Helen Tubbs	girl's mother
Bill Tubbs	girl's father
Gennaro Pisano	Celestino Esposito
Aldo Giuffré
Giacomo Furia	Romano Cuccurullo
John Falletta	Joe
Piero Carloni
Camillo Buonanni
Marilyn Buferd	american girl
Clara Bindi	Giulietta Del Bello
Giovanni Amato	major of the town
Aldo Nanni
Gajo Visconti

Celestino, humble photographer of the town, is a simple man, lover of justice and very devoted to S. Andrew. In a festival evening, an old man wayfarer, in which he recognizes his Saint, asks him a lodging and teaches him an infallible method to suppress, through his primitive photographic instrument, all the bad people and the dishonest polishing up the country. It will be enough that he photographs for the second time one person already photographed, withdrawing him from the first photo: the person so designated will die. An old stingy left a conspicuous sum to divide between the poorest three of the town: this generous act arouses the cupidities of many people, that start to be very active to prevent that the clauses will be carried out. Celestino intervenes, who does justice sending the wicked to the cemetery. The will is respected, the poor men are benefited; but Celestino dicovers that also the poor men are deceitful and he sends them to the cemetery too. At this point the wayfarer reappears, and he is not S. Andrea but a devil, he pointes out to Celestino that good cannot be gotten making the evil. Celestino rouse himself: it was only a strange dream. His presumed victims are all alive and well.

CRITIQUE

A fairy apologue that, for Rossellini, it had to educate, in Brecht’s way, the spectators. The neorealistic vein is watered to favor of a pleasant but of manner sketch. (“Dizionario dei film1998”, translated by Alice Castoldi)

NOTES

Assistant director: Massimo Mida Puccini and Renzo Avanzo
Sound: Eraldo Giordani and Mario Amari
Operator: Enrico Betti Berutto
From a subject of Eduardo and Giuseppe Marotta. The film’s working began in 1948, but was completed (probably by the assistants of Rossellini, Massimo Mida Puccini and Renzo Avanzo), only at the end of 1951: when it went out the following year, the film let record derisive collections.