One of the best Italian comedies after the great cycle of the Sixties/Seventies, the film's greatest assets are its leads, Roberto Benigni before his Oscar days and the late, greatly missed Massimo Troisi.
In this time-travel comedy the two main characters are magically transported to 1492. Saverio (Benigni), school teacher and history buff unhappy with his previous life, is ecstatic and strives to exploit the situation, while meek janitor Mario (Troisi) is terrified by violence, fanaticism and lack of hygiene.
Benigni is hilariously vital and overbearing, jumping around as if hit by 10.000 volts; Troisi is priceless as the whiny, dejected fish out of water.
The first two acts crackle with wit and inventions. The best moments occur when Saverio and Mario start exploring the town, the former pompously strutting around, the latter inching his way through the streets. There is a great homage to the letter scene of Totò, Peppino e la... Malafemmina, and a clever bit where the two ponder which modern inventions they could produce and desultorily conclude they could maybe manage to craft some sort of rudimentary toilet.
Unfortunately, after a memorable encounter with an unexpectedly thick Leonardo da Vinci, the movie loses a bit of its comedic momentum - although the very ending is a stroke of genius.
8/10
In this time-travel comedy the two main characters are magically transported to 1492. Saverio (Benigni), school teacher and history buff unhappy with his previous life, is ecstatic and strives to exploit the situation, while meek janitor Mario (Troisi) is terrified by violence, fanaticism and lack of hygiene.
Benigni is hilariously vital and overbearing, jumping around as if hit by 10.000 volts; Troisi is priceless as the whiny, dejected fish out of water.
The first two acts crackle with wit and inventions. The best moments occur when Saverio and Mario start exploring the town, the former pompously strutting around, the latter inching his way through the streets. There is a great homage to the letter scene of Totò, Peppino e la... Malafemmina, and a clever bit where the two ponder which modern inventions they could produce and desultorily conclude they could maybe manage to craft some sort of rudimentary toilet.
Unfortunately, after a memorable encounter with an unexpectedly thick Leonardo da Vinci, the movie loses a bit of its comedic momentum - although the very ending is a stroke of genius.
8/10