Il giovedì (The Thursday). 1964. Italy. Directed by Dino Risi. Screenplay by Franco Castellano, Giuseppe Moccia, Dino Risi. With Walter Chiari, Michèle Mercier, Roberto Ciccolini, Olympia Cavalli. In Italian; English subtitles. 110 min.
The awkward and often hilarious reunion between a divorced father and his precocious eight-year-old son is beautifully observed in Risi’s tender comedy. Walter Chiari, a good-for-nothing who dreams of building an empire selling Encyclopedia Brittanicas, embellishes his life to impress his son (effortlessly played by child actor Roberto Cicciolini), only to discover that the boy, whom he hasn’t seen in years, harbors his own share of restless loneliness. New 35mm print courtesy Luce Cinecittà.