Doctor and the Healer

Doctor and the Healer (Il medico e lo stregone) is a 1957 Italian comedy directed by Mario Monicelli, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Agenore Incrocci and Furio Scarpelli. The score was composed by Nino Rota.

The story unfolds in the fictional village of Pianeta, in the province of Avellino. When Francesco, a young doctor, is assigned to the village, he immediately finds himself in rivalry with Don Antonio, the local man known as 'the healer'. The villagers are torn between the modern medicine the newcomer represents and the traditional remedies of the charismatic figure they have trusted for years, and the duel between the two men generates a string of comic situations.

The film stars Vittorio De Sica, Marcello Mastroianni, Alberto Sordi and Marisa Merlini. Described by some sources as an Italian-French co-production, it is regarded as one of the early works in the commedia all'italiana tradition, playfully exploring the clash between science and superstition in a small-town setting.