Law Is the Law, The

Hajnal Gabriella

Publication Date: 1959

About this Item

Size: A1 1 Sheet (cca. 59 x 84 cm). The Law Is the Law is a 1959 vintage Hungarian movie poster designed by Gabriella Hajnal The Law Is the Law French La loi c est la loi Italian La legge legge is a 1958 French Italian comedy film directed by Christian Jaque It was entered into the 8th Berlin International Film Festival In the village of Assola divided in half by the French Italian border the Neapolitan smuggler Giuseppe La Paglia Toto and the French customs officer Ferdinand Pastorelli Fernandel play a daily cat and mouse game with Ferdinand trying to arrest Giuseppe and Giuseppe trying to smuggle goods under Ferdinand s nose On a celebration day on the town s French side Ferdinand catches Giuseppe smuggling goods over the border and after a chase finally arrests him consequently arriving late to the traditional parade where he was supposed to carry the French flag During the following reception at the Two Borders Hotel which as the name suggests is divided in half by the border Giuseppe still under custody discovers that Ferdinand was born to an Italian mother and an unknown father in the very kitchen of the hotel s restaurant The kitchen is located in the Italian part of the hotel so Giuseppe argues that Ferdinand is actually Italian and is thus not entitled to act as a French customs officer making his arrest unlawful At a subsequent audit with the municipal authorities of Assola Ferdinand discovers that the man who recorded his birth Gaspar Donnadi owner of the Two Borders failed to register him in the right place the Italian municipality The same Donadi tells Ferdinand that he went to the French Townhall because it was raining that day and it was a shorter walk than going to the Italian one Risking to lose his job Ferdinand asks for Giuseppe s help and is taken by him to the Italian side to apply for an Italian identity document the plan being to subsequently request French naturalisation thus fixing his position But according to a French politician friend of his father in law having become an Italian citizen will prevent Ferdinand from restoring his French nationality and will also render his marriage invalid and his son illegitimate As if that was not enough Ferdinand is placed in custody by the Italian police together with his first wife Antoinette now married to Giuseppe because under Italian law which does not allow for divorce they are still married and Antoinette is therefore a bigamist Clarified her marital situation her first marriage was invalid because of Ferdinand s irregular status Antoinette is released On the contrary Ferdinand is kept because having served in the war for the French for the Italians he is a deserter He is returned to the cell where now he finds Giuseppe who has managed to get arrested in order to not leave his wife alone with her ex husband Ferdinand dejected by being called a deserter attempts suicide but is persuaded to desist by Giuseppe He is then released by the police sergeant who reviewing the case has discovered that Ferdinand is no longer considered a deserter under the Italian law but has instead lost all rights to be an Italian citizen Being no longer Italian he is escorted to the border to be sent back to France but he is blocked there by the head of the local Gendarmerie because he is undocumented and can not enter in the country Ferdinand has now become both homeless and stateless Tired of this whole affair he flees to the mountains armed with the rifle he used as a marksman during the war to plot his revenge against everyone that wronged him From the top of a mountain above the village he starts firing first notice shots to all his persecutors carefully listed in his notepad After this first round of non lethal warning shots aimed only at their property he plans to execute them one by one Giuseppe also receives a warning in the form of a letter if he does not bring Ferdinand some food he too will be put on the list of culprits Giuseppe decides to help Ferdinand and asks for. Seller Inventory # 5123

Bibliographic Details

Title: Law Is the Law, The

Publication Date: 1959

Binding: Paper, offset lithography.