On August 15, 1975, one of Mario Monicelli's masterpieces, ‘Amici miei’, was released in summer theaters. It was the first in a film series that would continue in 1982 with ‘Amici miei - Atto ll’, again directed by Monicelli, and 1985 with ‘Amici miei - Atto lll’, directed by Nanni Loy. Pietro Germi created the initial project. He passed away before the film could be made, and Monicelli took over the project. In 1975, five Florentine friends in their fifties perpetrated foolish and nasty pranks on unfortunate victims. Originally, the film was set in Bologna, however, Monicelli relocated the story to Florence. The director believed that the script's cynical comedy was an ideal fit for the Tuscan city. And he was right.  Today, you can tour the iconic filming locations in Florence.  The iconic Bar Necchi, where numerous scenes were filmed, was on Via de' Renai 31. Today, a plaque commemorates the site of "Amici miei." The Florentines weren't the only ones pleased with the film. The comedy performed well at the box office, generating nearly 7 billion lire (€45 million today), outperforming ‘Jaws’, ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest’, and ‘Three Days of the Condor’ during that film session. The cast was excellent. The masterminds behind the zingarate (pranks) were Gastone Moschin, Duilio Del Prete (later replaced by Renzo Montagnani), Adolfo Celi, Ugo Tognazzi, and Philippe Noiret. The five scoundrels mocked everyone they came across. They slapped passengers leaning out of departing train windows. They pretended to be engineers sent to demolish a village that stood in the way of a new highway. They staged a fake showdown with the criminal underworld, forcing an innocent man to flee to Calabria. They made fun of saints, priests, marriage, fidelity, illness, stupidity, pretentiousness, and dullness. In addition to the  ‘zingarate’ — aimless road trips carried out for the sheer joy of wreaking havoc in random places — Count Mascetti’s legendary "supercazzole" (nonsensical ramblings), brilliantly delivered by Ugo Tognazzi, have become part of Italian pop culture. These absurd, meaningless phrases are designed to confuse and ridicule their target. However, few films, such as ‘Amici miei’, disclose the true origin of comedy, the impulse to make fun of life: the fear of growing old and dying. That fear takes shape and is repeatedly recalled in each chapter of the series. Each absurd act is a modest rebellion against the senseless mystery that awaits us beyond death.