Alberto Sordi, Italian comedy's man of many faces, gives a magnificent performance in Rosi's second film, which delves further into the theme of the Italian subproletariat-here, as they attempt to survive off Germany's Economic Miracle. Expertly shot on location in Hamburg and Hannover, the film centers on Mario Balducci, an itinerant vendor who is about to pack it in for Italy when he is taken under the wing of Totò (Sordi), a smart Roman rug and cloth dealer. Totò in turn introduces Mario to a clan of salesmen in the rag trade controlled by Don Raffaele. Mario takes to his work, but when he shows some independence, the organization goes after him. According to Neopolitan legend, the itinerant magliaro was a consummate con artist selling beautiful but worthless cloth as "precious fabrics intended for my own family." Rosi shows that this kind of individual initiative cannot survive the contemporary social conditions. "With remarkable insight and empathy, Rosi examines the reasons why an outcast would seek the protection of the Mafia and, finally, would join it." (Richard Peña) Repeated Thursday, April 3.