Nerone

Nerone (1930) is an Italian comedy film, directed by Alessandro Blasetti. It stars Ettore Petrolini as the main actor. It has been described as a "Roman farce", a genre which was popular in Italy at the time. It is a parody of the Roman Empire and of the notorious Roman emperor, Nero. It was shot at the Cines Studios in Rome. According to some critics, this parody was actually a satire against the fascist dictatorship and Benito Mussolini. A full copy of the film no longer exists; there are only several excerpts that were included in the documentary Antologia Petrolini that was edited by the National Film Library and was shown at the 1952 Venice Film Festival. Synopsis The film features some unforgettable characters (more precisely in Italian: macchiette) created by Ettore Petrolini: Gastone, Fortunello and Nero. Nero, who rides a bicycle, which burns Rome with a match, then calls the fire department by phone from the imperial palace. There is also Petrolini in his dressing room surrounded by admirers, including a young girl who returns to the theater the next day, between the two was born a flirt, but the actor will not leave the theater to go out with her.