Unlike today’s Hollywood, which tends to shove progressive social values down the audience’s throat, old filmmakers knew how to promote certain ideas in a subtle and entertaining way. This is the impression that might be taken from I’m for the Hippopotamus, a 1979 Italian action comedy directed by Italo Zingarelli. The plot takes place in an unnamed African country where Tom “the Hippopotamus” (played by Bud Spencer) earns his living by organising safari tours. When his cousin Slim “the Crocodile” (played by Terence Hill) returns from abroad, he is concerned for the well-being of animals and sabotages Tom’s bus. After some time, Tom explains that he never meant to harm the animals and that he deliberately filled his customers’ rifles with blanks. The two agree to start a business together, just as the powerful gangster Ormond (played by Joe Bugner) begins to evict the local population from their homes and has even more sinister plans for the animals he keeps in his private zoo. Tom and Slim begin to stand in his way and have to use all of their skills and ingenuity to wreck the villain’s schemes, even when Ormond recruits the corrupt police and judiciary to his side.
I’m for the Hippopotamus is the eleventh film in which Spencer and Hill appeared together. By that time, they had already perfected their act, and having Zingarelli—director of some of their early films—at the helm helped a lot. The plot is minimalistic, with almost non-existent exposition and characters who are one-dimensional or, in some cases, underwritten. The filmmakers, forced to use Apartheid-era South Africa for location filming, trod very carefully on racial issues. A subplot hinting at Hill’s character being romantically involved with a beautiful black girl (played by Dawn Jürgens) is simply forgotten; on the other hand, the black character of Mama Leone (played by May Diamini) is portrayed as the protagonist’s stepmother, while their top ally happens to be Jason (played by Ben Mansinga), a black doctor and crusading newspaper publisher. Conversely, all the villains are white, including the main antagonist, played by Joe Bugner, a former boxer who displays his formidable skills in the final showdown.
Most viewers would probably care very little for serious issues, and the filmmakers are aware of that, often delivering a combination of action and comedy in scenes that have very little connection or relevance to the rest of the plot. These are usually associated with Hill’s character, such as the scene in which he takes over a casino table or the one in which he displays unusual ways to enjoy caviar. The lack of coherence can be easily forgiven, since a general tone of silliness is established early on and maintained by “Grau Grau Grau”, a catchy theme song sung by Spencer, which became a big hit in Italy following the premiere. Despite this silliness, the film maintains its environmentalist message and underlines it with a magnificent and heart‑warming scene in which the protagonists set dozens of animals free from captivity. That scene alone is the reason why this film could be recommended as solid entertainment even to those viewers who aren’t Spencer and Hill fans.
RATING: 5/10 (++)
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