Cinema Italia: The Incredible Army of Brancaleone (Mario Monicelli, 1966)

Sunday September 29, 2024, The Incredible Army of Brancaleone (1966) * Directed by Mario Monicelli * 120 min * In Italian with English subtitles * doors open at 20:00, film starts at 20:30. After the film, please engage in sharing comments, ideas, and inspiration with the host(s) of the evening!

How can a group of underdogs, rejected from society, start an epic journey to rescue Jerusalem with an improbable crusade? Set in the Middle Age, spoken in a Italian mixed with vulgar Latin expressions, The Incredible Army of Brancaleone is a parody of knights’ quests in the Middle Age, putting as protagonists common people instead of nobility. The result is a series of sketches where paradox rules with comic effects. With an incredible cast of Italian actors who became famous in their career after this film – in particular Vittorio Gassman, Catherine Spaak, Gian Maria Volonté, and Enrico Maria Salerno – Monicelli succeeded in portraying the grotesque side of the Italian people in such an iconic way that his message becomes universal.

Film night at Joe’s Garage, cozy cinema! Free entrance. You want to screen a movie, let us know: joe [at] lists [dot] squat [dot] net