The Treasure of San Gennaro

Petty thieves in Naples make a plan: they will steal the treasure kept in the cathedral. It belongs to the city's patron saint and is sacred in the eyes of the people. An American professional joins the job. The real problem is this: no Neapolitan thief wants to do it, because they are afraid of touching the saint. The subject is not the robbery but belief holding even among thieves. The crew negotiates constantly while planning: who does which part, who goes inside, who will look at the statue. The comedy comes from that hesitation. The form belongs to the Italian heist comedy tradition. Crowded scenes, dialect, fast dialogue. It was shot in the streets of Naples and the city is part of the narrative; the popular devotion to the treasure is real. The production follows the successful heist comedies of the period and became one of the genre's biggest earners. Dino Risi directs. Nino Manfredi plays the thief, Senta Berger the American partner, with Mario Adorf and Claudine Auger completing the cast. Who it is for: viewers who like Italian farce and heist comedy. Who it is not for: anyone expecting suspense; the robbery is deliberately inept and unthreatening.