On the verge of Presidency, a Senator Puppis threatens everything when he cannot resist his bottom pinching urges. He is sent away to a 'Spiritual Retreat' but finds that the presence of a dozen nuns does nothing to cure his insatiable urges. Meanwhile, his seeming disappearance has alarmed the police and the army who think a coup is on the way. When Cardinal Maravigli discovers what has happened he is appalled, having spent years training Puppis to be the perfect puppet President. Puppis returns, cured it seems, but not quite...
Fucli made a lot of simple comedy films in the 1960s, but this later work is a rather different beast. Looking at first like a simple 'Carry On' style rude comedy, there is a thick layer of harsh satire underneath, firmly directed at the Catholic Church. Unfortunately a lot of this is lost on a modern, English viewer - Puppis himself was based on a real Government Minister which must have caused a lot of laughter at the time - but it is still very interesting to see. One scene that still baffles me is when the Mafia meet, and all their dialogue is subtitled on the original print (a jibe at their accents perhaps?).
Fulci gets a chance to excel himself with a wonderfully surreal dream sequence, and is aided by a superb soundtrack. Lead actor Lando Buzzanca is not well known, but gives a great performance, and Lionel Stander and Feodor Chaliapin Jr. should be recognisable.
The Severin DVD looks superb, and includes a 40 minute interview segment. I would certainly recommend this to anyone who enjoys the Italian comedies, and for those who are interested in Fulci's non-horror work.
Read even more (with some naughty pictures) in my full review of:
The Senator Likes Women.
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Topic: The Senator Likes Women / All'onorevole piacciono le donne (Lucio Fulci, 1972) (Read 7851 times)