Doctor and the Healer

Doctor and the Healer

Year: 1957

Runtime: 102 mins

Language: Italian

Director: Mario Monicelli

Comedy

Francesco, a newly appointed physician, is sent to serve the fictional village of Pianetta in the Avellino province. Upon his arrival he finds himself at odds with Don Antonio, the local self‑styled “healer,” whose traditional remedies and influence challenge the young doctor’s modern methods, setting up a clash of medicine and faith.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline – Doctor and the Healer (1957)

Trace every key event in Doctor and the Healer (1957) with our detailed, chronological timeline. Perfect for unpacking nonlinear stories, spotting hidden connections, and understanding how each scene builds toward the film’s climax. Whether you're revisiting or decoding for the first time, this timeline gives you the full picture.

1

Dr. Marchetti arrives in the mountain village

A young doctor relocates to a small mountain village in rural southern Italy to begin his practice. He quickly runs into trouble with a local quack, Don Antonio Locoratolo, who views the new physician as a threat. The conflict sets the stage for a clash between legitimate medicine and fraudulent cures.

early in the story Rural southern Italy, small mountain village
2

Don Antonio challenges Marchetti's legitimacy

Don Antonio challenges the new doctor's legitimacy and tries to push him out of town. He continues to prescribe questionable remedies and potions to keep the villagers dependent on his services. The public squabble between the two men grows publicly and privately.

soon after arrival Village clinic
3

Villagers urged to skip typhoid vaccination

Don Antonio convinces the villagers not to get vaccinated against typhoid fever. He leverages his authority and fear to maintain the belief that his methods are essential. Marchetti finds his medical efforts undermined by the quack's influence.

early in the conflict Village gatherings and streets
4

Old man feigns illness for a staged cure

To prove his indispensability, Don Antonio arranges for an old man to feign illness for several days. The supposed patient appears to improve only during a visit by Don Antonio, a staged miracle that reassures the townsfolk. Marchetti is left looking ineffective in the face of the ruse.

shortly after the vaccination issue arises Village clinic
5

Pasqua's love and a potion backfires

Pasqua, Marchetti's young assistant, has fallen in love with him, though he does not notice. Don Antonio's assistant Scaraffone gives Pasqua a love potion, hoping to complicate the doctor’s life. The potion triggers Marchetti's stomach pains, making him suspect poisoning.

mid-story Clinic
6

Mafalda longs for Corrado; Don Antonio profits from fortune-telling

Mafalda, the mayor's sister, longs for her fiancé Corrado who vanished fifteen years earlier while fighting on the Eastern Front. Don Antonio uses fraudulent fortune-telling to claim Corrado is alive, raking in payments from her devotion. The ruse sets up a dramatic confrontation later.

before the telegram arrives Mafalda's home, village
7

Mafalda denounces Don Antonio to the police

Frustrated by the deceit, Mafalda denounces Don Antonio to the police as a fraud. The authorities take the report seriously, but the charges do not stick and the quack remains free for the moment. The town's trust in medicine is further shaken.

the following day Police station
8

Telegram promises Corrado's return

The next day Mafalda receives a telegram claiming Corrado is alive and will meet her at the train station. The rumor stirs renewed hope and complicates her feelings about the quack's deceit. The village waits for a possible reunion.

the following day Train station
9

Corrado returns: a confusing reunion

Corrado appears at the train station, but his memories are muddled. He claims he was captured by bedouins and has been living 40 km away, unhappily married and asking for money. Mafalda is stunned as Corrado boards the next train, leaving more questions than answers.

at the reunion Train station
10

Marchetti seeks legal redress, but fails to convict

Marchetti goes to the police to pursue justice over the supposed poisoning and Mafalda's denunciation. He learns that the charges against Don Antonio do not hold, allowing the quack to avoid punishment for the moment. The incident underscores the limits of law against clever deceit.

shortly after the denunciation Police station
11

Rosina's heartache leads to crisis

Don Antonio's niece Rosina is in love with a soldier from a poor family, which he forbids. Despondent, she takes an overdose of barbiturates, forcing Don Antonio to publicly seek Dr. Marchetti's help to save his niece's life. The episode exposes the consequences of the quack's manipulation.

mid-story Don Antonio's residence / Rosina's room
12

Marchetti's vaccination campaign begins

Dr. Marchetti administers typhoid vaccines to the local population, signaling a return to genuine medicine. The vaccination effort counters Don Antonio's fraud and restores trust in science. The village begins to see the value of real medical care.

ending Village
13

Don Antonio departs by train

Don Antonio leaves the village by train as Marchetti's vaccine program takes hold. The quack's influence wanes while legitimate medicine secures a foothold. The film closes on a note of moral victory for science over superstition.

end Train station

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 09:16

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