The Two Colonels
| The Two Colonels | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Steno |
| Written by | Bruno Corbucci Giovanni Grimaldi |
| Produced by | Gianni Buffardi |
| Starring | Totò Walter Pidgeon |
| Cinematography | Gino Santoni |
| Edited by | Giuliana Attenni |
| Music by | Gianni Ferrio |
| Distributed by | Titanus |
Release date |
|
Running time | 96 min |
| Country | Italy |
| Languages | Italian English |
The Two Colonels (Italian: I due colonnelli) is a 1963 Italian comedy film directed by Steno and starring Totò and Walter Pidgeon.[1][2] The character of Totò took inspiration from a similar character he played in Totò Diabolicus.[3]
Plot
[edit]The story is of Italian and British troops facing off on the Greek-Albanian border in 1943. Both sides take, lose, and retake a border village countless times during the entire movie. The village is taken and retaken by both sides so many times that the locals do not even pay attention to the battles any more and openly collaborate with whichever side is occupying the village at that time. Both sides use the same hotel as their HQ and a friendship and mutual respect even develops between the two opposing commanding officers. This goes on until the Germans arrive and order the Italian commander Di Maggio to destroy the village killing its inhabitants, an order the Italian commander refuses to carry out bringing on a death sentence. His men refuse the German officer's order to fire and are also condemned to death. The British recapture the village just in time to save the Italians, all rejoice at the news that Italy has just asked for an armistice.
Cast
[edit]- Totò: Colonel Antonio Di Maggio Regio Esercito
- Walter Pidgeon: Colonel Timothy Henderson Royal Fusiliers
- Nino Taranto: Sgt. Quaglia
- Giorgio Bixio: Soldier Giobatta Parodi
- Toni Ucci: Mazzetta
- Nino Terzo: Soldier La Padula
- Scilla Gabel: Iride
- Gérard Herter: German General von Tirpitz
- Rowland Bartrop (as Roland von Bartrop): Major Kruger
- Andrea Scotti : Iride's husband
References
[edit]External links
[edit]
 | This article related to an Italian comedy film of the 1960s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1963 films
- Films directed by Stefano Vanzina
- Italian comedy films
- Italian World War II films
- Films set in Axis-occupied Greece
- Films set in Albania
- Films shot in Lazio
- 1963 comedy films
- Films with screenplays by Giovanni Grimaldi
- Films scored by Gianni Ferrio
- 1960s English-language films
- English-language Italian films
- 1960s Italian-language films
- 1960s multilingual films
- Italian multilingual films
- Macaroni Combat films
- 1960s Italian films
- 1960s Italian comedy film stubs