The Overcoat (IL Cappotto)

Description

Product Description Based on Nikolai Gogol's story with the location changed from Russia to Italy and the time changed to the present (1952), the story is about a poor city-hall clerk (Renato Rascel) whose only desire is for a new overcoat. The town Mayor (Giulio Stival) is planning a reception for some visiting VIP's in honor of a new, wasteful piece of construction. The clerk bungles his assignment and is fired. He discovers a bribery scheme by the architects and, to keep him quiet, he's given his job back plus a bonus. He buys his long-cherished overcoat, and it makes him so presentable he wins a new found respect from everybody. But his coat is stolen and the bitter weather causes him to contact a fever and he dies. His funeral upsets the Mayor's reception when he returns as a ghost. Review Raro Video, the American branch of Italy's most prestigious home-video company, has just released the Lattuada film, Il Cappotto, in a finely restored edition, and it is a small marvel. --The New York TimesA 1952 Italian adaptation of a Russian short story, this is one for the books for the real film fan that has otherwise exhausted all the real film cognoscenti avenues and thought there was no more rocks to be looked under. --Film MonthlyOverall, this is just one of the best Italian films Ive ever seen and I m glad that a company like Raro Video has given it this prestigious treatment. Sure, The Overcoat is a sad film, but one with a lot of heart and great moments that no one should dare miss. Highly Recommended! --Film Monthly