| The Rogues | |
|---|---|
 Italian theatrical release poster by Enzo Sciotti | |
| Directed by | Mario Monicelli |
| Written by | Leo Benvenuti Suso Cecchi d'Amico Piero De Bernardi Mario Monicelli |
| Produced by | Giovanni Di Clemente |
| Starring | Giancarlo Giannini Enrico Montesano Vittorio Gassman Nino Manfredi Giuliana De Sio Bernard Blier |
| Cinematography | Tonino Nardi |
| Edited by | Ruggero Mastroianni |
| Music by | Lucio Dalla Mauro Malavasi |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Italia (Italy) Warner Española S.A. (Spain) |
| Release date |
|
| Running time | 120 minutes |
| Countries | Italy Spain |
| Language | Italian |
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.
The film was co-produced with Spain, where it was released as Los alegres pícaros.
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
- Giancarlo Giannini: Guzman de Alfarache
- Enrico Montesano: Lazarillo de Tormes
- Vittorio Gassman: Marquis Felipe de Aragona
- Nino Manfredi: the blind wanderer
- Giuliana De Sio: Rosario
- Bernard Blier: the pimp
- Paolo Hendel: the tutor
- Vittorio Caprioli: Mozzafiato
- Enzo Robutti: the Captain of the ship
- Blanca Marsillach: Ponzia
- Maria Casanova: Pregnant Woman
- Claudio Bisio: the leader of the mutinied rowers
- Sal Borgese: the boatswain
- Sabrina Ferilli the young prostitute
See also
- El Lazarillo de Tormes (1959)
References
- Leonardo De Franceschi. Lo sguardo eclettico. Marsilio, 2001.
- Roberto Chiti; Roberto Poppi; Enrico Lancia. Dizionario del cinema italiano. Gremese Editore, 1991.
External links
- The Rogues at IMDb