Franceschi, Corrado Cristofori; SS: Vittoria Vig-
weird electronic score by Roberto Pregadio) fail
orelli; PDA: Gualtiero Caprara; C: Sandro Tam-
to make up for poor characterization and bad
borra; AC: Sandro Grossi; 2ndAC: Francesco
dialogue, not to mention a banally moral punch-
Damiani; SO: Benito Alchimede; B: Marco De
line (“Evil always backfires against those who
Biase; SE: Antonio Corridori; AE: Giancarlo
do it”). The direction is flat, and the story moves
Morelli, Andrea Caterini; KG: Giancarlo Roc-
at an excruciatingly slow pace. The horrific bits
chetti; ChEl: Antonio Leurini; PROP: Vittorio
are limited to a mild dog attack which is poles
Troiani; W: Maura Zuccherofino, Clara Fratar-
apart from a similar scene in Suspiria, and the
cangeli; Mix: Romano Checcacci; Chor: Renato
few supposedly eerie moments fail to generate
Greco; SP: Giuseppe Botteghi. Cast: Renato
much interest: laughter arises from a burning
Pozzetto (Cardinal Emilio Altieri, Pope Clement
painting, a mysterious voice is inexplicably
X; Emilio Altieri) Eleonora Giorgi (Finnicella),
recorded on the musician’s tapes, and Prof.
Helmut Berger (Asmodeus), Lia Tanzi (Tania
Power shows up unexpectedly at the protago-
Grisanti), Enrico Papa (Roberto), Renzo Rinaldi
nist’s house—we will soon discover that it is a
(Emilio’s collaborator), Stefano Varriale, Sandro
phenomenon of bilocation, as the psychic has
Ghiani (Emilio’s collaborator), Anna Cucinotta
the ability of being in two different places at the
(Witch), Dino Fassio (Police Commissioner),
same time—and saves him from a deadly trap
Raimondo Penne, Ferdinando Paone (Engineer),
concocted by his son.
Rita Caldana (Emilio’s secretary), John Stacy
The cast is wasted. Martine Brochard
(Hotel concierge in Paris), Sonia Otero (Apol-
drinks her J&B and tries to look malevolent, and
lonia), Sveva Altieri (Witch), Gianni Olivieri,
Philippe Leroy sleepwalks through his guest star
Geoffrey Copleston (Man who picks up invita-
role with stoic resignation. Mannari (seen in
tion cards), Fulvio Mingozzi (Emilio’s collabo-
Brass’ Caligula) hides, so to speak, behind a
rator), Vittorio De Bisogno (Shareholder),
transparent pseudonym. Brochard had little or
Guadalupe Barrera (Balsarina); uncredited:
no recollection of the film: “I only remember
Jimmy il Fenomeno [Luigi Origene Soffrano]
that it all seemed very homemade, and I had a
(Waiter at Disco), Serena Grandi (Witch), Shôko
very cold relationship with Amadio. I did my
Nakahara (Magañana), Nazzareno Natale (Cab
stuff and ‘Thanks and goodbye.’”4
driver), Franca Scagnetti (Housemaid). PROD:
Amadio’s next, and last, film was the soapy
Mario Cecchi Gori and Vittorio Cecchi Gori for
melodrama Il carabiniere (98), starring Fabio
Capital Films. GM: Luciano Luna; UM: Francesco
Testi and Massimo Ranieri, loosely based on a
Giorgi; PS: Gianni Stellitano; PSe: Paolo Giorgi;
popular Neapolitan sceneggiata.
PSeA: Luigi Lagrasta; ADM: Mario Lupi, Giulio
Cestari; Press attache: Lucherini—Ghergo.
N
Country: Italy. Filmed at De Paolis In.Ci.R. Stu-
otes
dios (Rome). Running time: 88 minutes (m.
1. “Lettera del regista Silvio Amadio,” in Demofilo Fi-
2438). Visa n. 7767 (0.23.980); Rating: all au-
dani, Il medium esce dal mistero (Trento: Luigi Reverdito
diences. Release date: 2..980 (Italy); Distribu-
Editore, 986), 80.
2. Howard Berger, “Claudio Fragasso’s Gore Wars,” Fan-
tion: Cineriz. Domestic gross: ,83,662,000 lire.
goria #63, June 997, 6.
Also known as: Mi mujer es una bruja (Spain),
1980: Mia 37
Geliebte Hexe (West Germany), Meine Frau ist
output in the 980s was decidedly uneven and
eine Hexe (West Germany—home video).
far more conventional, in tune with the growing
Notes: The song “Magic” is sung by Eleonora
tendency of Italian comedy.
Giorgi; Helmut Berger is dubbed by Sergio Di
Shot in the late Spring of 980, Mia moglie
Stefano.
è una strega, the actor’s fourth starring role of
In 1656, in Rome, a witch named Finnicella
the year, was a far cry from Sono fotogenico (also
is condemned to the stake by Cardinal Altieri,
980), Dino Risi’s biting satire on the movie
soon to become Pope Clement X. Her demon lover
business, where Pozzetto had given one of his
Asmodeus makes her return to life three hundred
best performances as a naive man who dreams
years later, in 1980, so that she can get revenge
of becoming a film star, only to discover the
on Emilio Altieri, a distant descendant of her tor-
squalid world of the movie industry. The story
turer. At first Finnicella tries to make Emilio fall
for Mia moglie è una strega was basically a re-
in love with her and then punish him when he
make of René Clair’s classic 942 comedy I Mar-
least expects it. But when Emilio finally leaves his
ried a Witch, starring Veronica Lake and Fredric
fiancée Tania and vows love to her, Finnicella re-
March. The similarities were already evident
alizes she loves him too, and abandons her re-
during filming, despite directors Franco Castel-
venge. But during the couple’s honeymoon in
lano and Giuseppe Moccia (a.k.a. Castellano &
Paris, Asmodeus, disguised as a waiter, enters
Pipolo) claiming otherwise: “René Clair’s film
Emilio’s room and shoots Finnicella, framing him
has nothing to do with ours … it is not a remake,
for murder. The man is arrested, but Finnicella,
a rip- off or a retelling. Let’s say that René Clair
with a ploy, manages to trap Asmodeus, forcing
is a reference point, one that served as inspira-
him to bring her back to life and save Emilio.
tion. Our film rather tries to revive an American
In the merry euphoria of the early 980s,
trend of the fantastique, which goes from Mary
while the other genres languished, it was
Poppins to The Love Bug.”2 The newspaper La
comedy which kept the Italian movie industry
Stampa even published a one- page article on the
afloat. The top grossing movies were those star-
shooting with pictures of Giorgi, Veronica Lake
ring Paolo Villaggio, Renato Pozzetto, Adriano
and Kim Novak, which even referenced another
Celentano, Enrico Montesano, Johnny Dorelli,
supernatural comedy as a direct influence, Bell
and the plots were safer, tamer versions of the
Book and Candle.3 Still, the credits pay no ref-
erotic farces of the Seventies: the gr
adual toning
erence to either film. Taking inspiration from
down of nudity and salaciousness was the con-
classic Hollywood fare without acknowledging
sequence of the need to secure an “all audiences”
it was not an uncommon occurrence for Italian
rating and capture a wider public.
comedies of the period: a couple of successful
The Gothic and its tropes became one of
Paolo Villaggio vehicles, Fracchia la belva
the favorite sources for scriptwriters to build
umana (98) and Sogni mostruosamente proibiti
their sketchy plots around the comedians’ gags.
(982), were respectively uncredited remakes of
After the Paolo Villaggio vehicle Dottor Jekyll e
The Whole Town’s Talking (93, John Ford) and
gentile signora (979, Steno), it was Renato
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (947, Norman
Pozzetto’s turn to star in a comedy with mild
Z. McLeod), adapted to Villaggio’s screen per-
Fantastic overtones. Since his beginnings in the
sona. Similarly, Mia moglie è una strega featured
mid–960s in an on- stage comedy duo with Au-
several verbal gags which echoed Pozzetto’s
relio “Cochi” Ponzoni, aptly named Cochi & Re-
repertoire. As Pipolo revealed years later, “Re-
nato, Pozzetto had specialized in an absurdist
nato was very skeptical about that film. He did
kind of humor, replete with nonsense mono-
it because he had a contract and so he had to do
logues with a surreal feel. Following Cochi &
it, moreover … he hadn’t chosen us, so he found
Renato’s TV appearances of the early 970s,
himself a bit stuck in it.”4
Pozzetto’s staring, dazed looks and naive char-
The film pairs Pozzetto with the then 27-
acterizations had turned him into one of the
year-old Eleonora Giorgi, at the top of her pop-
most popular Italian comedians of the decade.
ularity in Italy: the previous year the ravishing
Whereas in the previous years he had often
blonde actress had married publisher Angelo
starred in nonconformist works—such as
Rizzoli, the head of distribution company
Sturmtruppen (976, Salvatore Samperi), based
Cineriz, which had a key role in her rise to the
on the comic strip of the same name, or his own
top of the box- office (the couple would split in
directorial debut Saxophone (978)—Pozzetto’s
984, after Rizzoli’s involvement in the infamous
38 1980: Mia Italian lobby card for Mia moglie è una strega (1980, Castellano & Pipolo), featuring Helmut Berger (left) as the devil Asmodeus, eleonora Giorgi (center) and Renato Pozzetto. the film was basically an uncredited remake of René Clair’s classic 1942 comedy I Married a Witch.
P2 scandal). As the titular witch Finnicella,
ensues, with Finnicella the witch being flogged
Giorgi (who also sings a disco tune named
by an inquisitor, but La maschera del demonio
Magic, featured during the end credits) vows re-
this ain’t, and the expected face to face between
venge on the inquisitor who betrayed her trust
Finnicella (scantily dressed but not nearly as
and sent her at the stake: she returns to life 333
provoking as her screen predecessors of the past
years, 33 months and 33 days later, after her
two decades) and Cardinal Altieri (Pozzetto,
ashes have been discovered during the excava-
donning a long curly wig and musketeer mus-
tions for the Rome underground (a nice touch
tache) is a by- the-numbers moment played for
that links the film to such works as Fellini’s
a cheap punchline: “If you confess I’ll be
Roma and the Gothic TV series Il segno del co-
clement,” he promises, and after Finnicella has
mando). Predictably, she falls for the descendant
confessed he immediately orders her to be burnt
of her enemy, Emilio, a meek and not- too-bright
at the stake. “But you promised you’d be
stockbroker who is about to get married with
clement,” she protests. “In fact, tomorrow I’ll be
another woman, and proceeds to ruin his life
elected pope, with the name Clement the Tenth,”
(à la Bringing Up Baby) with her constant se-
is the reply. Apart from the odd historian in the
duction attempts.
venue, it is unlikely that the wordplay elicited
The opening scene, with several witches
many laughs amid the audience. The filmmakers
(including an uncredited Serena Grandi) per-
were clearly more at ease with the contemporary
forming a Sabbath amid a cemeterial set
part of the story, but the sloppiness of the mise-
complete with owls, bats and hanging dolls, is
en-scène gives an idea of the careless way these
exemplary in the way it recycles the Gothic para-
products were cranked out. Overall, the movie
phernalia into material worthy of a Saturday
is slapdash and haphazardly shot, with the lack
night TV ballet. The result is not that different
of care typical of many commercial films of the
from the infamous opening of Pier Carpi’s
period, including below- par special effects and
Un’ombra nell’ombra (979). A dungeon scene
indifferent camerawork. Product placement is,
1980: Ombre 39
as always, conspicuous, with Pozzetto repeatedly
Mia moglie è una strega—which according
displaying to the camera a packet of Muratti
to the directors cost about 800 million lire7—
Ambassador cigarettes.
was a huge box- office hit, ending up 7th among
Throughout the story, the fantastique be-
the season’s top- grossing films (Kubrick’s The
comes fodder for gags à la Bewitched, with
Shining was at 0th place), in a list dominated
Finnicella working up all kinds of magic tricks
by Italian comedies. The directors refused to
to seduce Emilio, until the inevitable happy end-
make a sequel,8 and their next film, Asso (98),
ing. “We tell fairytales, clean stories, funny, and
starring Adriano Celentano and Edwige Fenech,
good for everyone—young, old, children, sol-
was another comedy with supernatural ele-
diers,” the directors claimed, the reference to
ments—this time borrowed from A Guy Named
soldiers being significant as they were among
Joe (943), Here Comes Mr. Jordan (94) and its
the most assiduous audience of adults- only (or
remake Heaven Can Wait (978)—about a
V.M.8) films. Even Pozzetto was careful to dis-
master card cheater who returns as a ghost to
tance Mia moglie è una strega from the erotic
help his widow find a new husband.
comedies arena: “It is funny and relaxing
without resorting to vulgarity, profanity or
Notes
risqué situations.”6 In fact, there is no trace of
1. According to the Public Cinemato
graphic Register
nudity and the occasional satiric punchlines are
shooting started on May 9th.
mild, with the predictable reference to the fem-
2. Paolo Cervone, “Una ‘strega’ innamorata nella fiaba
inist movement and their slogan “Tremate! Tre-
degli anni ’80,” Corriere della Sera, July 4, 980.
mate! Le streghe son tornate!” (Shake! Shake! The
3. Lamberto Antonelli, “Terzo matrimonio per la
Witches are back!). Feminists must not have
strega,” Stampa Sera, August 26, 980.
4. Andrea Pergolari, La fabbrica del riso (Rome: Un-
been pleased with Castellano & Pipolo’s story:
mondoaparte, 2004), 32.
the moral of the tale is not only that richness
5. Antonelli, “Terzo matrimonio per la strega.”
equals happiness (with Emilio becoming a mil-
6. Ibid.
lionaire after selling his shares in a disastrous
7. Franca Faldini and Goffredo Fofi (eds.), Il cinema
italiano d’oggi, 1970–1984 raccontato dai suoi protagonisti
oil company), but that a quiet family life is just
(Milan: Mondadori, 984), 36.
what a wild and independent woman needs to
8. Ibid., 322.
be fully realized. In the epilogue, Emilio shares
his wife’s magical powers, getting home from
work atop an electric broom, and the whole fam-
Ombre (Shadows)
ily—husband, wife and three children—sit at the
D: Giorgio Cavedon. S and SC: Giorgio
table while Finnicella’s fellow witches, who have
Cavedon; DOP: Erico Menczer (Eastmancolor,
become their maids and housekeepers, clean the
LV- Luciano Vittori); M: Maurizio Sangineto
house and serve them dinner.
(Ed. Melodi); E: Maria Grazia Dell’Ara; ArtD:
Some gags are mildly funny, mainly because
Giorgio Luppi; AD: Massimo Guglielmi; C: Luigi
of Pozzetto’s whimsical delivery and taste for the
Bernardini; AC: Ercole Visconti; SS: Nora Mon-
surreal, such as the actor atop a car that drives
sellato; SO: Ivo Morbidelli; B: Luciano Locatelli;
by itself, or him watching a rerun of Casablanca
AsstArtD: Anna Maria Zerri; MU: Giuliana De
on TV with Finnicella popping up in the place
Carli; Hair: Roberto Magnani; KG: Giovanni
of Ingrid Bergman. Others, like a disco scene
Carbonera; ChEl: Domenico Cavaliere; Mix:
where the actor launches into a frantic dance,
Danilo Moroni; SOE: Italo Cameracanna; Cast:
fare worse. A bored- looking Helmut Berger is
Italian Gothic Horror Films (1980-1989) Page 11
