La compagnia dei matti (1928) - Seeing Venice and a baby-faced De Sica

Is this worth watching today? Honestly, only if you have a deep love for Venice or you’re doing a marathon of early Italian cinema. If you hate silent movies where the plot feels like it’s being made up as they go, you will probably hate this. But for everyone else, it's a cozy, slightly confusing trip to the past. 🛶

The whole thing is about these guys who are bored and decide to start a 'Company of Fools.' It sounds like a bad idea from the start. They basically just wander around getting into trouble and making life hard for the girls in the cast.

The main reason anyone talks about this now is Vittorio De Sica. He is so young here he barely looks like the man who directed the heavy stuff later on. He has this weird energy where he’s trying to be funny but also looks like he’s just happy to be there.

There is a scene with a letter that just goes on and on. Like, we get it, he’s reading the letter! ✉️ The camera just sits there and stares at him while he makes about fifteen different facial expressions. It’s a bit much, but also kind of sweet in a way.

The shots of the canals are actually the best part. It doesn't look like the polished Venice you see in modern travel shows. It looks a bit grimy and real. You can almost smell the water through the screen.

I found myself thinking about Man and Maid while watching this, mostly because of how much more 'natural' the acting felt there. In this one, everyone is constantly gesturing like they are trying to land a plane.

The plot with the girl, played by Elena Lunda, is pretty standard. She spends a lot of time looking worried or surprised. Sometimes both at the same time. Her hats are incredible though. 👒

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of La compagnia dei matti (1928) through its definitive frames.

There is one guy who wears these tiny glasses that look like they’re about to fall off his nose every second. I spent ten minutes just waiting for them to drop. They never did. It was very distracting.

The movie gets much better when they are actually outside. The indoor sets feel a bit like a dusty theater stage. But once they get onto a boat, the movie breathes. It feels less like a play and more like a real slice of life from 1928.

It reminds me of the pacing in The Little 'Fraid Lady where things just sort of happen because the script says so. There isn't a lot of logic to why these guys are so dedicated to being 'fools.'

One reaction shot of Celio Bucchi lingers so long it actually becomes funny. He just stares into the middle distance like he forgot his next move. I think they just kept the cameras rolling to save film.

The ending is... well, it's an ending. It wraps up the romance in a way that feels completely unearned. But that’s silent comedy for you. Everyone gets married and we all go home.

If you've seen things like A Tailor-Made Man, you know how these social comedies usually go. This one is just the Italian version with more hand-waving and better scenery.

I liked the music they played with the print I saw, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't original. It was way too upbeat for some of the more boring parts.

Anyway, it’s a fine way to spend ninety minutes if you don't mind a bit of melodramatic fluff. Just don't expect it to change your life. It’s just a bunch of guys being idiots in a beautiful city. 🇮🇹