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This entertaining satire by director Luigi Zampa, known for his comedic touch, is set in the years before World War II when fascism was on the rise in Italy. Taking up the theme found in Nikolai Gogol's well-known comedy of mistaken identity The Inspector General, this tale has a simple insurance salesman being mistaken for a bigshot fascist arriving in a small town to check out its political leanings. Naturally, the townsfolk react according to who they think he is. That reaction varies depending on whether they happen to be connected to the opposition, or just want to keep their jobs and stay on top of things, as in the case of the mayor.