Casotto (1977) Beach House

Director: Sergio Citti
Writers: Vincenzo Cerami (short story), Vincenzo Cerami (screenplay)
Stars: Catherine Deneuve, Jodie Foster, Paolo Stoppa

A summer Sunday in a beach hut at Lido di Ostia (Rome). Many people and stories: a female basketball team; two fitness-mad soldiers; two petrol pump attendants with their girlfriends; a priest with a big secret; two grand-parents with their pregnant grand-daughter; an engaged couple trying to have sex for the first time. And so on…

If French director Jaques Tati were born in Italy, had a much smaller budget and was somewhat of a pervert he probably would have directed films like "In the Beachouse", a wildly offbeat comedy with no plot! The entire movie more-or-less takes place in an ocean-side dressing house, a series of reoccurring site-gags and hilarious character studies. A real-time interaction between a large group of unusual people including 2 prostitutes and their reluctant and somewhat bizarre client, an all-girl swim team, a large black dog and a scene stealing white chihuahua, and a couple trying to get their knocked-up under age grand daughter laid so they can pin the blame on some poor schmuck and marry her off. The grand daughter, incidentally, is played by a nubile Jody Foster (!!!) who probably doesn't mention this film much in her résumé! With a mostly Italian cast including Ugo Tognazzi and featuring Catherine Deneuve in a dream sequence.

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