Vacanze di Natale

Vacanze di Natale is a 1983 Italian Christmas comedy directed by Carlo Vanzina and produced by Filmauro. Made in the wake of the box-office success of Sapore di mare (1982) and its sequel, it shares part of that earlier film's cast and can be seen as its wintry counterpart, though the story takes place in the present rather than a nostalgic past. The picture offers a comic portrait of Italian holiday habits in the 1980s, following an ensemble of characters through the Christmas vacation season. Jerry Calà, Christian De Sica and Karina Huff head the cast, alongside performers such as Stefania Sandrelli, Claudio Amendola, Antonella Interlenghi and Marilù Tolo. Carlo Vanzina co-wrote the screenplay with Enrico Vanzina. Together with Sapore di mare, the film is regarded as a forerunner of the hugely successful cinepanettoni, the seasonal comedies that became a staple of Italian popular cinema. In 2010 it was screened as part of a retrospective on Italian comedy at the 67th Venice International Film Festival.