Don Camillo's Last Round

In a small Italian town the priest Don Camillo and the communist mayor Peppone are again at each other. This time the matter is larger: something happens in the town and the quarrel draws the attention of the bishopric. Don Camillo is moved away. Peppone, who ought to be glad his rival is gone, does the opposite. Carmine Gallone directs. Fernandel plays Don Camillo and Gino Cervi plays Peppone. The source is Giovannino Guareschi's stories. It is the third part of the series. Julien Duvivier directed the first two, and the films continued as a French and Italian coproduction. The idea of the series is postwar Italy split in two: the church and the communist party in the same town, with influence over the same people and in need of each other. The narrative criticises both equally and is fond of both equally. The scenes in which Don Camillo talks to Christ in the church are the signature of the series; answers come and the priest is usually found in the wrong. Fernandel is a French actor playing an Italian speaking priest; dubbing was used and the detail was always argued over. The narrative proceeds in episodes and it shows that it was assembled from stories. Who it is for: viewers who like classic Italian comedy and postwar European cinema. Who it is not for: the structure is loose, some jokes do not land without the political background, and the characters are unfamiliar to anyone who does not know the series.