The Return of Don Camillo

Don Camillo is exiled to a mountain village because of his quarrels. Peppone remains mayor in the town, but a congregation without a priest and a river threatening to flood bring him back. The two are in the same square again. The film is not interested in political debate. It is interested in how much these two men need each other: Peppone wants the priest back for the sake of the fight he keeps up, and without Peppone, Don Camillo has no function in the village. The form is again episodic and comic; the source is Giovannino Guareschi's stories and the scenes proceed as short tales. This is the sequel to The Little World of Don Camillo from 1952, directed again by Julien Duvivier. Fernandel and Gino Cervi returned to their roles; the pairing's success carried the series to six films and Fernandel became identified with the character. Who it is for: viewers who like fifties Italian popular comedy and double acts. Who it is not for: anyone expecting something new. The film repeats the structure of the first almost exactly and again softens the politics.