The reference goes both to comedies such as “Asso”, the timeless Horse fever and “Montecarlo Gran Casino”, but also works of dramatic depth such as “Christmas gift” by Pupi Avati.
Gambling, in fact, in those years represented a winning leitmotif that inspired many successful productions only to be suddenly abandoned. Why, then, are no more films about casino games being produced in Italy? Is it perhaps a format that no longer convinces, or perhaps productions of this type would clash with the new conception of the politically correct?
The advent of digital betting
One of the main considerations to make is this: gambling as we knew it in the 80s has changed slightly today. The world of online betting and digital portals, in fact, has completely replaced the conception of the game that existed up to 40 years ago. The gradual detachment from casino halls to internet portals has meant that, obviously, that fascination relating to gaming and physical bets that was breathed in the past is less and less.
It goes without saying that the film companies have stopped investing in productions related to the world of casinos, definitively declaring out of stock that vein that until the end of the 80s had been so successful. But, as already mentioned, it was a slow and gradual operation. In this regard, we could mention other decidedly more modern films such as “Il grande botto”, in which Stefano Buccirosso discovers that he has won a Superenalotto ticket, or “Kissed by fortune”, film with Vincenzo Salemme from 2011.
A fully exhausted topic?
As far as every single genre is concerned, Italian cinema has made abundant use of the theme of the game, coming to abundantly exhaust the subject. In the decade 1970-1980, in fact, we can count dozens of productions that refer to games of chance, casino tables or lotteries. A source of pride, then, the fact that we were even able to anticipate the Americans, since the famous “Casino” with Robert De Niro was released in theaters some 15 years later.
In addition to the masterpiece “Febbre da Cavallo” with Gigi Proietti and Enrico Montesano, followed in 2022 by the sequel “La Mandrakata”, in that decade we can remember the making of films such as: “Christmas gift” by Pupi Avati, “Asso” by Castellano and Pipolo or “The city gambles”, a 75 film directed by the Roman director Sergio Martino. Important references to gambling halls can also be found in the “Secondo tragico Fantozzi”, chapter of the very successful saga with Paolo Villaggio and directed by Luciano Salce in 1976.
The politically correct that rages
At this point the question could arise spontaneously: if nowadays online casinos and gaming platforms are enjoying such great success among web communities, why has no director ever thought of tackling the topic using the cinematographic medium? It is impossible, however, not to consider the fact that times have definitely changed, and that some screenplays that were extraordinarily successful in the past years would not even be taken into consideration by the big producers today.
The unstoppable advance of political correctness has seen the abolition of terminology, has forced the abandonment of clichés deemed offensive and has led the film industry to be increasingly careful in dealing with certain issues. Simply put, producing a film about gambling today might seem like an inopportune choice. It could be assumed that the theme risks enticing viewers to play, and so the critics could also misjudge the staged product. In short, it is a risk that neither distributors nor any other actor involved in film production wants to take.
A leitmotiv that no longer sells
In conclusion, therefore, we could say that the theme of gambling and casinos is no longer selling, simply because it is no longer a trend. Not surprisingly, today we prefer to use more modern topics such as social media influencers or the discomfort of unemployment in Italy told in a comic key, as in the case of “I’ll stop when I want”. That is not a displeasure for lovers of poker and casino games in short, but that vein of success has definitely run out in the 80s.
The good news, however, is that extraordinarily successful films came to light in that lucky decade, which still live on in cult form today. And thinking back to the actors who have contributed to the creation of those products, it is easy to think that not only was the theme successful, but also that the cast involved was of the highest quality. Just think of the inimitable interpretation of Gigi Proietti (or Mandrake) in “Febbre da Cavallo” or that of Diego Abatantuono in Pupi Avati’s film to understand what was the level of the actors of our boot in those years.