Ratataplan

Last updated
Ratataplan
Ratataplan.jpg
Directed by Maurizio Nichetti
Written byMaurizio Nichetti
Produced by Franco Cristaldi
Nicola Carraro
StarringMaurizio Nichetti
CinematographyMario Battistoni
Music by Detto Mariano
Release date
  • 1979 (1979)
CountryItaly
LanguageItalian

Ratataplan is a 1979 Italian comedy film directed, written and starring Maurizio Nichetti. The film, despite its low budget, obtained a great commercial success and launched the career of Nichetti. [1]

Contents

The film earned Nichetti a Silver Ribbon for Best New Director. [2]

Plot

Life does not offer much satisfaction to the recent graduate engineer Colombo: in a job interview in which candidates are asked to draw a tree, he is the only one not hired by the company since his drawing, instead of being monochromatic and schematic as the executives would like, is colorful and lush. Colombo lives in a battered but lively palace with a railing; he has four neighbors: a woman who is perpetually pregnant, the members of the theater cooperative "Quelli di Grock", a girl always intent on carrying heaps of rags, and a ramshackle dance school attended by a student he is in love with, but she won't even look at him.

He is, in his own way, a genius of electronics and automation (he has built a contraption that prepares his breakfast and brings it to him in bed, and which hands him his clothes for the day), however his job is that of a waiter at a remote drinks kiosk at the top of Montagnetta di San Siro. The owner is a fat and alcoholic hag who is the only customer of herself and spends her days being served beers by Colombo. The routine is interrupted when the wheelchair bound manager of an international summit has a heart attack: one of those present at the summit calls a nearby bar to bring a glass of water, but by mistake dials the number of the kiosk.

Colombo finds himself having to run across Milan carrying the glass of water on a tray, which during the journey suffers a sequence of ridiculous accidents: it is first poured into the helmet of a traffic cop, then some painters accidentally dip the brushes in it, it is soiled by the unloading of a truck, pigeons eat birdseed in it and finally an insect falls into it. Once at its destination, the concoction is still drunken by the now cyanotic boss, who not only recovers, but miraculously gets up from his wheelchair laughing and hopping. It would therefore seem that Colombo's life is at a turning point: at the kiosk a long line of paralytics is queuing to drink the miraculous concoction, which Colombo prepares by skilfully reproducing on the spot all the previous misadventures. But then the boss buys the entire kiosk with millions to turn it into a sanctuary.

The hag, who now advertises herself as a saint, is enthusiastic about the project while Colombo is suddenly unemployed. The engineer, to make ends meet, improvises himself as a violinist for the deranged theatrical cooperative which is based in his condominium. His life, however, does not improve much: the impresario, strict and grim, comes to the courtyard to gather the actors and leave for a show but, not seeing them arrive, goes up to the messy apartment where they sleep and wakes them up with a trumpet; they rush to wash up the dishes, throwing them from one part of the kitchen to the other in a sort of hilarious assembly line, and are finally loaded badly into the van.

Colombo, who finds himself sleeping in the condominium garbage can, is also awakened abruptly. After grotesque incidents along the way, the company arrives in the courtyard of a rural town scattered in the fog, where it sets up a pathetic show (the improbable Magic Show) in the midst of chickens, geese and cows. In the meantime, the impresario does nothing but devour everything that comes his way, even the flowers that the local children give him. The spectators, at first only perplexed by the insipid staging, then take up shovels and pitchforks and force the actors to a long and ruinous escape on foot.

Back home exhausted, Colombo is again snubbed by the dancer he is in love with, who instead rushes to help a neighbor. He then decides to take action but, too shy to woo the girl himself, builds a remote controlled automaton made in his own image. The animatronic is sent to the balcony, and Colombo finally manages to attract the attention of the dancer. The two go to the disco; Colombo, who remains at home to pilot the automaton, follows the evening on a screen and all seems to go well until the control system explodes: the automaton is jammed and continually orders the waiter two drinks, sitting next to the now completely drunk girl.

Alerted by the explosion, the girl who constantly collects rags rushes to Colombo's house. She expresses her liking for his cheerful and extravagant home, and then invites him to follow her into a warehouse full of colorful rags. There the two take turns dressing up and rolling around, having finally found happiness in a completely unexpected way.

Cast

See also

Related Research Articles

In slang, a Mickey Finn is a drink laced with an incapacitating agent, particularly chloral hydrate, given to someone without their knowledge with the intent to incapacitate them or "knock them out"; hence the colloquial name knockout drops. Serving someone a "Mickey" is most commonly referred to as "slipping someone a mickey".

<i>The Icicle Thief</i> 1989 Italian film

The Icicle Thief is a 1989 Italian comedy film directed by Maurizio Nichetti, titled in imitation of Vittorio De Sica's 1948 classic Italian neorealist film The Bicycle Thief. Some feel The Icicle Thief was created as a spoof of neorealism, which predominated Italian cinema after World War II. However, it is generally understood that the film is critical of the impact of consumerism on art, as suggested by the contrast between the nested film and commercials, and the apathy of Italian television viewers in recognising the difference between the two. The film won the Golden St. George at the 16th Moscow International Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwight McCarthy</span> Fictional Character, Sin City Universe

Dwight McCarthy is one of the principal characters in Frank Miller's Sin City universe. He appears in A Dame to Kill For, The Big Fat Kill, Family Values, The Babe Wore Red and That Yellow Bastard. He is the character that appears the most in all the Sin City yarns. He was portrayed by Clive Owen in the 2005 film, and by Josh Brolin in the 2014 prequel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colombo crime family</span> One of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, US

The Colombo crime family is an Italian American Mafia crime family and is the youngest of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City within the criminal organization known as the American Mafia. It was during Lucky Luciano's organization of the American Mafia after the Castellammarese War, following the assassinations of "Joe the Boss" Masseria and Salvatore Maranzano, that the gang run by Joseph Profaci became recognized as the Profaci crime family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurricane (cocktail)</span> Cocktail based on rum

The hurricane cocktail is a sweet alcoholic drink made with rum, lemon juice, and either passion fruit syrup or fassionola. It is one of many popular drinks served in New Orleans. It is traditionally served in the tall, curvy eponymous hurricane glass. Disposable plastic cups are also used because New Orleans laws permit drinking in public and leaving a bar with a drink, but prohibit public drinking from glass containers.

<i>Slick Hare</i> 1947 film by Friz Freleng

Slick Hare is a 1947 Merrie Melodies cartoon, directed by Friz Freleng. The film was released on November 1, 1947, and features Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. It parodies the Mocambo nightclub in Los Angeles—in the cartoon referred to as "The Mocrumbo". Mel Blanc voices Bugs, Arthur Q. Bryan voices Elmer Fudd and impressionist Dave Barry portrays Humphrey Bogart. The title is a pun on "hair", from an era when hair slicked down by oil was a popular fashion style for men.

<i>Allegro Non Troppo</i> 1976 Italian film

Allegro non troppo is a 1976 Italian animated film directed by Bruno Bozzetto. Featuring six pieces of classical music, the film is a parody of Walt Disney's 1940 feature film, Fantasia, two of its segments being derived from the earlier film. The classical pieces are set to color animation, ranging from comedy to deep tragedy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domenico Barbaia</span> Italian opera impresario (1777–1841)

Domenico Barbaia was best known as an opera Italian impresario.

"The Capital of the World" is a short story by American writer Ernest Hemingway. The story takes place in Madrid and follows Paco, a young waiter apprentice, and his desire to become a matador.

<i>Gigot</i> (film) 1962 film by Gene Kelly

Gigot is a 1962 American comedy film directed by Gene Kelly and starring Jackie Gleason.

<i>Romeo and the Black Brothers</i> Japanese anime television series

Romeo and the Black Brothers is a Japanese anime series by Nippon Animation. Although "Romeo's Blue Skies" is the literal translation of the Japanese title, the official English name given by Nippon Animation is "Romeo and the Black Brothers". It is known in Arabic as "عهد الأصدقاء", in the Philippines as "Mga Munting Pangarap ni Romeo", and in Greece as "Τα Παιδιά των Καπνοδόχων"

<i>Like Father Like Son</i> (1987 film) 1987 film by Rod Daniel

Like Father Like Son is a 1987 American fantasy-comedy film starring Dudley Moore and Kirk Cameron.

<i>The Invention of Hugo Cabret</i> 2007 childrens novel by Brian Selznick

The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a children's historical fiction book written and illustrated by Brian Selznick. It was published by Scholastic. It takes place in France as a young boy finds his purpose. The hardcover edition was released on January 30, 2007, and the paperback edition was released on June 2, 2008. With 284 pictures between the book's 533 pages, the book depends as much on its pictures as it does on the words. Selznick himself has described the book as "not exactly a novel, not quite a picture book, not really a graphic novel, or a flip book or a movie, but a combination of all these things". The book won the 2008 Caldecott Medal, the first novel to do so, as the Caldecott Medal is for picture books, and was adapted by Martin Scorsese as the 2011 film Hugo.

He's in Again is a 1918 American silent comedy film starring Billy West and also featuring Oliver Hardy. It is one of the several films where West adopts Chaplin's tramp persona.

Vittorio "Little Vic" Orena is a New York City mobster who became the acting boss of the Colombo crime family. A challenge by Orena to boss Carmine Persico triggered one of the bloodiest Mafia wars of the late 20th century, and the last major mob war in New York City to date.

<i>The Fifth Cord</i> 1971 Italian film

The Fifth Cord is a 1971 Italian giallo film directed by Luigi Bazzoni. The film's Italian title reprises Dario Argento's practice of using animals in the titles of his thriller films. The film is based on a novel with the same name by D.M. Devine.

<i>Ex 2: Still Friends?</i> 2011 Italian film

Ex 2: Still Friends? is a 2011 Italian comedy film directed by Carlo Vanzina.

<i>The House of Magic</i> 2013 film by Ben Stassen

The House of Magic is a 2013 English-language Belgian-French 3D computer-animated fantasy-comedy film produced by Nadia Khamlichi, Adrian Politowski, Ben Stassen, Caroline Van Iseghem and Gilles Waterkeyn and directed by Stassen and Jeremy Degruson. The film focuses on an abandoned young cat who seeks shelter in the home of an old, retired magician with his robots and gizmos.

Sangkar is a 2019 Malaysian Malay-language action drama film. It depicts the rivalry and redemption between two local mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters, as they go from enemies to friends while fighting for glory and family. This film is the first Malaysian MMA film. It stars Zul Ariffin, Remy Ishak, and Mira Filzah. This was the reunion project of Ariffin and Ishak, nine years after Evolusi KL Drift 2 (2010).

Boobs in the Wood is a 1925 silent black and white short American film starring Harry Langdon directed by Harry Edwards and produced by Mack Sennett. It was Sennett's first film written by Arthur Ripley.

References

  1. AA.VV., "Ratataplan", La rivista del cinema, N. 76, p. 3, Museo Nazionale del Cinema, Torino, December 2009.
  2. Maurizio Nichetti; Massimo Causo; Carlo Chatrian. Maurizio Nichetti. Effata Editrice IT, 2005.