Friday 25 March 2022

Smoke Over London and Gray Flannels / Fumo di Londra



Fumo di Londra (internationally released as Smoke Over London and Gray Flannels) is a 1966 Italian comedy film written, directed and starred by Alberto Sordi.
Dante Fontana is an antique dealer of Perugia, and is infatuated with British culture. But he is always thwarted by his wife and relatives, who see him as a silly dreamer who gets lost in stories rather than doing serious work. But Dante does not lose hope, and plans a vacation to London to learn more about the habits of the British so much that make him mad. However, Dante is hard to settle in, and often makes typical Italian blunders, gaining the scorn of the highly educated and refined British public. After taking part in a fox hunt, Dante is invited by a rich English nobleman who shows him an ancient Etruscan statuette. Dante says that the object is a fake and shatters it. Then chased away by gunfire, Dante takes refuge with a group of young flower children and with them, takes part in a riot. Arrested, Dante is sent back to Italy where he resumes his monotonous work.


Dante Fontana is an antique dealer from Perugia infatuated with the culture of the British upper classes. His wife and relatives mock him and snub him, seeing him as a silly daydreamer doing no serious work. Unfussed, Dante plans a vacation to London to learn more about the culture he so admires. However, once in London, he struggles to fit in, is awkward, often makes mistakes betraying his Italian origins, attracting the scorn of the British upper classes he would like to impress. After taking part in fox hunting, Dante is invited to the house of an English aristocrat and showed a supposedly ancient Etruscan statuette. Dante says the object is fake and breaks it, provoking the angry reaction of the English who open fire on him. Terrified, Dante hides with a group of hippies and joining them in a demonstration. Arrested, Dante is sent back to Italy where he resumes his monotonous routine.


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