Hot Potato | |
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Directed by | Steno |
Written by | Steno Giorgio Arlorio Enrico Vanzina |
Produced by | Achille Manzotti |
Starring | Renato Pozzetto |
Cinematography | Giorgio Arlorio |
Edited by | Raimondo Crociani |
Music by | Totò Savio |
Release date | 16 November 1979 |
Running time | 100 minutes |
Country | Italy |
Language | Italian |
Hot Potato (Italian: La patata bollente) is a 1979 Commedia all'italiana film directed by Steno. The film discusses a range of issues such as homophobia in the political left, Anni di piombo violence, working class culture, and the sustainability of Eurocommunism.[1]
Bernardo Mambelli nicknamed "il Gandi" (Renato Pozzetto) is a PCI militant and pugilist working at a Milanese paint factory. One night, he sees a fascist gang beating a frail young man (Massimo Ranieri). He saves the man and brings him to his house to learn that he is Claudio, a homosexual. With nowhere to go and recovering from the assault, Claudio starts staying at Bernardo's house but a series of typical misunderstandings lead his comrades as well as his girlfriend Maria (Edwige Fenech) to believing that he has "turned gay". Bernardo is now seen as a potential lost cause and the ongoings soon reveal a "hot potato" situation for him.