Black comedy set world war two with some botcher and coward soldiers masterfully played by Alberto Sordi , Serge Reggniani , Martin Balsam , Nino Castelnuovo , among others . All of them helped to launch the genre of Commedia all'Italiana ("comedy Italian-style"). Here Alberto Sordi as the officer who wouldn't fight...until he found the enemy . They both attempting a great number of schemes to get out for fighting and working and return home . When is signed the armistice by Mariscal Badoglio , there takes place the Nazi occupation . It is estimated that between September 1943 and April 1945, some 60,000 Allied and 50,000 German soldiers died in Italy . In the West, no other campaign cost more than Italy in terms of lives lost and wounds suffered by infantry forces of both sides, during bitter small-scale fighting around strong points at Winter positions, Anzio girth and Gothic Line . Then , there occurs a real chaos , as military trying go home . All of them try in every way to avoid serving the army but their circumstance dictates otherwise , as the destiny make them meeting again . As our main protagonists (Alberto Sordi and Serge Reggiani) find themselves in the mists of German front , much against their will . But war is getting everyday closer and unfortunately, they fall in the hands of a stiff enemy during Nazi occupied Italy . ¨Tutti a Casa¨ is hell at its hottest , men at their mightiest , the screen at its greatest! This is an amusing Commedia all'Italiana about some rogues called to serve the army in the WWI , as the Italian Army fought against the Allied during World War II ; however , when it happens capitulation , one part army joins Allied and another unites Fascist forces . Being excellently re-enacted by including movements of large numbers of soldiers during battle frames that are well come-to-life . This is a zany Tragicomedy seeing the misfit group in all kinds of troubles involving Italian Army . This entertaining Alberto Sordi recital provides too much amusement in detailing the exploits of a band of Italian soldiers in the wartime front . Slightly muddled but generally nice performed dealing with a team of makeshift soldiers , which owed much of its success to the brilliant comic characterisations . Lots of comedy and hilarious dialog , including some spectacular battles with loads of extras provided by actual Italian infantry . The film relies heavily on the continuous relationship between Albert Sordi and Serge Reggiani , but it doesn't makes tiring , neither dull but entertaining . Very good Italian support cast such as Martin Balsam , Alex Nicol , Mario Feliciani , Claudio Gora , Carlo D'Angelo and the veteran Eduardo De Filippo . Special mention for Carla Gravina as the Jewish girl who falls in love for Nino Castelnuovo . The main premise results to be two bungler as well as reluctant soldiers who under twisted circumstances turn into heroes . ¨Tutti a Casa¨ bears remarkable resemblance to "La Grande Guerra" or "The Great War" (1959) , set in WWI , by Mario Monicelli with Alberto Sordi , Vittorio Gassman , Silvana Mangano , Folco Lulli . Both of them share same starring , producer Dino De Laurentiis and screen-writers : Agenore Incrocci also known as ¨Age¨ and ¨Scarpelli¨ (Sergio Leone's usual writers) , they were Italy's most respected and prolific screenwriters who wrote touching , hilarious and amusing scripts . Two of Italy's leading satirical screenwriters , worked on the scripts of about 140 films and enjoyed a lengthy writing partnership , from 1949 until 1985 ,sometimes without a credit , and received three shared Oscar nominations , for I Compagni (The Organiser, 1963), Casanova '70 (1965) and Il Postino (1994) . The pair collaborated on the 1958 successful film I Soliti Ignoti (Big Deal on Madonna Street) .Imaginative as well as sensitive original Music by Angelo Francesco Lavagnino , conducted by ordinary Franco Ferrara . Evocative and atmospheric cinematography by Carlo Carlini . The motion picture was very well directed by Luigi Comencini who gets to capture the same period feeling during the WWII . Comencini was born in Salò , Lombardy, Italy . He was a director and writer, who directed a lot of comedies and dramas , and his films often focused on the plight of children . He was a film critic before becoming a director . Luigi was one of the founders of the Cineteca Italiana , the first film archive in Italy . Being specially known for Cercasi Gesù (1982) , Traffic Jam (1979) , Casanova : His youthful years , The Sunday woman , El Commissario , Till marriage do us part , Don Camilo , Bread , love and dreams (1953) , Frisky , and several others . Rating : Above average . Well worth watching . Essential and indispensable seeing

I saw this film over 50 years ago and I have never forgotten it. It was a minor masterpiece in the full bloom of Italian cinema by independents among others Pietro Germi. 'Tutti a casa' is a comedy about four demobbed cowardly soldiers happy to get out of the war to get home to Naples. While I laughed at the self mockery of the main actors over their cowardice suddenly in the middle of a belly laugh an arresting scene occurs on a train when German soldiers take off a Jewish girl they had been befriending and shoot her off screen.Tragedy in the middle of comedy???? Hard to believe but the touch of genius by the producers of this stunning film got away with it. Our cowardly protagonists get home to Naples just at the same time that the Germans turn on the napolitani for their four day stand off and we see them picking up a gun at the end of a movie. all they ever wanted as delightfully cowardly Napoltani was to go home make love and eat spaghetti. Life and death superbly juggled in a film which opened a deep philosophical synergy in me by an unknown genius

September 8th, 1943: Badoglio, head of the Italian government after the downfall of Mussolini, declares an armistice towards the Allied forces. Thousands of soldiers are left without any order, while king Vittorio Emanuele III packs and runs. In a nation ravaged by war and still occupied by the former German allies, now it's every man for himself.In the early Sixties, Italian cinema was desperately trying to come to terms with the nation's recent, painful mistakes. Tutti a Casa features a selfish, roguish protagonist ultimately finding his moral compass and taking a stand - achieving not victory, but dignity. The same happens in La Grande Guerra, Il Generale Della Rovere, I Due Colonnelli, I Due Nemici, in a valiant - if overly optimistic - attempt to wash the national dirty linen in public.Tutti a Casa is the best of these movies. Monicelli captures with a deft hand and his trademark bittersweet style the adventures of a group of soldiers led by their officer (Alberto Sordi) right after Sep. 8th.Meanwhile, in the same years a new tone emerged in Italian comedies like Il Sorpasso, Divorzio all'Italiana and Una Vita Difficile: in spite of a surprising economic rebirth, a deep-rooted sense of mistrust and disappointment returns, as reaction morphs once again into stagnation. The circle closes with C'Eravamo Tanto Amati, pretty much sealing off any illusion.8/10

A historical premises.... After the armistice of the 8 th September 1943, Italys defeated army literally collapsed.Italy effectively had switched sides in the world war alliances,allied with USA against Nazi Germany,leaving many Italian army units in the lurch....and the Nazi German army invasion a few weeks later! Some units joined the the Anglo-Americans and valiantly fought with them,a few more joined the Fachist militias of the Salò regime in Northern Italy sustained by Nazi troops which together perpetuated massacres of civilians. However a large number of Italian army units,just melted like snow in a sunny spring day,disappearing or rather deserting in mass,prefering like the title of the film "..to return home". The films spirit is basically about a strong desire of war weary soldiers to return back home to their families. Something which apparently would seem an easy task....but not in this film!!This film retaining a deep tragic undertone has also some hilarious scenes of the more tragi-comical style,which was typical of the post neo-realistic film scripts of Italian cinema in the 1950's and 1960's,(The best period of Italian cinema).An absolute "must see film" for Italo-philes and fans of Italian cinema.Strangely enough,this film has never been much appreciated in Italy,and it is hard to find as video-cassette both for renting or buying.My vote 9.