Camillo has a psichosomatic paralysis, can’t walk but there is nothing wrong with him. He is like this since his girlfriend Vittoria left him. He went to Lourdes with his brother Leone to help him and became friends with Orlando, also on a wheelchair.
When Vittoria goes back to Camillo, he soon finds he can walk again, but doesn’t want to tell anyone for Orlando’s sake. He tells his brother and Vittoria though.
He asks Vittoria to introduce a friend to Orlando, but it doesn’t go well. Orlando, not knowing that Vittoria is Camillo’s girlfriend, likes her instead of her friend. On the other hand, the girl Anita is a passionate supporter of Mussolini rising to power, and thinks him a subversive.
Orlando sees Camillo on his feet through a crack in the door.
Camillo tries to get a patent for his inventions, but it doesn’t go well because a cure for hair loss is not the priority during Mussolini’s reign.
Back home, he learns that Orlando went out with Vittoria and becomes crazy jealous, and is hurtful to them both.
She says she was simply translated his poems into French, but Camillo doesn’t relent, and after all Orlando was in love with Vittoria.
Because of Anita going to tell on Camillo’s political ideas, he is assaulted, but in defending himself one of the others gets shot in the leg, and Camillo ends up in prison.
Two years later, the prison has taken its toll and he is once again on a wheelchair. Well, he also thought that Orlando had gone to Paris with Vittoria, that they were together, but orlando comes to tell him he’ll soon be out of prison and that he was never with Vittoria.
Finally Camillo gets out and goes back home, to his brother and father.
Camillo is still crazy jealous and goes mad when he finds a postcard from Vittoria in Leone’s drawer, hidden away. He’s mad at his brother from keeping it from him, and since the postcard is a picture of her with the hat he gave Orlando (and Orlando gave it to her before she left), he thinks that she actually is with Orlando. Leone reinforces this idea. Leone had been the one always taking care of him and now he feels abandoned.
Camillo goes to Paris to look for Vittoria who is not at the old address, but some people help him find her. She works as a translator for an Italian writer and Camillo is of course sure that it is Orlando, who lied to him and betrayed him… but of course it’s not, Orlando is not the only man in Italy who writes.
Camillo talks with the writer (and once again is less than kind…) and waits for Vittoria to arrive.
They finally meet and kiss and promise to stay together forever.
Camillo Pianese - Massimo Troisi
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