In 1782, following a storm at sea, the Moroccan ambassador's ship is wrecked against the Sicilian coast. The diplomat speaks no Italian, so Fra Giuseppe Vela, a Maltese brother, is requested to watch over him and serve as his interpreter. Actually, the monk knows only a few words of Arabic, which troubles him not at all. Quite the contrary: the sly-boots is determined to make the most of the situation.
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Don Giuseppe Vella | Silvio Orlando |
| Francesco Paolo Di Blasi | Tommaso Ragno |
| Monsignor Airoldi | Renato Carpentieri |
| Countess of Regalpetra | Marine Delterme |
| Narrator | Giancarlo Giannini |
| Judge Grassellini | Yann Collette |
| Saverio Zarbo | Antonio Catania |
| Padre Salvatore | Leopoldo Trieste |
| Meli | Enzo Vetrano |
| Duca di Caccamo | Manfredi Aliquo |
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Director | Emidio Greco |
| Writer | Leonardo Sciascia |
| Writer | Lorenzo Greco |
| Producer | André Farwagi |
| Producer | Amedeo Letizia |
| Producer | Mariella Li Sacchi |
| Composer | Luis Bacalov |
| Editor | Bruno Sarandrea |
| Production designer | Andrea Crisanti |
