Toto Looks for a House () is a 1949 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli and Steno. The film is stylistically related to Italian neorealism, though it can be seen as a parody. It was a commercial success, being the second most popular film at the box office that year.
Plot
In an post-war period Italy, the problem for every citizen is to find a comfortable place to live. Beniamino Lomacchio (Totò) is one of the many people without a home and, together with his family, he has been living in a school. He cannot live there much longer, though, because school re-opens in September. Beniamino is a poor clerk and does not know what to do; he just hopes he'll find a comfortable apartment with a landlord who doesn't ask for too much rent.
One day, however, Beniamino finds a place to move into: a cemetery caretaker's house. Not all the family is convinced it's a great idea. They stay there for a short while, fleeing when they think they see a ghost. After leaving the house, Beniamino finds another job at the studio of an artist. But even here the family Lomacchio will not agree with Beniamino. They then find a large apartment. But they've been cheated; the apartment has already been rented out to another family. Eventually, even after staying in the Colosseum, Beniamino is in a car accident. He has finally found a home: a psychiatric hospital.
Cast
Totò as Beniamino Lomacchio
Alda Mangini as Amalia, la moglie de Lomacchio
Lia Molfesi as Aida, la figlia
Mario Gattari as Figlio
Aroldo Tieri as Checchino, il fidanzato
Folco Lulli as Turco
Enzo Biliotti as Il sindaco
Mario Castellani as Truffatore
Pietro De Vico as Cinese
Flavio Forin as Vedovo
Giacomo Furia as Pasquale Saluto
Marisa Merlini as Patronessa
Luigi Pavese as Capo ufficio
Cesare Polacco as Vice custode
Alfredo Ragusa as Bidello
References
Bibliography
Bondanella, Peter. A History of Italian Cinema. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2009.