La voglia matta (Lockende Unschuld)

While driving his sports car, engineer Antonio Berlingheri (Ugo Tognazzi) encounters a group of teenagers, helps them, and ends up joining their weekend trip to the seaside, despite being put off by their attitude. When he falls head over heels for the beautiful Francesca (Catherine Spaak), he takes on all sorts of challenges to compete with the young men. In his second major comedy with Tognazzi—again written with Castellano & Pipolo and accompanied by a Morricone score—Luciano Salce fully embraces the contemporary setting, delivering a scathing commentary on the generational divide in the era of Italy's economic boom. The protagonist, seeking to escape his midlife crisis, makes a (tragic) fool of himself: instead of blending into youth culture, he is confronted with his own mortality. Salce adds a bitter edge to the satire—and gives Tognazzi a role that allows him to showcase the full range of his acting talent. (Christoph Huber)

Photo: Austrian Film Museum