dkritter-1

Culo e camica is an idiomatic Italian phrase that loosely translates to "bum and shirt" but means two friends that are tight, or close as a tucked in shirt.

The movie is basically two unrelated comedic features: the first one features the travails of a man who stutters and tries to woo a woman he wants to date.

The second features the wonderful Renato Pozetto as a gay man who lives with a partner, but finds himself falling for a woman, and not knowing how to tell his partner, who is prone to melodrama. Did I mention this is a comedy? And a very winning and sexy one at that.

A hard to find film, I believe in the US, I purchased the PAL version in Italy and transfered it to US standards. There are no English subtitles.

My wife and I were vacationing in Rome, Italy when this movie came out. I kept seeing the TV ads and it looked like a lot of fun. Finding ourselves near a movie theater where it was playing, and it being Italian Sieta -- the afternoon portion of the day where all the stores are closed, I suggested to my wife and our two friends that we go see it. Well, we never laughed so hard! Even though the movie was in Italian, the comic sketches are played so broadly, one almost does not need to know Italian to enjoy these two stars (Renatto Pozetto and Paulo Villagio at their best together). When I returned a year later I bought the PAL VHS and had it transferred to NTSC USA standard. My wife and I continue to watch it every year. We also bought the sequel, but it's not as good.

I can't imagine fans of the book or Masterpiece Theater (where this was initially shown in the early 80's) being disappointed with this drama and excellent adaptation of R.F. Delderfield's masterwork. The 13 episodes, an hour each, give ample time to mirror almost every scene from the book. It also allows for much deeper character study than normal. I would rate this work on par with the Thorn Birds or Shogun as among the best that television can offer. Is it for everyone? No. But fans of British dramas or boarding school stories will enjoy this very well produced story. I won't dwell on the plot. Suffice to say that it follows the lives of fictions teachers at an Enlish public boarding school through a period of 20 years as seen through the life of a young teacher who ultimately becomes headmaster. It is simply drama at it's most enjoyable best.