12 + 1 (1969)

Director:

Nicolas Gessner

Writers:

Marc Behm (writer)
Nicolas Gessner (writer)

Release Date:

1 May 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Mario, a young philanderer, receives 13 antique chairs in a bad state by inheritance and decides to sell off them to get some money...

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Based On Novel | Number In Title

Cast

Sharon Tate	...	Pat
Vittorio Gassman	...	Mario Beretti
Orson Welles	...	Maurice Markau
Vittorio De Sica	...	Carlo Di Seta - The Commadatore
Terry-Thomas	...	Albert
Grégoire Aslan	...	Psychiarist
Mylène Demongeot	...	Judy
John Steiner	...	Stanley Duncan
Tim Brooke-Taylor	...	Jackie
William Rushton	...	Lionel Bennet
Lionel Jeffries	...	Randomhouse
Ottavia Piccolo	...	Stefanella Di Seta
Catana Cayetano	...	Véronique
Claude Berthy	...	François
Marzio Margine	...	Pasqualino

Also Known As:

Douze et un (France)
The 13 Chairs
Twelve Plus One (UK)
Una su 13
Una su tredici (Italy) (alternative spelling)
Cual de las trece? (Spain) [es]
Dodeka syn ena (Greece) [el]
Kolmastoista tuoli (Finland) [fi]
Onüçüncü sandalye (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Trettonde stolen (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Zwölf plus eins (West Germany) [de]

Runtime:

France:90 min | Netherlands:96 min | USA:94 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:M | Finland:K-3 (new rating: 2001) | Finland:S | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

C.O.F.C.I.

Trivia:

When Sharon Tate arrived in Rome for filming near the end of March 1969, she was about three months pregnant and beginning to show. Because the script called for several semi-nude scenes, the director arranged to film those scenes first. As filming (and her pregnancy) progressed, the director obscured Tate's stomach with large purses and scarves. This is most apparent in the scene following her ride in the furniture mover's van.

Movie Connections:

Remake of L'eredità in Corsa (1939)

Uneven But Frantic

I found this film delightful. It is frantic and fun but somewhat uneven in it's pacing. Vittorio Gassman is quite good as the poor schmuck who unknowingly gives away a fortunate hidden in one of thirteen chairs, and Sharon Tate is delicious in her role as the antique dealer. Had she lived, she may well have made it as a light comedian. It was quite surprising to see Orson Welles in this light comedy. His performance is more understated than the other two stars, but still quite good.