Director: LEONARDO PIERACCHIONI. Screenplay: Leonardo Pieracchioni, Giovanni Veronese. Story: Giovanni Veronese. Photography: Mark Melville. Special visual effects: Renato Longi. Make-up: Matteo Silvi. Stunt co-coordinator: Gianluca Petrazzi. Executive producer: Alessandro Calosci.

Copyright 2009 by Levanti, Srl. Italian release through Medusa: 18 December 2009. (A superb Medusa DVD with loads of really fascinating extras).

SYNOPSIS: The ghost of Marilyn Monroe helps a swimming pool builder to recover the affections of his wife and daughter, both of whom are currently under the protective spell of a circus strong man/sharp- shooter.

COMMENT: Although it doesn't sound like much fun from the synopsis, this movie is a real delight from start to finish. The highly inventive jokes, the wacky characters and the ingenious comedy situations flow so thick and first, it's a relief to be able to recover a sense of balance from the prevailing delirium when one or two of the support comics give out with an extremely verbose story that has very little in the way of a rousing punch line. But they do it all with such blithe enthusiasm, we tend to laugh anyway.

As far as the main plot with Suzie Kennedy and director Leonardo Pieracchioni goes, it's an absolute wow. And Miss Kennedy gives the most lifelike impersonation of the century. She's terrific!

Aside from the reservations expressed above, the director's pacing is admirable, his sense of comedy admirably sharp, and his own performance highly ingratiating.