film is imbued with a certain sentimental tone and is set against the backdrop of the war. In contrast to other productions of the time, Avanti c’è posto… makes notable use of the local vernacular and real locations; the pace is quick and farcical, a hallmark of Fabrizi’s future movies. It was a success, and immediately afterwards Fabrizi starred as a fishmonger in Campo de’ Fiori and as a driver in L’ultima carrozzella (The Last Wagon). In the first of these Fabrizi and Anna Magnani performed as a couple, two years before meeting up again in Rossellini’s Rome, Open City, with Fellini tagging along as Fabrizi’s trusted screenwriter. Later on, Rossellini identified Fabrizi’s working-class comedies such as Avanti c’è posto… and Campo de’ Fiori as precursors of neo-realist cinema.

Emiliano Morreale

Copy From

Courtesy of Ripley's Film
Print struck in 2018 from a dupe negative