short takes (1)

The Italian comedy Come Have Coffee With Us has gone into release as if it were a new film, even though it dates from 10 years ago. Directed by Alberto Lattuada, it's a crude and graceless sex farce about a conniving man who marries into a rich family. There is little to be said in its favor.

* another Italian filmmaker, the late Pier Paolo Pasolini, has been undergoing a revival lately, with belated American premieres of two films from his "Trilogy of Life" series: The Canterbury Tales and The Arabian Nights. The former combines filth and farce, while the latter adds viciousness as well. Minor works from a prominent but often benighted cineaste.