Don Camillo: Monsignor (Italian: Don Camillo monsignore ma non troppo; French: Don Camillo Monseigneur!) is a 1961 Italian-French comedy film directed by Carmine Gallone, starring Fernandel and Gino Cervi. It is the fourth film of the Don Camillo franchise. René Barjavel wrote the French dialogues.
Don Camillo (Fernandel) and Peppone (Cervi) were both Kicked Upstairs: Peppone is now a communist senator, while Don Camillo is a monsignor in Vatican City. They both live in Rome, but they do not see each other. In Brescello, there is a quarrel between the municipality and the parish about a small chapel. This gives the opportunity to Peppone and Don Camillo to come back to their beloved home village.
Followed by Don Camillo in Moscow.
Don Camillo: Monsignor provides examples of:
- As You Know: A young priest enters Don Camillo's office in Rome. He tells that he is in charge of the affairs of the country, as Don Camillo knows.
- Briefcase Full of Money: Peppone won the lottery. Don Camillo collects the money for him and hides it into a briefcase.
- Contrived Coincidence: Don Camillo and Peppone go to Brescello on the same train. They are even in the same compartment.
- Country Mouse: Both Don Camillo and Peppone get bored in Rome. They jump at the first opportunity they have to go back to their beloved home village, Brescello.
- Due to the Dead: Don Camillo initially refuses to ring the bell for a communist activist who died during a protest, because he has no religious burial. Finally, he still rings the bell when the funeral procession crosses the main square of Brescello.
- Fully-Clothed Nudity: After Gisella stole his clothes while he was swimming, Don Camillo does not dare to go out of the river, and yet he wears well-covering underwear.
- Gone Swimming, Clothes Stolen: It is hot and Don Camillo decides to swim in the river. A communist woman steals his clothes while he is swimming. He arranges a revenge later on her with the help of her husband).
- Hearing Voices: Don Camillo cannot hear the voice of Jesus when he is in Rome. He hears it again in Brescello.
- Humiliation Conga: Gisella, a communist activist who had stolen the clothes of Don Camillo, is humiliated by Don Camillo and Marasca, her husband. Don Camillo catches her and ties her up. Marasca then puts red paint on her clothes. After the villagers find her, she becomes the laughing stock of Brescello, so that she does not dare to go out any more.
- Hypocritical Humor: Don Camillo meets Peppone in the train, as they are both going to Brescello. They both lie to each other and tell that they are going elsewhere. When Don Camillo realizes that Peppone lied to him, he criticizes Peppone for being a liar.
- Kicked Upstairs: Don Camillo and Peppone both caused too much trouble in Brescello. They are both promoted: Peppone becomes a communist senator, while Don Camillo becomes a monsignor. They both have to leave Brescello and to live in Rome.
- Previously on…: The film opens with clips of the previous movies.
- Shoutout: The narrator compares Walter and Rosetta with Romeo and Juliet.
- Significant Anagram: Someone wins big at the lottery under the strange name "Pepito Sbazzeguti". Don Camillo quickly pieces together that it's "Giuseppe Bottazzi", i.e. Peppone, who doesn't want his fellow communists to know that he's rich now.
- Stay in the Kitchen: Marasca, the husband of Gisella, is desperate because she is a communist activist and she does not look after the house any more. With the help of Don Camillo, Marasca humiliates Gisella, so that she is forced to stay home because she has become the laughing stock of the village.
- Vehicular Sabotage: Subverted. Don Camillo asks Peppone to sabotage the car that must bring him back to Rome. At first Don Camillo thinks that he did it, but he realizes soon that Peppone did not.
