The Return of Don Camillo (1953)

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The films from the Don Camillo series were a favorite of mine even when I was only 10 or 12, despite many very adult themes - witness to the genius and timeless humor of writer Giovannino Guareschi. It's been a while but now that there's a restored DVD collection available (with some scenes I had never seen because they were cut from the dubbed release) we revisited the whole series and they do stand the test of time. Not only are they great comedy - physical as well as satirical - but they are also a kind of historic documents, capturing the soul of the time and region and politics like few others. The fact that much of the film is shot in a kind of realismo makes the absurd situations only the funnier!I'm not a religious man myself but Fernandel's portrayal of the stalwart, choleric and compassionate priest is captivating; one of the all-time great performances in film history.

This is another excellent film in Duvivier's Don Camillo series. A sequel to the first film, it resumes at the exact moment its predecessor left off, with the obstinate priest heading into exile on the train.There are a few less humorous moments in this sequel and the pacing is a little problematic at times with several slow periods but the film overcomes this as its builds towards its conclusion.There is much more symbolism in this entry. As Don Camillo enters his exile, he is also faced with a spiritual drought as Jesus seemingly falls silent. Camillo's exile is on a mountain, a traditional place for seeking communion with God, yet here God seems to be silent. The scene in which Don struggles up the mountain track in the rain with the crucifix is possibly the most powerful in series.The battle of wits with the mayor is a little laboured this time but there are still many, many wonderful comic moments, most notably those involving the elderly villager who repeatedly refuses to die.Despite a few mild criticisms, this film again comes extremely highly recommended for the whole family. The warmth and humour negate any potential for didacticism. Instead, we have one of the classic characters from world literature brought perfectly to life by Fernandel in a wonderful comedy classic that will be loved by Christians of all denominations.

The French comedian Fernandel made five films in which he played the priest Don Camillo. Unfortunately, I placed this film above the original film in the series on my Netflix queue! Yes, that means I haven't yet seen the first film, but fortunately the second one gives a recap of events leading up to the next film. And, I promise to see the first one ASAP! This film finds the priest being punished by the church for being so pugnacious. He's sent to a horrible parish--the top of a mountain where there are almost no people and those who do live there mostly just stay home. He has little to do and is bored. At the same time, his old town is NOT happy now that he's gone. Despite several townspeople hating him (especially the mayor), the rest of the folks are miserable and stop participating in church activities and the church falls into a state of disrepair. The bottom line is that the town, despite pushing him to be replaced, really wants him back.Eventually he is returned to the town and there are several crises that need his help. The one that persists throughout the episode is the problem about building a dam. The city needs it to stop flooding but the guy with the land is being stubborn and won't agree to let them use it. The communist mayor hates to admit it, but he needs Don Camillo's help--not just with this but with his oldest son. Unfortunately for Don Camillo, he can't just punch people and make things right and must rely on God's guidance through some tough times. And, not surprisingly, by the end, change takes place in the most unusual and unexpected ways--and with the most unexpected people.This is a nice, gentle comedy and it reminded me a bit of the Catanflas film "The Little Priest" (from Mexico). Both films feature very unconventional priests who sometimes resort to worldly solutions to problems. In the case of Catanflas, he might gamble--but all for God's glory. And with Fernandel, he uses his fists--but again, to God's glory. What makes this unusual, though, is that Jesus talks to him--telling him that this is NOT the way to solve problems! While this might seem a bit sacrilegious, it seemed pretty benign to me--and Jesus did not come off badly as a result.By the way, I was surprised that this was an Italian film. I naturally assumed that with Fernandel it would be a French language film and him speaking Italian surprised me, as I'd only seen him speaking French in the other films in which I'd seen him.

Another little gem to watch! Don Camillo returns to its cherished parish after a forced "séjour" in the mountain. The mayor is happy to see him back, cause he sees in him a formidable adversary. Yes Peppone and Don Camillo are adversary, but deep down inside, they need each other. Another look at life in a little post-WWII Italian village, where catholism and communism fight each other.Out of 100, I give it 82. That's good for *** out of ****.Seen at home, in Toronto, on September 10th, 2002.