Francesco Nuti
Tutta colpa del paradiso

THE REVIEW

Scripted by Francesco Nuti, Vincenzo Cerami, and Giovanni Veronesi, it's one of the Tuscan director's most successful sentimental-romantic comedies (1985). Directed and acted by himself, alongside a very fresh Ornella Muti, the story unfolds in the mountains of the Aosta Valley, in an almost surreal setting. Nuti plays Romeo, a young man who comes out of prison after 5 years of incarceration due to armed robbery. Once free, he decides to track down his child who has been entrusted to another family. Through a ruse, he discovers that the child is in a village in the Aosta Valley and while on his trail, he is knocked over by a rare white ibex. He is rescued by his son's adoptive family, and taking advantage of their hospitality, he manages to win over the child (and Muti). However, realizing that his son lives with a wonderful family in a fairy-tale place, he chooses to remain in the shadows, never revealing his role and renouncing the child. A difficult but profound gesture.

The film is sadly romantic and mixes strong feelings with others barely whispered. Nuti is at his best, he will never reach these levels again. The comedy has a spectacular cinematography that exudes simple splendor (the location, like the family cabin, is postcard-perfect). The soundtrack is uplifting (harmonica in a nostalgic melody), and there are funny gags, as well as the ever-faithful Novello Novelli, always present in Nuti's films. A simple and touching story.

It is sad about the fate of this actor-director, a bit too narcissistic. His desire to overdo it led him to a presumptuous and incomprehensible cinematic dimension, leading to unsuccessful films and eventually to his personal downfall (alcoholism being chief among them). This film remains a small jewel of Italian cinema of the '80s.