Guardia, guardia scelta, brigadiere e maresciallo (1956)

In Rome, four zealous city police officers, all members of the band, grapple with the generally negative opinion the public has formed of their profession in a series of interwoven vignettes. The kindness and long-suffering indulgence of Pietro Spaziani—who even lets himself be overwhelmed by a boy riding a scooter with both his parents (the memorable line: “My father’s right, all cops are s...”)—is contrasted with the stern professionalism of Alberto Randolfi. Randolfi torments his bunkmate, Paolo, by making him study French in preparation for an exam that could propel his career forward. He forgives no infraction, handing out tickets to senior government officials, firemen, and even a passerby who fails to cross with sufficient precision at the pedestrian crossing. He will miserably fail the French exam and, because of his innate intolerance, be transferred to Milan, where he will utter the famous line, “El magùn, ammazza che magone.” Giuseppe Manganiello is less meticulous and less devoted to his work: a great fan of classical music, he often sleeps on the job. He is obsequious and ingratiating toward the marshal, and claims to be the nephew of a monsignor, though he is actually related to the housekeeper. He insists on considering himself a talented composer, but always ends up giving in to the evidence: everything he composes has already been written. In the background is the love story between Spaziani’s eldest daughter and her boxer boyfriend.