Pasquale Festa Campanile

The Profile

Pasquale Festa Campanile (1927–1986) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and novelist, a key figure of the commedia all’italiana across the 1960s–1980s.

Italian director, screenwriter, and novelist associated with commedia all’italiana; active from the 1950s until 1986; directed popular films including Bingo Bongo, Nessuno è perfetto, Un povero ricco, Il merlo maschio, and La matriarca.

Three reviews tackle Festa Campanile’s 1980s comedies: a nuanced take on gender and identity (Nessuno è perfetto), a romantic fable about losing and finding wealth (Un povero ricco), and a family-friendly eco-parable (Bingo Bongo). Performances by Renato Pozzetto, Ornella Muti, and Adriano Celentano recur. Overall tone swings from praise to blunt critique.