The Audiovisual Institute of Monaco, in partnership with the Dante Alighieri Association, presents ‘I Soliti Ignoti’ (‘Le Pigeon’), a masterpiece of Italian cinema

The Usual Unknowns” (in French “Le Pigeon”), one of the masterpieces of Italian Cinema (1958) directed by Mario Monicelli, starring renowned actors such as Vittorio Gassman, Marcello Mastroianni, Claudia Cardinale, an irresistible Totò, and others, will be presented with French subtitles to the audience of the Principality by the Institut Audiovisuel de Monaco in partnership with the Dante Alighieri Association – Monaco Committee as part of the “Tout L’Art du Cinéma” series (Cinema of Italy label).

The event, under the High Patronage of H.S.H. the Princess of Hannover and with the Patronage of the Italian Embassy, will take place on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, at 8:00 PM at the Théâtre des Variétés, and will be accompanied by a presentation by the cinema historian Jean A. Gili.

“The Usual Unknowns,” an Oscar nominee in 1959 and winner of three Silver Ribbons, is to be considered a film that marks an important milestone by introducing the foundations of the “Italian comedy” genre in Italy. The plot revolves around a gang of inexperienced thieves, whose clumsy endeavors evoke a comedy tinged with bitterness. The group, led by the retired boxer afflicted with stuttering, Peppe “Er Pantera” (Vittorio Gassman, in his first comedic role), plans a robbery on a pawn shop agency in Rome. However, the big heist doesn’t go as planned.

Audiences will therefore be able to experience (or re-experience) in the Principality of Monaco the exploits of the extraordinary bunch in a cult film that, after well over half a century, has not lost its shine.

Entrance fees:

• Member: Free
• Non-member: 8 euros
• Reduced: (-21) 4 euros

For reservations (by May 3): info.dantemc@gmail.com +377 97 70 89 47