September 8th, 1943: Badoglio, head of the Italian government after the downfall of Mussolini, declares an armistice towards the Allied forces. Thousands of soldiers are left without any order, while king Vittorio Emanuele III packs and runs. In a nation ravaged by war and still occupied by the former German allies, now it's every man for himself.
In the early Sixties, Italian cinema was desperately trying to come to terms with the nation's recent, painful mistakes. Tutti a Casa features a selfish, roguish protagonist ultimately finding his moral compass and taking a stand - achieving not victory, but dignity. The same happens in La Grande Guerra, Il Generale Della Rovere, I Due Colonnelli, I Due Nemici, in a valiant - if overly optimistic - attempt to wash the national dirty linen in public.
Tutti a Casa is the best of these movies. Monicelli captures with a deft hand and his trademark bittersweet style the adventures of a group of soldiers led by their officer (Alberto Sordi) right after Sep. 8th.
Meanwhile, in the same years a new tone emerged in Italian comedies like Il Sorpasso, Divorzio all'Italiana and Una Vita Difficile: in spite of a surprising economic rebirth, a deep-rooted sense of mistrust and disappointment returns, as reaction morphs once again into stagnation. The circle closes with C'Eravamo Tanto Amati, pretty much sealing off any illusion.
8/10
In the early Sixties, Italian cinema was desperately trying to come to terms with the nation's recent, painful mistakes. Tutti a Casa features a selfish, roguish protagonist ultimately finding his moral compass and taking a stand - achieving not victory, but dignity. The same happens in La Grande Guerra, Il Generale Della Rovere, I Due Colonnelli, I Due Nemici, in a valiant - if overly optimistic - attempt to wash the national dirty linen in public.
Tutti a Casa is the best of these movies. Monicelli captures with a deft hand and his trademark bittersweet style the adventures of a group of soldiers led by their officer (Alberto Sordi) right after Sep. 8th.
Meanwhile, in the same years a new tone emerged in Italian comedies like Il Sorpasso, Divorzio all'Italiana and Una Vita Difficile: in spite of a surprising economic rebirth, a deep-rooted sense of mistrust and disappointment returns, as reaction morphs once again into stagnation. The circle closes with C'Eravamo Tanto Amati, pretty much sealing off any illusion.
8/10