The Long, the Short, the Cat (Italian: Il lungo, il corto, il gatto), also known as The Tall, the Short, the Cat, is a 1967 Italian comedy film directed by Lucio Fulci and starring the comic duo Franco and Ciccio.[2][3][4]
| The Long, the Short, the Cat | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Lucio Fulci |
| Written by | Gian Paolo Callegari Roberto Gianviti Amedeo Sollazzo Marino Girolami |
| Produced by | Piero Ghione |
| Starring | Franco Franchi Ciccio Ingrassia Ivy Holzer Giusi Rospani Dandalo |
| Cinematography | Guglielmo Mancori |
| Edited by | Nella Nannuzzi |
| Music by | Lallo Gori |
Production companies | Five Film, Fono Roma [1] |
| Distributed by | Variety Distribution |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Language | Italian |
Plot
editFranco and Ciccio, alongside Gina, are servants to a wealthy elderly countess who believes that her pet cat Archibald is a reincarnation of her late husband. The mischievous cat frequently wanders off, and local business owners take advantage of Franco and Ciccio by charging them for damages the cat supposedly caused. After discovering Archibald 'cheating' on her with a female cat, the Countess dies from shock. Franco and Ciccio kick the cat out of the house, only to learn that they are due to inherit one million lira a month from the late countess on the condition that they care for Archibald. The two track down the cat to a dinner party hosted by a superstitious countess, who allows the two to stay despite their poor etiquette to avoid having thirteen guests at the table. As guests leave due to Ciccio's manners and new ones arrive late to the party, Ciccio is brought back and forth to the table as needed to avoid having thirteen guests, while Franco flirts with a maid.
The two wreck the dinner party after making a mess trying to catch Archibald, but before they're kicked out, the guests learn that they're due to inherit a million lira, and all quickly attempt to find the cat. The next morning, Archibald is spotted entering an embassy. In the embassy, a prime minister is meeting with officials to discuss the threat of being assassinated by The Cat, a mysterious assassin whose identity is unknown. Franco & Ciccio get caught trying to sneak in, and are interrogated by Mr. Smith, an agent from the CIA, who believes the cat they're looking for is the assassin. Using tiny microphones attached to the duo, Mr. Smith and Police Commissioner Proietti spy on them in an attempt to track down the assassin. They overhear Franco & Ciccio asking local business owners about Archibald, and each of them get arrested to be interrogated after the duo leaves. The Cat learns that Franco & Ciccio allegedly know him, and plots to kill them, while authorities plan to use them as bait to catch the assassin.
The Cat holds Franco, Ciccio, and Gina at gunpoint and ties them up, planting a time bomb with them. Archibald topples the bomb off the balcony and into The Cat's car, and it explodes just as he tries to leave. After being untied by authorities, Franco & Ciccio finally catch Archibald, and live at the late countess's villa with Gina.
Cast
edit- Franco Franchi as Franco
- Ciccio Ingrassia as Ciccio
- Gianni Agus as Gianni
- Ivy Holzer as Gina
- Ivano Staccioli as The Cat
- Giusi Raspani Dandolo as The Countess
- Daniele Vargas as Mr. Smith
- Tano Cimarosa as Dustman
- Enzo La Torre as Police Commissioner Proietti
- Renato Chiantoni as Doctor
- Ugo Fangareggi as Pork Butcher
- Ignazio Leone as Manager of the pool hall
- Andrea Scotti as Ambassador's secretary
References
edit- ^ Thrower, Stephen (1999). Beyond Terror, the films of Lucio Fulci. FAB Press. page 275
- ^ Roberto Chiti; Roberto Poppi; Enrico Lancia; Mario Pecorari (1991). Dizionario del cinema italiano. I film. Gremese Editore, 1992. ISBN 8876055932.
- ^ Paolo Mereghetti. Il Mereghetti. B.C. Dalai Editore, 2010. ISBN 8860736269.
- ^ Marco Giusti (1999). Dizionario dei film italiani stracult. Sperling & Kupfer. ISBN 8820029197.