Screenwriter D'Amico called Monicelli "a superb director, with the rare gift of comic timing - which cannot be taught, either you have it or you don't." No one seeing "The Passionate Thief" will care to argue the point.

There isn't much of a story in "The Passionate Thief," though much - including shimmering life, lust and comedy - happens.

While the madcap adventures provide plenty of entertainment, it's Monicelli's sympathetic portrait of complex individuals ... that wins viewers over.

It is still drolly amusing without ever becoming too frantic for its own good and film buffs may get a kick out of seeing Magnani in a role that is somewhat lighter than the heavy dramatic fare that she was famous for.