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I due nemici / The Best of Enemies (1961)

Posted By: Notsaint

Date: 31 Aug 2015 18:21:48

I due nemici / The Best of Enemies (1961)

In 1941 during the desert war in Abyssinia the Italian captain Blasi and the British major Richardson alternate between being bitter enemies or best friends depending on the circumstances.

Director: Guy Hamilton
Cast: David Niven, Alberto Sordi, Michael Wilding, Harry Andrews, Noel Harrison, Ronald Fraser, Bernard Cribbins, Duncan Macrae, Robert Desmond, Kenneth Fortescue, Michael Trubshawe, David Opatoshu, Amedeo Nazzari, Aldo Giuffrи, Pietro Marascalchi, Tiberio Mitri, Bruno Cattaneo, Giuseppe Fazio, Alessandro Ninchi, Ignazio Dolce, Don Powell, Ahmed Ali Aggi, Abraham Mуgos, Elias Atrahama, Abduraham Mohamed Elmi, Luigi Bracale

Set in the "Italian East Africa" (Ethiopia) during WW2, this wartime comedy plays on the clash between Richardson (Niven), a typical product of the British officer corps (quiet, methodic, but often stubborn and unprepared to deal with the unexpected) and the flamboyant Blasi, who tries desperately to appear ruthless and efficient (just like the Italian Fascist Regime pretended for years to be) but is at heart just a 'poor devil' trying to boxe above his weight.
Initially taking Richardson and another British serviceman as POWs, Blasi decides to let the two escape to tell the British high command how destitute and hopeless his forces actually are in the hope that the Allied forces will "leave them be" and not harass their hasty retreat northward.
The British brass however is unflexible and, put in command of a motorized detachment, Richardson is given the mission of pursuing and rounding up Blasi's unit.
Enraged at this "lack of chivalry" Blasi becomes passive-aggressive and tries in all manners to sabotage the custody of his men by the British force, then African tribal warriors (which earlier in the film declared themselves first for the Italians and then for the Brits) ambush the convoy and ransack it of anything of value, taking even shoes and boots off the Europeans' feet.
Isolated, unarmed and surrounded for hundreds of kilometers by hostile african wilderness the "enemies" must make the best out of their situation and find a way to cooperate to survive…

IMDb

This movie is a little known gem. The movie not only sparkles with Sordi's more slapstick humor and Niven's classic underplaying, it also masterfully captures the madness, humor and struggle of those engaged in combat. Niven and Sordi struggle to stay connected to their humanity in North African desert during a war where first one has the advantage and then the other does. If this were on DVD/VHS I would buy a copy.

Saw this film while stationed at a remote site in the military. As I remember, it was one of the few movies, at the time, that really made me laugh. It so resembled the nuttiness of everyday military life. It displays attitudes of peoples from different cultures required to depend upon each other for survival. It shows that war, itself, is a national problem while the average soldier is really not so different from his enemy. If this were on DVD, I would purchase it, in a heartbeat. The truths brought forward in this story are as meaningful today as when I saw it in 1962. Best yet, every member of the military audience viewing it, laughed until they rolled. It didn't matter what their political orientation, the humor was there for all to see. If a fan of "King of Hearts", I recommend it.

This is a great movie. Last time I saw it was in the late 60s of the last century in local LA TV station and the first time was at a film festival in Peru in the early 60s as I was still living there. I still remember the acting from Sordi contrasted with that of Niven. The former bombastic and mercurial and the latter always calm and cool. The setting in the North African? wilderness-desert during WW II shows these enemies irritating each other with military moves until they are drawn together when they realize they might fall victim to the natives. I have been looking for this movie in VHS earlier and now on DVD. Has it been lost?

This movie is one of my favorites. Niven is hilarious as is Sordi. They play off each other beautifully and the script is a laugher from beginning to end. Sordi's wide-eyed expressions and expressive Italian style complimented Niven's traditional Brit, "Jolly ho, Old Pip!" making a wonderful film. The soccer game between the Italians and Brits using a round Ethiopian basket is a classic scene. I love this film, have seen it at least a dozen times and will see it again every chance I get. Hey, join in and see it too. You will not be disappointed.

Extras:
- Trailer