Il ratto delle sabine

An unruly and hungry theater company arrives in a small village of southern Italy ending up staging the Historical drama of a local school teacher with catastrophic results. Based on a play it's a Little gem among Totò early works often overlooked cause It was produced at the end of Ww2 in a not really serene period in Italy, with very modest means and without too much care for the details. But the movie works much more than other Toto's early flicks and the plot is less banal that one might think even predating Fellini's LIGHTS OF VARIETY and the neorealistic style (likes other Bonnard's movies of the era: Avanti c'è posto and Campo de' fiori). Among the supporting cast Campanini as the teacher proves to be very credible offering Totò several assists (i.e. The recurring gags on the name of the protagonist of the play Tito Tazio, called Tutto Tazio, Tito Strazio...). Plus Clelia Matania as Rosina (the professor's silly maid) tears up a few laughs too.