A fundamental film for Alberto Sordi’s evolution as an actor and the only screenplay written solely by Brancati (who unfortunately died during filming). After Anni facili, Zampa raised the stakes with the ambition of describing more than forty years of trasformismo and political apathy through the story of Sasà Scimoni, a socialist who becomes fascist and in the post-war period creates a career as a religious film producer with money of dubious origin.

Scimoni, Vittorio Spinazzola wrote (in Goffredo Fo , Alberto Sordi), is “a symbol of the political irresponsibility of a disjointed and corrupt class, only concerned with having the appearance of whoever is in power at the moment. … He does not embody a drop of heroic cynicism, which even a great villain requires; blindsided by his utilitarianism, the smalltime opportunist’s perspective is too narrow to recognize in time which way the wind is blowing.” And the irredeemable medioc- rity of Sordi’s character is the great perception of Zampa and Brancati, almost at the same time as Rodolfo Sonego’s work for Il seduttore.

This time the censorship board, burnt by the experience with Anni facili, is almost pacific: Zampa’s battle had an effect. But critics were once again lukewarm.