The Rogues
Italian theatrical release poster by Enzo Sciotti
Directed byMario Monicelli
Written byLeo Benvenuti
Suso Cecchi d'Amico
Piero De Bernardi
Mario Monicelli
Produced byGiovanni Di Clemente
StarringGiancarlo Giannini
Enrico Montesano
Vittorio Gassman
Nino Manfredi
Giuliana De Sio
Bernard Blier
CinematographyTonino Nardi
Edited byRuggero Mastroianni
Music byLucio Dalla
Mauro Malavasi
Distributed byWarner Bros. Italia (Italy)
Warner Española S.A. (Spain)
Release date
  • 1988 (1988)
Running time
120 minutes
CountriesItaly
Spain
LanguageItalian

I picari, internationally released as The Rogues, is a 1987 Italian comedy film written and directed by Mario Monicelli. It is freely inspired by the Spanish novels Lazarillo de Tormes and Guzman de Alfarache.[1]

The film was co-produced with Spain, where it was released as Los alegres pícaros.[2]

Plot

I picari was the last of Monicelli's films, such as L'armata Brancaleone, to be set in the Renaissance and medieval eras. As in his previous films, a tilting of the society and surroundings of the characters makes the film a parody of the goliardic lifestyle of the 12th or 13th century.

In 17th-century Spain, vagrants Lazarillo and Guzman meet as slaves on a ship. Both had a troubled and difficult childhood because of their parents. The first was adopted by a prostitute and a blind wanderer (Nino Manfredi) who earned a living by cheating and stealing. The second was beaten and scourged. Escaping from the ship in which they were held captive, Lazarillo and Guzman stop at a strange place where they cheat a blacksmith. Later, disguised as gentleman, they are hosted by an impoverished nobleman (Vittorio Gassman). The two tramps, who hoped to make a fortune by entering the service of a nobleman, are shocked by his poor quarters and dire living conditions. Lazarillo and Guzman then become part of a theater company, scrape together some money, buy a prostitute, and encounter a gang of criminals. One of them kills a king's guard and is sentenced to death. His friend saves him by replacing him with another prisoner.

Cast

See also

References

  1. ↑ Leonardo De Franceschi. Lo sguardo eclettico. Marsilio, 2001.
  2. ↑ Roberto Chiti; Roberto Poppi; Enrico Lancia. Dizionario del cinema italiano. Gremese Editore, 1991.
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