Watch “The Passionate Thief (Italy),” directed by Mario Monicelli, at Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens, NY on Wednesday, August 29, 2018, at 7:00 pm.
About the movie:
This recently-restored Italian comedy classic follows an all-night New Year’s Eve in Rome, led by force-of-nature Anna Magnani as a desperate-to-be-noticed movie extra just released from her stint on a swords-and-sandals, cheapo epic at the Cinecittà studio. Glamming out with a blonde wig, a silver fox stole, and bespangled evening gown, she quickly falls for dapper pickpocket Ben Gazzara, who enlists her on-the-skids fellow thesp Totò to help roll the revelers. Through the long night, the trio encounter drunken Yank Fred Clark at the Trevi Fountain (in a send-up of Fellini’s La Dolce Vita), perform an impromptu music hall turn, wade through an assortment of lavish parties, and peek in at early mass in their festive odyssey across Rome.
There will be a pre-screening performance at 7:00 p.m. The film begins at sundown.
Limited VIP seating is available for Cinema Stars! contributors. Please visit Socrates Sculpture Park’s website to make your donation or find out more.
