Il Marchese del Grillo

Mario Monicelli directed Il Marchese del Grillo, a 1981 Italian historical comedy. A co-production between Italy and France running roughly 135 minutes, it follows a nobleman living in Rome, with Alberto Sordi playing the title character. Released abroad as "The Marquis of Grillo", it blends costume drama with satire.

The story unfolds in the early nineteenth century, in the Rome of Pope Pius VII. At its centre is Onofrio del Grillo, a prank-loving aristocrat whose character is drawn from folk tales told about the real Onofrio del Grillo, a man of the eighteenth century. His jokes eventually stretch to the point where even the Pope is drawn in. Alongside Sordi, the cast includes Paolo Stoppa, Flavio Bucci, Leopoldo Trieste, Marina Confalone, Marc Porel, Camillo Milli, Riccardo Billi and Pietro Tordi.

The screenplay is the joint work of Leonardo Benvenuti, Piero De Bernardi and Monicelli. The film played in the competition of the 32nd Berlin International Film Festival, and in 1982 Monicelli took the Silver Bear for Best Director. It also won two David di Donatello awards, for production design and for costumes. Its best-remembered line, Io sò io, e voi non siete un cazzo ("I am who I am, and you are nobody"), is borrowed from an 1831 sonnet by Belli.