Ferdinand the 1° King of Naples

Titanus, the leading production company of the time, released this Eastmancolor–filmed blockbuster, which imaginatively reimagines the figure of the last king of the Bourbon dynasty before the unification of Italy. This farcical comedy centers on a ridiculous and depraved dictator-king, hated by the people, against whom a revolt is brewing—thanks in part to a satirical song written by Pulcinella. Director Gianni Franciolini casts the leading actors of Italian cinema at the time, including Aldo Fabrizi (the priest in Rome Open City) and Marcello Mastroianni just before La Dolce Vita. But the two great De Filippo brothers stand out above all: brilliant comic actor Peppino as the King, and Eduardo, the greatest playwright of 20th-century Italy alongside Luigi Pirandello, in the role of Pulcinella. The interior scenes of the palace were filmed in the actual Royal Palace of Caserta. Courtesy of the Cineteca di Bologna.