The Good Thief

Caleb, nobody's son, makes his living in Galilee in the time of Jesus by stealing and swindling, passing himself off as a magician. When he sees the man turning water into wine, the first thing that occurs to him is competition. From then on Caleb keeps trying to work out how the trick is done, certain that the other man is a fraud like himself. Directed by Pasquale Festa Campanile, this Italian comedy uses the religious story from an angle that has nothing to do with reverence. Along the way Caleb steals goats, cons people, and gets into trouble with women and with Roman soldiers. Enrico Montesano's street wit carries the film; Edwige Fenech and Bernadette Lafont are also in the cast. The good thief of the title refers to the man crucified beside Jesus in the gospels.