Back home

Never Take No for an Answer

3 votes

Producing House

It's a story about a young Italian orphan boy taking his pet donkey to the Vatican to be blessed.

movie

Status: Released

Released Date: 1951-12-18

Runtime: 82 mins

Director: Maurice Cloche, Ralph Smart

Writer: Pauline Gallico, Ralph Smart, Maurice Cloche

Spoken language: English

Genres: Drama

Original title: Never Take No for an Answer

Production Companies: Constellation Films

Production Countries: Italy, United Kingdom

Reviews

G

Geronimo1967
I'm not usually the greatest fan of children topping the bill in a film, but I really enjoyed the engaging effort here of the ten year old Vittorio Manunta. He, "Peppino", is an orphan who is a regular sight in his famed town of Assissi at the head of his donkey. They collect firewood and do some basic odd jobs to keep the wolf from the door, and it's all going fine until one morning the creature just doesn't feel like moving. "Peppino" fetches the vet who is concerned that "Violetta" is about to give up the ghost. The youngster, pretty devastated, hits on the idea of having her talk to St. Francis but the friendly, but firm, clergy tell him that animals cannot go into the church. There must be a away, he thinks - and after a conversation with the friendly "Fr. Damico" (Denis O'Dea) is left with just one option. The Pope! Only he can authorise "Violetta" to get into to talk to the saint. Now, in best "Mudlark" (1950) fashion, he sets off on a seemingly impossible quest. His arrival at the Vatican sees him repeatedly seen off by the Swiss guards, but he is a shrewd wee fella, and soon realises that perhaps there is more ways than one to skin a cat. Perhaps a bouquet of flowers might just succeed where his noisy persistence has not. It's Mantuna's charm that helps this stand out. He is a natural for the part - a caring and tenacious young man who wants to do right by the only thing he loves - or, quite possibly, has ever loved him. There's some fine photography illustrating the down-at-heel post war Italy and the beauty of the Vatican architecture, and if - at the end - you don't well up ever so slightly, well then... This is one of those life-affirming eighty minutes of cinema that tugs at the heart-strings without being cloyingly sentimental.
2024-02-05

Recommendations

The Tin Drum
3.5

The Tin Drum

1979-05-02

In 1924, Oskar Matzerath is born in the Free City of Danzig. At age three, he falls down a flight of

Ben-Hur
3.9

Ben-Hur

1959-11-18

In 26 AD, Judah Ben-Hur, a Jew in ancient Judea, opposes the occupying Roman empire. Falsely accuse

Contact
3.7

Contact

1997-07-11

A radio astronomer receives the first extraterrestrial radio signal ever picked up on Earth. As the

The Bridges of Madison County
3.9

The Bridges of Madison County

1995-06-02

Photographer Robert Kincaid wanders into the life of housewife Francesca Johnson for four days in th

Manhattan
3.9

Manhattan

1979-04-25

Manhattan explores how the life of a middle-aged television writer dating a teenage girl is further

Finding Forrester
3.6

Finding Forrester

2000-12-21

Gus Van Sant tells the story of a young African American man named Jamal who confronts his talents w

Murder She Said
3.6

Murder She Said

1961-09-26

Miss Marple believes she's seen a murder in a passing-by train, yet when the police find no evidence

Murder at the Gallop
3.5

Murder at the Gallop

1963-05-09

Miss Marple and Mr. Stringer are witnesses to the death by heart attack of elderly, rich Mr. Enderby

Murder Most Foul
3.5

Murder Most Foul

1964-03-01

A murderer is brought to court and only Miss Marple is unconvinced of his innocence. Once again she

GoodFellas
4.2

GoodFellas

1990-09-12

The true story of Henry Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian Brooklyn kid who is adopted by neighbourho

Gone with the Wind
4

Gone with the Wind

1939-12-15

The spoiled daughter of a Georgia plantation owner conducts a tumultuous romance with a cynical prof

Stairway to Heaven
0

Stairway to Heaven

1967-02-06

Under the USSR oppression a family breaks up and its members find themselves on opposite sides of th

The Meanest Man in Texas
2.1

The Meanest Man in Texas

2019-05-17

Convicted murderer Clyde Thompson receives the death penalty for shooting two men in Texas in 1928.

Fight Club
4.2

Fight Club

1999-10-15

A ticking-time-bomb insomniac and a slippery soap salesman channel primal male aggression into a sho

The Poseidon Adventure
3.5

The Poseidon Adventure

1972-12-01

When their ocean liner capsizes, a group of passengers struggle to survive and escape.

The Experiment
3.7

The Experiment

2001-03-08

20 volunteers agree to take part in a seemingly well-paid experiment advertised by the university. I

To Die For
3.3

To Die For

1995-09-22

Suzanne Stone wants to be a world-famous news anchor and she is willing to do anything to get what s

Dances with Wolves
3.9

Dances with Wolves

1990-03-30

Wounded Civil War soldier John Dunbar tries to commit suicide—and becomes a hero instead. As a rewar

The Hours
3.6

The Hours

2002-12-27

The story of three women searching for more potent, meaningful lives. Each is alive at a different t

Solaris
3.9

Solaris

1972-03-20

A psychologist is sent to a space station orbiting a planet called Solaris to investigate the death