The Passionate Thief

“Miracolo! Miracolo!” bellows desperate-to-be-noticed extra Anna Magnani, amid cardboard sets on yet another cheapo spear-and-scandal epic at Cinecittà. Then, when the company breaks for New Year’s Eve, she goes for the glam via blonde wig, silver fox (complete with head), and bespangled evening gown for that all-night party - but where’s the rest of the gang? Oh well, there’s still time for an instant crush on cheap-but-dapper crook Ben Gazzara, who’s rousted her on-the-skids fellow thesp Totò to help roll the revelers. And through the long New Year’s night, the trio encounter drunken Yank Fred Clark (How to Marry a Millionaire) at the Fontana di Trevi (in a send-up of Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, released only months before); perform an impromptu Music Hall turn; wade through a mansion awash with German blue bloods, among an assortment of gigantic parties and banquets; and peek in at early Mass - and the slammer - in their overnight odyssey across a festive Rome. The Italian title translates as “Joyful Laughter.” Based on stories by Alberto Moravia (The Conformist).

The digital restoration of The Passionate Thief was carried out by Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna starting from the original camera negative and, for the sound, from optical sound track negative and a vintage combined dupe positive. These elements were made available from the film’s producer Titanus. The original
camera negative was scanned at 4K resolution and digitally restored at 2K resolution. The restoration was carried out at L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory in 2013. Special thanks to Rai Cinema for the collaboration.

An official selection of the 2014 Telluride Film Festival.