A group of down-and-out shantytown dwellers band together to protect their land when they are threatened with eviction by greedy capitalists, in Vittorio De Sica's enchanting melding of Italian neorealism and fantasy.

Our naive hero is the aptly named Totò the Good (Francesco Golisano), an orphan boy who takes it upon himself to organise the inhabitants of a Milan shantytown when their land suddenly becomes very valuable. His efforts to bring some structure to the colony, engenders a sense of faint happiness among its morose dwellers. But even the magical powers of the woman who discovered Totò as a baby cannot fend off the wealthy top-hatted men intent upon taking over their property. When the squatters and the police end up in a pitched battle that leads to their subsequent imprisonment, Toto must use the wish-granting powers of a magic dove (given to him by a fairy) in order to gain the freedom that he and his friends so dearly crave.

This was De Sica’s follow-up to his acclaimed masterpiece The Bicycle Thieves and won the director the Palme d'Or at 1951 Cannes film festival. And this film's fairy-tale like story was another bold masterstroke that proved to be a vibrant prism through which to throw light upon the desperate plight of the poor in Italy’s post-war industrial landscape.

We’re getting a new kitchen in December

Throughout December the builders will be in to fit our new kitchen. We will still have a Soups and Sharing Platters menu and the Café/Bar will be open as usual. Find out more here, including details of the schedule of work. Thank you for your patience in advance.

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