Maddalena, zero in condotta (1940)
Directed by Vittorio De Sica

Film Review

In the decade before he won international recognition as one of the masters of Italian neo-realism, Vittorio De Sica cut his directorial teeth making modest crowd-pleasers such as this.  De Sica was not only a great director but was also a talented actor and plays the lead male role in this film.  Maddalena, zero in condotta may not bear comparison with the director's subsequent masterworks Sciuscià (1946) and Ladri di biciclette (1948) but it is a diverting rom-com, with some enchanting performances and some delicious comedy.

Film Synopsis

Elisa Malgari is a newly recruited teacher in a business school for young women.  Teased by her pupils, Elisa begins to dislike her job and finds solace in the letters she writes to a fictitious Alfredo Hartman.  One of her letters finds its way into the hands of one of her pupils, Maddalena Lenci, who decides to post it, believing it to be a genuine love letter.  As luck would have it, there is such a man as Alfredo Hartman, and when he receives the letter he is curious to know who sent it to him...