Fatso

Fatso  (1980)

Developed first as a short film while at AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women in the mid-’70s, Anne Bancroft’s hilarious, heartwarming romantic comedy, set in an Italian-American neighborhood in New York City, stars Dom DeLuise as Dominick DiNapoli, an overweight shopowner who starts improving his eating habits when he falls in love with Lydia, an antiques dealer whose storefront is near Dominick’s. Bancroft co-stars as Antoinette, Dominick’s overbearing sister who is concerned for her older brother’s health to the point of near-hysteria. In 1980, she was one of six women between 1971 and 1980 to have directed for a major studio. The film’s cinematographer Brianne Murphy was the first female Director of Photography to shoot on a studio picture. Bancroft was adamant in wanting to hire women on her film. “When I started, I wanted as many women as possible in the crew,” explained Bancroft in a 1979 interview. “I said, ‘isn’t there a woman director of photography?’ and they finally found Bri.”  

35mm, color, 93 min. Director/Screenwriter: Anne Bancroft. Cast: Dom DeLuise, Anne Bancroft, Ron Carey, Candice Azzara.