Brilliant and touching

Absolutely amazing

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Filmed entirely in Italy in 1968, "Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell" received mixed reviews and just a modest box office return. This was 23 years after the end of World War II. But, was that enough time - or was it too long after WW II, for the public to enjoy a comedy about American GIs fathering a baby in wartime Europe? Now, decades later, this film can be enjoyed as a very good comedy with some redeeming aspects of wartime dalliances. The film has a first-rate cast for a very good comedy. It received three Golden Globe nominations. While the plot centers around Gina Lollobrigida as Carla Campbell, the film is several stories in one. They all get adequate time, with three or more overlapping most of the time. Three men, former WW II GIs who billeted in fictional San Forino, were "comforted" by the 16-year-old Carla whose father had recently died. That happened over a 10-day period, with each man assigned to her house and then being transferred on a mission. Three weeks later, she found out she was pregnant, but couldn't know which of the men was the father. These men have now come to San Forino for a reunion of the 293rd squadron of the Air Force (formerly, Army Air Forces). And they have their spouses with them, as well as one family of three children. No one knows of the others, and each man is looking forward to meeting his daughter for the first time. Telly Savalas is superb as Walter Braddock and Lee Grant plays his wife, Fritzie, superbly. Phil Silvers is in his usual screen character as Phil Newman, and Shelley Winters excels as his wife, Shirley. Peter Lawford plays Justin Young and Marian McCargo plays his wife, Lauren. Then there's Carla's household. Her daughter, Gia, is played by Janet Margolin. Philippe Leroy does a superb job as Vittorio. He is Carla's vintner, hired man and clandestine lover. And, Naomi Stevens plays Carla's maid, Rosa. Smaller stories within this menagerie include the Air Force reunion and the contessa of the village.The screenplay for this film is very clever. It is built around two major deceits that backfire. In turn, that leads to discoveries that reveal the respective coverup. But much comedy and serious consideration of family and caring ensue. In the first deceit, the three Americans send their wives to the beauty parlor so that they, the men, can sneak off to see Carla and Gia. But the wives run into Carla and Gia at the salon and hear Gia tell her story. In the second, Carla has lined up Gia to be a guide for one of the tour buses on its visit to Florence. But at the express office in Florence, Gia sees Shirley Newman discover that her husband and the other two Americans have long-standing accounts with her mother. The film has a warm and satisfying finish that includes bright outlooks for the three former GIs in their marriages, and humbling of Carla with her final acceptance by the contessa as a result. Even though the story and film are fiction, some things about it are confusing. This may point to screenplay goofs or oversights. For instance, the GIs were in an air force squadron that would be stationed on or very near an air base with landing fields. Yet, San Forino is a mountain village, a good distance from any level terrain. Surely, towns on the plains and closer to the air base would have been used for overflow troop billets. Numbers present several confusing situations in the film. The movie was made in 1968. The fictional town of San Forino in the movie is near Florence, which was liberated by the Allies on Aug. 4, 1944. The Allies would have taken over or built an air base and field shortly thereafter. The war in Europe ended on May 8, 1945. So, the American GIs would have been in San Forino in the late summer or fall of 1944 when their dalliances with Carla took place. And, a 20th anniversary reunion of the squadron and town would have been in the summer of 1964. But Gia is only 18 years old. Allowing for the nine months pregnancy, this would be the summer of 1963. Yet, the three Americans had been sending checks regularly for 20 years. In the film, Justin Young does some figuring about what the three men have paid Carla. Justin says, "All right, gentlemen. Read 'em and weep. You averaged 85 a month, you a hundred and 15, me a hundred and 40. Which, over 20 years, compounded at six percent interest, would come to a hundred and ninety-seven thousand dollars." That figure is $40,000 too high. The correct amount would be just over $157,000. Justin didn't know his math very well. Neither did the screenwriter or director. Carla took her phony married name from the Campbell soup cans that Justin brought her. They weren't part of the C- or K-rations of the Army, so he would have to have received them from home. One can think of many food and other items that GIs would like from home before cans of soup. Campbell's soup sure got great publicity out of this film. Here's one of my all-time favorite hilarious exchanges in films. For more funny dialog, see the Quotes section under this IMDb Web page of the film. Fritzie Braddock, "Whadda we do in the morning?" Walter Braddock, "I can't." Fritzie, "You can't what?" Walter, "Whatever it is, I can't. I've got a meeting." Fritzie, "All right. Then I won't either." Walter, "You won't what?" Fritzie, "Whatever it is you can't, I won't." Walter, "Well, then don't." Fritzie, "I won't." Walter, "Okay! Anything you say. Just let's have a good time." Fritzie, "All right, let's have a good time." Walter, "Okay!"

A fun comedy with all star international cast. Even if it stars three big Hollywood actors, the film is hijacked by scene stealing performances from the 3 main actresses: Gina Lollobrigida, Shelley Winters and Lee Grant. Grant plays a smart-ass who's mouth would make a trucker blush. She plays her role as if she was afraid she would be eclipsed by either Gina or Shelley. It didn't happen. She clearly stands out in her scenes.Then there's the incorporable Shelley Winters, who, in her own style and fashion, gives gravitas to a role that could have easily been bland and forgettable and instead is filled with warmth and genuine comedic understanding.But the best performance in this comedy belongs to sexy Gina. Gina was best in comedies and here she excels with unusual aplomb. The role was probably written with her in mind but Gina took it and made it her own. I can't imagine anyone else as Mrs Campbell. It's a role that could have been played in a trashy way but Gina is such a pro that she makes the story of a young girl who slept with 3 soldiers in a span of 10 days sound like clean cut fun. It's definitely one of Gina's best role in her entire career.The male cast is also good but their roles are somewhat underwritten and do the best with what they have. Surprisingly, Phil Silvers AND Telly Savalas, who both usually annoy me in other films, are actually pretty good here. Lawford is the one that registers the least. Vittorio, played by hunky Philippe Leroy, who's Mrs Campbell's current lover, is used as window dressing. The 3 bright performances from the actresses elevate it to an above average comedy.

For a one-idea plot this is reasonably entertaining if you're prepared to overlook the dubious morality of the eponymous character who not only had unprotected sex with three different men in three weeks but cynically accepted monthly checques from each of them for 20 years which by extension depended on convincing and/or allowing each of the three men to think he was the father of her daughter. Having invented, for the benefit of her neighbors to say nothing of her daughter, a dead husband whose name she took from a can of soup the only suspense element is how and when the truth will leak out. With a premise like this the only way to go is to contrive a way for all three men to be in the same place at the same time and once that happens it's just a matter of how long it takes for them to wise up. Given that the three were all with the USAF during World War II the idea of a twentieth reunion sets the ball rolling on what has the makings of a deft farce in the best Feydeau style but turns out to be club-footed. People like Lee Grant and Phil Silvers are basically slumming here whilst Peter Lawford turns in his usual wooden performance and Shelly Winters does her strident bit. Gina Lollobrigida is good to look at but that's about the best you can give it.

One of the best comedies ever made, full of comic details, non-stop hilarity, one of those rare movies that can be seen again and again and it gets better every time. A comedy that doesn't insult human dignity or intellect, full of interesting characters and vignettes, and a lot of emotion too. Not surprisingly, the acting is fabulous when the writing is good. Everyone gives a memorable performance. It doesn't get any better than this. Funniest lines: "In the Piazza", "Doesn't do windows", "Campbell is a noble name". "Is mom going to sing?" "Grazie, grazie very much". "A few Berlitz lessons, and...". "So many of you left a little something here". Lolobgrigida, Winters and Savalas are priceless. The tune by Ortolani fits the movie perfectly. I first saw it in 1969, then in 1983. After so many years it doesn't get stale. That's what I call a classic.