The Return of Don Camillo

The Return of Don Camillo (Le Retour de Don Camillo, 1953) is a French-Italian comedy you can watch online on iFILM, directed by Julien Duvivier. Fernandel is back as the hot-headed village priest — returned from enforced exile for, to put it mildly, insufficient obedience — and the moment he steps off the bus in Brescello, the old friction with Communist mayor Peppone (Gino Cervi) sparks right back up.

Don Camillo has not mellowed. Neither has Peppone. Their battles cover everything from local politics to flood relief to the placement of a roadside shrine, and yet the entire comedy runs on an open secret: these two can't stand each other and can't function without each other. Duvivier handles the material with the same dry lightness as the first film — no moralising, just a steady affection for human stubbornness. A gentle classic that holds its own six decades on. Watch The Return of Don Camillo (1953) online on iFILM.