Il Cappotto

An unassuming young municipal clerk, Carmine De Carmine, urgently needs a new overcoat as his old coat has grown rather shabby. Thanks to a stroke of luck, he is able to have a new coat made to measure by a tailor. However, the new coat totally transforms the poor clerk’s character, turning him from a shy, timid man into an audacious social climber. Eventually wangling an invitation to a New Year’s Eve party at the house of the Secretary General, he even manages to persuade Caterina, the mayor’s mistress, to dance with him. However, when the time comes to leave the party, he finds that a thief has stolen his coat…

Based on Nikolai Gogol's story with the location changed from Russia to Italy and the time changed to the present (1952), the story is about a poor city-hall clerk (Renato Rascel) whose only desire is for a new overcoat. The town Mayor (Giulio Stival) is planning a reception for some visiting VIP's in honor of a new, wasteful piece of construction. The clerk bungles his assignment and is fired. But he stumbles onto some bribery concerning the architects and, to keep him quiet, he's given his job back plus a bonus. He buys his long-cherished overcoat, and it makes him so presentable he wins newly-found respect from everybody. But his coat is stolen and the bitter weather causes him to contact a fever and he dies. His funeral upsets the Mayor's reception when he returns as a ghost.

La vita di Raimund Gregorius è ben organizzata, ma monotona e prevedibile. Il 57enne professore di latino vive in un piccolo appartamento a Berna, ogni giorno si reca a scuola dove insegna una materia che suscita poco interesse negli studenti, la sera, non potendo dormire, gioca da solo a scacchi. Il giorno che cambierà per sempre la sua vita inizia come qualsiasi…