486. THE GENIUS OF COMEDY ON FILM: BIG DEAL ON MADONNA STREET

Peter Josyph

Mario Municelli’s award-winning BIG DEAL ON MADONNA STREET is a sharply observed tale of a well-planned, small-time heist of a pawnshop in Rome carried out by a band of misfits who are rank amateurs in the field of burglary. Their plan to dig a tunnel for breaking into the shop is far from foolproof, and the fact that no one in his group has any experience digging tunnels proves to be the least of their worries. Nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film, and widely regarded as one of the masterworks of Italian cinema, this film stars Vittorio Gassman and Toto. In addition, it is credited with launching the careers of Marcello Mastroianni and Claudia Cardinale. A lively discussion will follow the screening of this comical and quirky film which is a great one for closing out the summer season.

NOTE: BIG DEAL ON MADONNA STREET IS IN ITALIAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES.

1:00 – 3:30 p.m.                                                                                                                               1 Session

Thursday, August 28                                                                                                                        Fee:   $50

ABOUT THE LECTURER

Peter Josyph works concurrently as a writer, painter, actor, photographer, and filmmaker. He has published 12 books, including five on Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Cormac McCarthy, and a series of fictions about Henri Matisse; his paintings have exhibited around the world, and his films include: Shakespeare in New York; A Few Things Basquiat Did in School; Hell; Bardtalk; No Standing in St. Petersburg; Acting McCarthy: The Making of Billy Bob Thornton’s All the Pretty Horses; and the award-winning Liberty Street: Alive at Ground Zero.