The Return of Don Camillo

The Return of Don Camillo continues the story of the hot-tempered priest Don Camillo and his long-running rivalry with Peppone, the Communist mayor of the small town of Brescello. After one clash too many, the bishop banishes Don Camillo to a mountain parish, where he feels cut off from the town and the people he knows. Down in the valley, Peppone has his own troubles: a landowner refuses to give up the plot needed to build a flood barrier, and the young priest sent to replace Don Camillo is not winning anyone over. The two old adversaries are drawn back together, this time over the fate of the town itself.

The film is a comedy directed by Julien Duvivier, who wrote the screenplay with René Barjavel. It is the sequel to The Little World of Don Camillo, released the previous year, and in Duvivier's filmography it stands between that film and The Devil and the Ten Commandments. Fernandel and Gino Cervi reprise their roles as Don Camillo and Peppone, with supporting turns from Arturo Bragaglia, Édouard Delmont, Alexandre Rignault and Saro Urzì. A co-production between Italy and France, it runs 115 minutes. On TMDB it holds a rating of 7.2 out of 10 from 311 votes, suggesting a solid and lasting following for the series.