•
Rating: At 6:00 PM the last judgment-begins-ale-ale-ale... These are the words very clearly enunciated by a booming voice that mingles among the cumulonimbus clouds ready to drench a Naples caught between astonishment and semi-indifference. The most disparate rumors about possible theories begin to circulate through alleys populated by low houses and laundry lines, passing through the city center until reaching the luxurious terraces of the former peasants of the Vomero area.
It might be a joke, an artfully crafted prank by a prankster with a megaphone on a plane, perhaps hidden behind one of those rain-laden clouds that dominate the city's sky. Some swear they heard it coming from Via Chiaia, some reassure visiting tourists with an original advertising ploy. Someone succumbs to superstition, which is closely related to panic, and the wonderful carousel of the numerous facets of Neapolitan clichés begins—a distinctive show, in my opinion, unique in the world.
Between a rosary prayer and a hand over one's conscience, there's a dandy showing off a handsome coat, a fine hat, and a nice pair of shoes in the popular streets (Vittorio Gassman), a freshly widowed history professor who wastes no time in hooking the first flashy maiden that comes his way (Fernandel), a friendly waiter in a luxury hotel dealing with the arrogance of a sinister foreign ambassador (Nino Manfredi), a bored high-society lady forced to endure the consequences of her husband's shady dealings (Silvana Mangano), a skillful lawyer eloquently defending a poor fellow accused of fooling others with noble titles (Vittorio De Sica), a man discovering his wife's adultery with his best friend (Paolo Stoppa), a cynical cold-hearted individual dealing with slum children for the United States (Alberto Sordi), two proletarians searching for employment as porters at the San Carlo theater (Franchi and Ingrassia), a father wrestling with his teenage daughter's whims (Lino Ventura), a dignitary, theatrical artists, a singer...
Lives somehow intertwine, lives that speculate on the origins of the booming voice, folks who continue, with just a bit more attention, to live everyday life, with their troubles, hopes, successes, and sorrows... All the colors of Naples emerge and when the fear of ending in hell reaches the highest throne of credibility, people begin to reckon with their own conscience, trying to make amends, as far as possible, for the mistakes they have made. Meanwhile, the dandy gets hit by a tomato thrown by a child, the professor is jostled by a cunning pickpocket claiming old war memories, the bored lady succumbs to panic and starts reevaluating all her husband's dirty maneuvers, the lawyer makes his plea relying on the court's clemency, the betrayed man recalls his wife's false affections, the cynical man loads children onto the ship, the proletarians argue over the job, the father thanks the bigwig for the dance tickets and the daughter prepares for the event with a street kid...
6:00 PM strikes inexorably. The worldwide roll call begins. Meanwhile, the judge acquits, the lady confesses, the proletarians give up, the dogcatcher too, the singer challenges death with his voice and guitar, the artists kneel asking for mercy and when it turns out that perhaps even god isn't perfect, a god who doesn't know English, who might be mistaken in his accusations, who calls on a Muslim and possibly yields to those who deny evidence, the judgment turns into a deluge and to the notes of a sweet anti-racist lullaby that warms hearts around the globe, a burst of sound and color heralds the advent of the sun.
Celebrations erupt in the streets, in homes, everything is forgotten, people return to normal life with a little more hope and with a bit of extra time to still make amends for their sins, and everyone heads to the final dance. Naples is like that, and so are Neapolitans. Of those Neapolitans so colorful, fantastic, kind-hearted, unfortunately, there are almost none left. With a touch of melancholy, I invite you to watch this beautiful movie by the excellent Vittorio De Sica, with a memorable cast available that doesn't miss a beat. Strangely, at the time it went almost unnoticed and was criticized. Well...
Loading comments slowly
