The Overcoat is a film adaptation of a well-known short story by Nikolai Gogol, only it lifts the dark, tragicomedy tone that seems so quintessential to Russian stories and transports it to contemporary Italy. Of course, by contemporary, I mean 1952, as that was when Alberto Lattuada directed the film. Now being released as another installment in RaroVideo’s series of digitally restored Italian classics, The Overcoat benefits from being wholly devoted to the bleak, stereotypically Russian nature of the story, and including enough of Gogol’s brand of sharp, satirical humor to keep the viewer from being completely blindsided by our protagonist’s agony.
Said protagonist is Carmine, played by Renato Rascel with puppyish sad eyes and a pathetically drooping mustache, as well as a keen talent for physical comedy that adds to the viewer’s discomfort as Carmine stumbles from one horrible situation to the next. He’s an inept city hall clerk whose only dream is to save enough money to buy a fancy new overcoat. This dream appears to be put on hold when his continual bungling gets him fired by the cruel Mayor (Giulio Stival) before a glamorous reception with high-powered guests in honor of some new construction. Fortunately Carmine manages maneuver his way back into a job, and a hefty bonus, without even trying, when he bears witness to some of the massive corrupt scheme surrounding the construction. He uses that bonus to buy the coat of his dreams, and for a brief moment, it appears that lonely little Carmine has finally turned his life around and become someone who is as important as he appears to be when donning that expensive coat.
Naturally, in Russian literature, nothing is that easy, and it isn’t in this film either. It’s tough to watch, in both the manner of the bleakest tragedies as well as Ricky Gervais comedies are, but it’s so well made that the viewer will want to hold out until the bitter end to see how Carmine fares. The Overcoat is a film buoyed by great performances and cinematography and a must-see for fans of classic European cinema.
DVD SPECIAL FEATURES
The Overcoat includes more bonuses than many of RaroVideo’s other releases, including audio commentary by Italian film historian Flavio de Bernardinis and an interview with Italian filmmaker Angelo Pasquini. There are also cut scenes and, separate from the disc itself, the usual thick colorful booklet with history and critical analysis of the film.
"The Overcoat" is on sale January 17, 2012 and is not rated. Foreign. Directed by Alberto Lattuada. Written by Alberto Lattuada, Giorgio Prosperi, Giordano Corsi. Starring Giulio Stival, Renato Rascel, Yvonne Sanson.
