The Monsters

The Monsters

1963. Italy. Directed by Dino Risi. Screenplay by Risi, Agenore Incrocci, Furio Scarpelli, Elio Petri, Ettore Scola, Ruggero Maccari. With Ugo Tognazzi, Vittorio Gassman. The ultimate Italian omnibus film, with no fewer than 20 episodes depicting, as director Dino Risi put it, “a distrust in humanity” resulting from the Italian economic boom of the late 1950s. Ugo Tognazzi and Vittorio Gassman interpret a variety of human monsters, from princes to prizefighters, in brief, satirical sketches that spare no one, including the viewer. Released in the United States in a radically shortened version, I Mostri is back—at some 31 minutes longer—in the full fury of its original Italian release. Restored digitally by Cineteca di Bologna and Museo Nazionale del Cinema di Torino, in association with RTI-Mediaset, Lyon Film, and Surf Film. In Italian; English subtitles. 118 min.