Carlo Vanzina
South Kensington

"South Kensington" presents itself as a comedy where the boundaries between an Italian comedy and an international one are all too visibly clear: everything is in the character of the various personalities (ours are always noisy, provincial but sometimes also kind-hearted). But let's start with the story: a Neapolitan, Antonio Pinardi (alias Gianpaolo Morelli), son of the owners of a small guesthouse in Positano, goes to London to study English as a guest of Nicolas Brett (alias Rupert Everett), a disgraced lord renting out the rooms of his house to avoid a possible eviction due to numerous debts inherited from his father. Antonio meets another Italian, a banker, named Francesco (alias Enrico Brignano), from Rome. While living his life in London (losing his wallet on the bus and causing several disasters), Antonio meets a woman he will later marry after a series of "adventurous" events "Lady Disaster" (that is Camilla Fox, played by Elle MacPherson) (both wasters of their parents' money), whose meeting happens in an unusual way during a VIP party, where Camilla turns to the first person she sees (Antonio Pinardi, precisely) and kisses him on the mouth to free herself from an annoying man. Love in London will also find the banker Francesco in an "unexpected" way, who, despite being very faithful to his girlfriend in Rome, meets Susanna (alias Judith Godréche, the French actress from "The Man in the Iron Mask" - with Jean-Claude Brialy, the snobbish Italian butler of the Brett household), a friend of Nicolas, after discovering the betrayal of his Roman girlfriend. 

Among the many actors present: Nike Ravelli (Ilaria), the daughter Nicolas had with Beatrice; Max Pisu (the comedian from Zelig) with Eleonora Benfatto, both children of Cavalier Carioni (the great Roby Carletta), owner of a big shoe company who has sent his son to idle and enjoy himself in London (rather than to work!).

This work by Carlo Vanzina, dated 2001, is not something exceptional, but overall it is not a poorly made comedy. Once in a while, it can be seen. I appreciated it at a time when I was beginning to deeply love England, and everything that sounded English attracted me. Already this film by name could not fail to interest me at the time it was released, followed sometime later by Gurinder Chadha's comedy, "Bend It Like Beckham".

Surely, a good review was not expected. This was a test for another section of Debaser. Obviously, I will do my best to ensure that other reviews are better. But this comedy, average or mediocre as it may be, has stayed in my heart: both for Nicolas Brett and for the (external) beauty of the character of Lady Disaster ("Come on, Mr. Pinardi...what are you waiting for to kiss me") (a slightly erotically exciting pronunciation: "...to kiss me..."). How beautiful Elle MacPherson...Lady Disaster.

Almost forgot: South Kensington is the neighborhood inhabited by Italians.