Bizarre comedy fun from Italy with Senta Berger and Mario Adorf in unusual supporting roles
This film by director Salvatore Samperi takes some getting used to and was shot in the Po Delta and in the beautiful coastal town of Caorle. It's about (supposedly) typically Italian characters who live in a (supposedly) typically Italian small town.
The lovable good-for-nothing Bissa (Lino Toffolo (1934-2016), who is also known as Put from the Stone Age satire "When Women Still Had Tails") can't quite live on his meager war pension, but he can't die either. So he and his friend Lino (Rodolfo Baldini) fish for fat eels in the lagoon, which is strictly forbidden for nature conservation reasons. The meticulous community representative Mora (Mario Adorf), with whom the clever Bissa has a real small war in the waters of the lagoon, watches over this. Otherwise, Bissa doesn't have much to do - unless he's helping the man-obsessed Countess (Senta Berger) in order to satisfy her excessive sexual needs that have been unused since she was widowed. The enterprising and extremely open-minded noblewoman does not shy away from taboos when choosing the location of her regular meetings.
One day something unexpected happens: a former war comrade (Gabriele Ferzetti) shows up and asks Bissa for help. His wayward daughter (Ottavia Piccolo) is a drug addict and desperately needs detoxification, which can best be accomplished in the remote fishing hut. Out of gratitude due to many war experiences, Bissa and Lino agree to it. But something is wrong with the drug addict Tina. She presents the story and her father's actions in a completely different way. The confusion is great, and the viewer is also cleverly misled...
This unusual film is able to entertain right up to the surprising end. It thrives on the Italian flair and the playful actors. Senta Berger and Mario Adorf (EUROPEAN FILM AWARD nominee for ROSSINI (1997)) are in great form and deliver small masterpieces of their great art. A year later, the year of Mario Adorf would come, when he played his way almost berserkically into the front row of the ItaloCinema in Fernando Di Leo's Poliziottesci. And Senta Berger was always great in her Italian films anyway. Her daring use of the chainsaw in "The Man Without Memory / Puzzle" (1974) will never be forgotten. Daniele Dublino also plays a supporting role as a priest.
Certainly not an ItaloCinema classic, but original and surprising!
