The Beast (Italian: Il bestione) is an Italian comedy directed by Sergio Corbucci and stars Gabriella Giorgelli, Michel Constantin and Giancarlo Giannini.[1]

The Beast
Official Teaser Poster
Directed bySergio Corbucci
Written byLuciano Vincenzoni
Sergio Donati
Produced byCarlo Ponti
StarringGiancarlo Giannini
Michel Constantin
Giuseppe Maffioli
Giuliana Calandra
CinematographyGiuseppe Rotunno
Edited byEugenio Alabiso
Music byGuido & Maurizio De Angelis
Production
companies
Champion
PECF
Distributed byWarner-Columbia Filmverleih
Release date
  • 20 November 1974 (1974-11-20)
Running time
100 minutes
CountriesItaly
France
LanguageItalian

Plot

edit

An older and younger truck drivers, Sandro and Nino, begin to work with each others. They alternate in driving their company's vehicle across central and Eastern Europe. After witnessing the harsh treatment of an older colleague, forced to retire on medical grounds and led to suicide by his illness and indigence after a life of hard work, Nino convinces Sandro to take up loans and start their own delivery company. They struggle however to honor their debt, due to market fluctuations. This forces them to accept smuggling a criminal, originally misrepresented just as a parcel. Abandoning him just beyond the border, the two drivers are pursued by his criminal accomplishes while trying hard to keep their schedule with their customer.

The professional relationship gradually develops into mutual respect and shared background among the two men, with Sandro eventually beginning to date Nino's daughter. Eventually their first trip as independent delivery company is successful, although just barely so. By the end of the movie, three co-protagonists are made very familiar to the audience: the two men, as well as their truck ("il bestione" i.e. "The Beast"), personification of blue-collar work.

Cast

edit

Release

edit

The film premiered on 20 November 1974 in Paris and screened in West Germany on 14 February 1975 as Die Cleveren Zwei with an Warner-Columbia Filmverleih distribution.[2]

References

edit
edit