The Return of Don Camillo [Il ritorno di Don Camillo] *** (1953, Fernandel, Gino Cervi, Édouard Delmont, Paolo Stoppa, Arturo Bragaglia) – Classic Movie Review 9356

Giovannino Guareschi and Fernandel on the set of The Return of Don Camillo (1953).

Director Julien Duvivier’s 1953 French-Italian comedy film The Return of Don Camillo [Il ritorno di Don Camillo] [Le retour de Don Camillo] brings back Fernandel and Gino Cervi happily to the screen.

Following the 1952 smash hit The Little World of Don Camillo, it is the second of five films featuring Fernandel as the Italian parish priest Don Camillo and chronicling his comedic battles with Giuseppe ‘Peppone’ Bottazzi (Cervi), the Communist Mayor of their northern Italian rural town in the Po valley.

Don Camillo is exiled by his bishop to a remote village after his battles with Peppone, but he has to agree to recall the popular Camillo when a flood threatens to destroy the town. The priest responds by trying to persuade the reluctant landowner to give permission to build a dike on his land and also to raise the money to save them all from disaster.

It also stars Édouard Delmont as Il dottor Spiletti, Paolo Stoppa as Marchetti, Alexandre Rignault as Franceso ‘Nero’ Gallini, Thomy Bourdelle as Cagnola, and Leda Gloria as Signora Bottazzi.

It is filmed in Italy at Brescello, Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna; Fiano Romano, Rome; Rocca di Cambio, Abruzzo; and Cinecittà Studios, Rome.

The film’s sets are again designed by Virgilio Marchi.

It ended up as the second most popular film of the year at the French box office in 1953.

Also in the cast are Charles Vissières as the bishop, Claudy Chapeland as Beppo Bottazzi. Tony Jacquot as Don Pietro, Saro Urzì as Brusco the barber, Manuel Gary, Lia Di Leo as the teacher, Marco Tulli as Lo Smilzo, Arturo Bragaglia as Il cantoniere, Enzo Staiola as Mario Cagnola, and Miranda Campa as Signora Spiletti.

It is followed by Don Camillo’s Last Round, Don Camillo: Monsignor and Don Camillo in Moscow.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9356

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