ALLEGRO NON TROPPO (1977)

UH-OH, LOOKS LIKE OPRAH'S HUNGRY AGAIN.

Carl Palmer of Emerson, Lake and Palmer was once asked why his band felt the need to do hamfisted rock versions of classical pieces, and he said "Hey, if it gets kids who wouldn't normally listen to classical music to hear a few of the masters, then why knock it?" Well, that's not a direct quote because I don't actually have the beat-up 1976 issue of CREEM to transcribe from, but you get the idea. And hey, if it takes a bunch of wacky Marx Brothers slapstick skits and some animated tits and ass to get Italian men interested in Sibelius, then why knock ALLEGRO NON TROPPO either? I mean, the film knocks itself before anyone else can anyway - no sooner do they start filming when the narrator gets a phone call from a lawyer representing "Prisney" or "Bisney" in Hollywood who claim "they've already done something like this."

HOPE THEY HAVE CONDOMS ON THE YELLOW SUBMARINE.

Prisneyland's got nothing to worry about. The animation in Bruno Bozetto's ALLEGRO NON TROPPO is much closer to FRITZ THE CAT and HEAVY METAL anyway. But I liked both those movies, and I liked ALLEGRO NON TROPPO too - if the animation's not as polished as Prisney Studios, it's also not as sterile. There's a loose, unfinished and deeply disturbed feel to these cartoons. I wouldn't be surprised if the animators weren't using some chemical substances to enhance their work - these were the late 70's after all.

DON'T EAT THE BROWN ACID, MAN!

The Evolution/Ascent of Man segment is one long acid trip, and there's another segment involving a stray cat and an abandoned building that had to have been created on the most powerful downers ever made. It's a powerful piece alright, but Jesus, this segment's more depressing than a LEAVING LAS VEGAS marathon.

DON'T WORRY, THERE'S A HAPPY ENDING. OH WAIT, NO THERE'S NOT.

So if you compare ALLEGRO NON TROPPO side by side with FANTASIA, it just doesn't match up. The budgets aren't the same, the slapstick live action segments nearly sink this one, and besides, the two films feel completely different. But dare I say ALLEGRO seems to stick with you longer, somewhere deep in your gut, that is, if you make it through the whole thing without taking an Atra blade to your wrists. And if it got the Italian kiddies of the Seventies to listen to Sibelius more than a shitty Emerson Lake and Palmer triple live record, then I'd say it's done its job admirably. Hey Bruno Bozetto, you've just created a FANTASIA for pill-poppers and acid freaks! What are you gonna do next? I'm going to Prisneyworld!

WELCOME BACK, MY FRIENDS, TO THE SHOW THAT NEVER ENDS. NO, I'M SERIOUS, IT REALLY NEVER ENDS.