I ladri (lit. The Thieves) is a 1959 comedy film written and directed by Lucio Fulci and starring Totò and Giovanna Ralli.
Contents
Plot
Gangster Joe Castagneto is declared undesirable by the U.S. government and returns to Naples where, under a special surveillance, he will have to deal with the hard-working and smart Police Commissioner Gennaro Di Sapio.
Cast
Totò as Police Commissioner Gennaro Di Sapio
Armando Calvo as Joe Castagnato/Inspector Mac Millan
Giovanna Ralli as Maddalena Scognamiglio, Vincenzo's wife
Giacomo Furia as Vincenzo Scognamiglio
Enzo Turco as Brigadier Lanocella
Fred Buscaglione as himself
Juan José Menéndez as Alberto
Rafael Luis Calvo as Ciardella
Maria Luisa Rolando as Concetta Improta
Felix Fernandex as Dr. Ascione
Development
I ladri was an Italian and Spanish co-production between I.C.M. Roma based in Rome and Fénix Cooperativa Cinematográfica bnased in Spain. Interiors were filmed at Incir-De Parolis Studios in Rome.
I ladri was Lucio Fulci's first film as a director.
Release
I ladri was first released regionally in Italy. It received theatrical releases in Turin on August 25, Rome on September 6, and Bari on September 10, 1959.
It was released in Spain in as Contrabando en Nápoles in different cities: first in Barcelona on April 17, Madrid on December 12, 1960. It grossed a total of 263,690,000 Italian lire in Italy.
It received an Italian-language screening in Chicago on December 16, 1963 as Toto Commissario (I ladri).