Luciano Salce
Il Secondo Tragico Fantozzi

Dedicated to Gigi Reder (the esteemed surveyor Filini).

The world is beautiful because it is multifaceted. That's why I have always alternated without difficulty between "intellectual" films and enjoyable films for a quick watch, epic films and trashy B-movies. And then there are the Fantozzi films.

I will not once again go over how this character hyperbolically embodied the human miseries of living and working with a tricolor flavor, and I believe, indeed I hope, that everyone at least once has reflected on the great artistic and philosophical significance of Paolo Villaggio's creation. A creation that has faded a bit among endless sequels and gags repeated even outside of Fantozzi's films, to the point where actor and character have become one in the collective imagination. The same happened in Villaggio's mind, slowly transforming into a victim-prisoner of his alter ego.

What I want to express, however, is the affection I have for this film and the others in the saga; it's simply a matter of nostalgia and memories. With Fantozzi, just like with certain 80s comedies and the Spencer-Hill duo, I grew up, and the evenings of good humor they gave me, perhaps at a low cost, remain invaluable. You will understand this is not a review, it's simply a page I'm sending to myself: a self-review. Just to tread once again the old celluloid paths lost in time, which go beyond directorial merit or anything else, and are simply an integral part of me. And the same will apply to you, treading other paths and other films; but there is no doubt that for certain films, just like for certain albums, the judgment can only be biased. Like this.

"Il secondo tragico Fantozzi" contains in particular some historic scenes from the gallery of the unfortunate accountant, some entered the collective imagination: among all, the viewing of "Corazzata Potëmkin", and the commentary of Italy-England while Fantozzi heads to the projection room ("Excuse me!? Who hit the post?"). But how not to mention the absurd human hunting Sunday in which the most disparate characters of the bourgeois world participate, or the hilarious dinner organized by Countess Servelloni Mazzanti VienDalMare, aided by the insidious Danish dog Ivan the Terrible XXXII? A magnificent film, to watch, rewatch, and pass down. I believe it was here, more than in the first episode, that Fabrizio De André's old friend more vigorously pulled the strings of accountant Fantozzi among black humor, ultra-absurd situations, religious satire, and sad existential resignations. Noteworthy is the irresistible voiceover, a classic of the saga's films, ironic and biting. When you are young, you don't notice it; as an adult, you fully understand the pessimistic spirit of the film, which indeed was and is an integral part of Paolo Villaggio.

Little gem: the "Corazzata Potëmkin" scene (in the film the battleship is Kotiomkin, but the reference is evident) is based on a true event that happened to a young Villaggio. A regular attendee with De André of cineclubs - the quintessential place of certain youthful intellectualism of the 1960s - once the film in question was screened. There was a new boy in the audience that day. At the end of the film, full of enthusiasm, the projection leader (let's say the debate leader, the most cultured one of all) asked the newcomer how he liked the film. A mysterious minute of silence followed, after which the exact words were unexpectedly uttered: "In my opinion, this film... is an immense pile of crap!" 92 minutes of applause!!!!!! Here, this phrase expresses all the desecrating and almost anarchic sense of Paolo Villaggio, against all societal institutions and life as we know it. But it's also true that it will always inevitably be opposed by a painful defeat.

I would like to take this opportunity to remember all the great and small (great) characters of Italian cinema who have accompanied many moments of my life. Thank you very much:

Adolfo Celi, Alberto Sordi, Aldo Fabrizi, Alessandro Benvenuti, Andrea Roncato, Angelo Bernabucci, Angelo Infanti, Anna Mazzamauro, Antonino Faa Di Bruno, Antonio Allocca, Franco Lechner (Bombolo), Bud Spencer, Carlo Delle Piane, Carlo Pisacane, Carlo Verdone, Christian De Sica, Ciccio Ingrassia, Diego Abatantuono, Edwige Fenech, Elena Fabrizi, Ennio Antonelli, Ennio Fantastichini, Enrico Montesano, Enzo Cannavale, Enzo De Toma, Enzo Garinei, Fabio Traversa, Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Fabrizio Bracconeri, Filippo Trincia, Francesco De Rosa, Franco Diogene, Franco Franchi, Gastone Moschin, Gianfranco Barra, Gianni Musi, Gigi Proietti, Gigi Reder, Giuseppe Anatrelli, Guido Nicheli, Isaac George, Isabella De Bernardi, Isabella Gallinelli, Jerry Calà, Jimmy il Fenomeno, Lello Arena, Lino Banfi, Liù Bosisio, Luciano Bonanni, Luigi Petrucci, Marcello Mastroianni, Marco Messeri, Mario Carotenuto, Mario Brega, Massimo Boldi, Massimo Troisi, Maurizio Ferrini, Maurizio Mattioli, Memmo Carotenuto, Milena Vukotic, Nino Manfredi, Novello Novelli, Paolo Baroni, Paolo Bonacelli, Paolo Panelli, Paolo Paoloni, Paolo Villaggio, Paul Muller, Peppino De Filippo, Piero Natoli, Pietro Zardini, Renato Cecchetto, Renato Pozzetto, Renato Salvatori, Renato Scarpa, Renzo Montagnani, Riccardo Garrone, Riccardo Pizzuti, Roberto Benigni, Roberto Dalla Casa, Roberto Nobile, Sal Borgese, Sandro Ghiani, Silvia Annichiarico, Silvio Orlando, Teo Teocoli, Terence Hill, Tiberio Murgia, Tomas Milian, Totò, Ugo Bologna, Umberto D'Orsi, Vincenzo Crocitti, Vittorio De Sica, Vittorio Gassman, Vittorio Zarfati...