Peppone & Don Camillo

[the commissar]

BBC Radio 4 have serialised these stories -they are very amusing.

[pierrebi]

I saw many of their films some years ago when they aired in the spanish public TV and loved them!

Did they aired them after or during Franco Regime?

I really liked "Don Camillo" books and I watched lot of movies on Italian Tv. Would nice to have them in miniature.

[pierrebi]

I can imagine Italy in the late forties was a very interesting place to live!

well the political class was of very high level, they all have fought fascism in Italy or in Exile and all they Italian people was fighting for a new era and the country was very poor. We have to Thanks Usa to send us money to rebult our contry.

Now we are the 7th power in the world but we have a very low level politician. Fascist, former-fascist and neo-fascist are back to power and racism against people from poor contries (like we were 50 years ago) in very high, in palament and in the street

[Hammers]

I don't know if you ever saw their movies.
They were the major (communist) and priest (catholic, always with a Moschetto 91 on the top of the belltower) of a small village in the Po valley in North Italy, just after the end af WW2.
They were antagonists, always in a struggle (also fisical!) to prevail over the other one, with lots of funny situations, but their final goal was always to improve their people and country.
In that period, Italy was very close to a civil war. There were lots of weapons hidden, and several deads.
Their movies capture very well the feeling of those years.



Well, do you think that they could be and interesting couple of pulp miniatures?
I do!

Marco

I loved the books.

[njetkulturny]

I remember the last film with the concealed Tank in the haystack.

"what this for?" and off with the church weathervane.

Ah, yes. Youth, what a bliss. Good films on TV when you were awake 

[Remgain]

@njetkulturny

Yes! While they were trying to hide the tank in a stream, they accidentally hit the dove of the peace!
And, of course, that was "a dirty move of the anti democratic reaction!" 

[Bako]

but of course everyone here "knows" that all socialists and communists are evil and eat puppies for breakfast. 

Then I'll have to keep my trap shut if I tread foot over there.

Interesting topic. I've not heard of these two!

[Vanvlak]

The rivalry between the two was in many ways undermined by their friendship, which had started during the war, and which ended up in a great respect for each other and even concern. They saved each others bacon a countless number of times. And they both had the needs of the people of the village - then very poor and still recovering from the war - at heart.
Other memorable scenes:
The Soviet tractor which Peppone managed to get hold of as a gift from the USSR - it wouldn't work. Being a mechanic by profession Peppone (actually Giuseppe Bottazzi) worked day and night over it in vain. Reluctantly he got Don Camillo t give it a blessing - and it worked!
The flashback to the war - Peppone had never given the maturita' exams, and had to sit for them because of his role as mayor. And in spite of their differences it was Don Camillo who coached him. He had to write an essay for his exam, and he wrote how he had met Don Camillo in the war. The Communist partisans had captured a wounded German who wanted to see a priest - he had information which could save many, but would only tell it in confession to a priest. Peppone volunteered to get one, crossed a river under machine gun fire and made his way to a village. The priest was of course Don Camillo, who goes back with him and does the job. The funny part is that the voice over (narrating what Peppone is writing for his essay) says that the partisan (Peppone) had to force the priest at gunpoint to make him go, and that the latter collapsed in fear at the river; whilst the film shows a younger Don Camillo rushing on and crossing the river under fire without blinking an eye and encouraging Peppone on!

Then there was Don Camillo's return to the village in the second film. Peppone had organised a boxing match between the local champion and some heavyweight in the Casa del Popolo, timed to coincide with Don Camillo's return to prevent any welcoming committees. The whole village turned up for the match, only to see the local hero thrashed. Peppone climbs in the ring - the honour of the village is at stake! - but doesn't fare to well. Don Camillo arrives in time to see him getting knocked out; climbs in the ring, and in a few seconds the champion is flat on the ring and Don Camillo triumphant.
Should be pointed out that Peppone's schemings had convinced the archbishop to exile Don Camillo to another village in the first film; and that it was again Peppone who managed to get him back again!

There were also some poignant moments - in the USSR on a cultural exchange (with the Don disguised as a Communist!) one of Peppone's faithful (Smilzo, I think, a tough character) goes to find his brother's tomb to bring back some soil from it for his ailing mother - his brother had been one of the many Italians who had died on the Russian front in the war. On finding the place, marked by a distinctive tree near a river, they found no grave, just an immense cornfield. And Smilzo is disconsolate, and cannot understand why they had to plant corn there when Russia was so big. And Don Camillo, who had gone along to say a prayer over the tomb, cuts a sheave of corn and gives it to him to take home.

[Aaron]

Aaron,

did you see any movies?

The idea for the movies came from the novels, and I'm sure they were translated in English as well.
And the choice of the actors was GREAT!

No, I have never had the pleasure. I did find out that I can get two of the movies (Don Camillo and the return of Don Camillo) and a few of the translated booksfrom my library. It is not clear whether or not the DVDs are subtitled, but I am going to give it a shot anyway!

[Aaron]

I watched the first movie last weekend and will see the second tomorrow probably. What a fantastic film! without getting too political, some governments today could take a lesson from them. My library seems to have all of the books and I plan to start on them this weekend. Many thanks Remgain and others for enlightening me. 

[Poliorketes]

Would be cool.

Brigade Games' ww2 pulp horror range has some vampirehunting French priests that look a bit like Don Camillo.

The one with the crossbow? Great idea! I have the mini and now it has a name. For Peppone look at anglian anarchistas.

[white knight]

Brigade Games' ww2 pulp horror range has some vampirehunting French priests that look a bit like Don Camillo.

The one with the crossbow? Great idea! I have the mini and now it has a name.

Yep. When I painted it up, I noticed the resemblance.