Based on 'Il fu Mattia Pascal', one of Pirandello's many stories concerning the transitory nature of the intangibles "truth" and "identity". Mattia Pascal is a downtrodden average man, treated like trash by his fiancée, scorned by his associates, and cheated out of his inheritance by contemptuous relatives. The dispirited Pascal heads to Monte Carlo, accruing a fortune and also assuming the identity of a less fortunate gambler who killed himself. The "new" Pascal is treated with a dignity and respect that overwhelms him--and nearly kills him.

A humble organ grinder is married to a barren woman. The pair would like to adopt a child but are too poor. Suddenly a miracle seems to happen: she's pregnant. Unfortunately the baby dies and the man is forced, through hardship, to buy one from a chorus girl who wants to get rid of him. After a short time even his wife dies and the poor man brings up the child on his own, singing in taverns to make ends meet. The father and son's humble life is upset when the real father of the boy reappears and wants his child back. The two men fight to get the custody of the boy.

A humble car mechanic decides to give his son, who has brought home an excellent school report, a golden watch. Unfortunately the jewellery shop where they go and buy the watch is held up and the boy gets killed. The man spends the rest of the movie trying to take his revenge...

Set in Naples at the end of the 19th century, I Guappi tells the story of a strange friendship between the powerful and charismatic Camorra boss, Don Gaetano (Fabio Testi), and one of the many scugnizzi who grew up on the streets, Nicola Bellizzi (Franco Nero). Nicola, thanks to Don Gaetano's protection, becomes first an honoured picciotto of the Camorra and then a lawyer. He tries to break away from his 'family', but falls back into a life of crime and violence.

A reporter and a promiscuous young woman try to solve a series of child killings in a remote southern Italian town rife with superstition and a distrust of outsiders.

A group of Italians take a flight to Sweden: among them there are the tourists, and the immigrants.

In Italy in the 60's it is difficult to get a divorce. Carlo gets a visit from his Swedish wife, but he is already remarried. Every time he meets a new woman, he vanishes away from the last wife.

In Sicily Franco and Ciccio are empowered by a local mafia man to guard for a wide range of salad. In reality however this is not simple salad vegetables but marijuana; the two bungling fools and friends do not realize it at first.

Biblical figure Jacob is forced to flee for his life when an enraged Esau vows to kill him.

Five episodes which show Italian peoples pathological unfaithfulness in marriage.

Dora, driven away from her town by malicious gossip following her first love affair, has a series of short-lived adventures until she falls in love with Nino, a small time crook. In Parma, a police officer courts her but she keeps thinking of Nino.

September 1943. After Italy surrenders to the Allies, most people in Naples believe the war is finally over, but soon realize Germans are still in control—and as ruthless as ever. Armed with makeshift weapons, the Neapolitan civilians spontaneously rise up en masse against their occupants—and overwhelming odds, driving them from the city after four days of fighting.

In this satire inspired by Nikolai Gogol’s The Government Inspector (aka The Inspector General) and transported to fascist era Italy, the (supposed) incognito visit of a Roman fascist official to a tiny country town shakes deeply the ruling class and their lack of integrity.

The mental illness affecting young Dario, one of the two sons of the Dominici family living in a council building in Rome, disrupts the lives of all its members.

Tina, an old lady and detective stories buff, moves to town in the house of a god-daughter of hers whose husband is a private dick. She thinks she will be able to help him with his inquests. He does not agree with her and tries to discourage her by any possible means.

A psychiatric-clinic medical director runs some tests on two patients, the Ragionier Antonio Vignanelli and Cavalier Peppino Caprioli, so they must retrieve some memories of family life in order to understand their mental illness.

Warehouseman "Franco" is set up by the son of his boss for robbery and cigarette smuggling. Can he prove his innocence and rescue his relationship with "Anna"?