Flatfoot in Africa

Piedone l'africano (Flatfoot in Africa)

Directed by	Steno
Written by	Steno Giovanni Simonelli Franco Verucci
Produced by	Laser Rialto Film
Starring	Bud Spencer Enzo Cannavale Dagmar Lassander
Cinematography	Alberto Spagnoli
Edited by	Mario Morra
Music by	Guido & Maurizio De Angelis
Distributed by	Titanus Medusa Film
Release date	1978 (1978)
Running time	108 minutes
Countries	Italy South Africa
Language	Italian

Piedone l'africano (internationally released as Flatfoot in Africa, Knock-Out Cop and The K.O. Cop) is a 1978 Italian "poliziottesco"-comedy film directed by Steno and starring Bud Spencer. It is the third and penultimate chapter in the "Flatfoot" film series. It is preceded by Flatfoot and Flatfoot in Hong Kong and followed by Flatfoot in Egypt ^[1]^[2]^[3]

Plot

A trail of illicit diamonds takes Flatfoot and his acquaintance, Naples police commissioner Caputo, from Johannesburg to Swakopmund in the hopes of breaking up a South African smuggling ring. They are joined by Bodo, an African child, and confounded in their search by corrupt mining officials and an antagonistic inspector in the South-West African police.

Cast

Bud Spencer as Insp. 'Flatfoot' Rizzo
Enzo Cannavale as Caputo
Werner Pochath as Spiros
Joe Stewardson as Smollet
Carel Trichardt as captain Muller
Dagmar Lassander as Margy Connors
Desmond Thompson as Inspector Desmond
Baldwin Dakile as Bodo
Antonio Allocca
Giovanni Cianfriglia

Trivia

During filming in South Africa, there was an incident when Bud Spencer wanted to eat together with black actor Baldwyn Dakile, who played Bodo, in a restaurant in Johannesburg. The boy was denied entry due to apartheid. Spencer then decided not to eat in the restaurant either, but was later informed by the police chief that he would be expelled from the country immediately if this behavior was repeated in the future.^[4]

Bud Spencer was not dubbed in the original version in this film, as in many of his films, but can be heard in his own voice.

The title song Freedom is interpreted by Guido De Angelis and Maurizio De Angelis under the pseudonym I Charango.

Since the film was set in South Africa, which was ostracized internationally because of the apartheid prevailing there, the film was not shown in the GDR.

References

^ Roberto Curti. Italia odia: il cinema poliziesco italiano. Lindau, 2006. pp. 176–177.
^ Roberto Chiti; Roberto Poppi; Enrico Lancia. Dizionario del cinema italiano: I film. Gremese, 1991. ISBN 8876059695.
^ Paolo Mereghetti. Il Mereghetti. B.C. Dalai Editore, 2010. ISBN 88-6073-626-9.
^ M. Norcini e S. Ippoliti: ... Continuavano a chiamarlo Bud Spencer. Cine70 e dintorni, n. 3, primavera 2003.