Le Guignolo (1980) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

The oil magnates are pursuing Alexandre because he accidentally carries a briefcase containing a microfilm with a revolutionary fuel technology developed by a murdered physicist. This invention could replace oil, threatening the oil tycoons' business interests. They will stop at nothing to suppress the technology and retrieve the microfilm.

• oil tycoons
• microfilm
• fuel technology
• pursuit
• physicist

The microfilm contains the location and plans for a revolutionary fuel technology developed by the physicist who was murdered on the plane. This fuel could replace oil, making it incredibly valuable and dangerous. The murdered man was a brilliant mathematician and physicist whose invention poses a threat to oil industry interests.

• microfilm
• fuel technology
• physicist
• murdered scientist
• invention

While on a flight to Venice, a fellow passenger asks Alexandre to carry a bag through customs because it was given to him by his mistress and could cause trouble at border control. Alexandre agrees as a simple favor, not knowing the bag contains a murdered physicist's microfilm with revolutionary fuel technology until it's too late.

• airplane
• bag
• microfilm
• customs
• favor

After the plane incident, Alexandre needs a new identity to evade the pursuers hunting him for the microfilm. He adopts the alias Viscount de Valombreza to move through European social circles undetected while completing his planned meeting with Japanese buyers interested in purchasing a fake Canaletto painting.

• alias
• viscount
• venice
• disguise
• identity

Alexandre plans to sell a counterfeit Canaletto painting to Japanese businessmen in Venice. The painting is a fake, and this art deal serves as his cover while being hunted by oil magnates. The stakes are high because multiple factions are watching his every move, trying to recover the microfilm or intercept the deal.

• canaletto
• fake painting
• venice
• japanese buyer
• art scam

Alexandre meets Pamela George Eagleton on a cruise ship and agrees to help her by purchasing diamonds with counterfeit bills. When he discovers the diamonds are fake and that Pamela is actually Sophie, a fellow con artist, they realize they share the same talent for deception and decide to team up for larger scams.

• sophie
• pamela
• partnership
• con artists
• diamond scam

Sophie seduces the Duke while Alexandre pretends to be her brother, staging a bankruptcy-induced suicide to extract money. The plan backfires when the Duke unexpectedly offers a genuine check for a substantial sum instead of falling for the suicide ruse. This forces Alexandre and Sophie to abandon the scheme and head to Venice to pursue new opportunities.

• duke
• helmuth von nasau
• scam
• suicide plan
• money

Urbino Alfonsi is the hotel detective at the Venice hotel where Alexandre operates. He maintains vigilance amid the shifting loyalties and clandestine exchanges, adding tension to the story as Alexandre tries to conduct his Canaletto deal while being pursued by multiple dangerous factions.

• urbino alfonsi
• hotel detective
• venice
• suspense

Gina, played by Carla Romanelli, is introduced as Alexandre's former lover and accomplice in Venice. She adds another layer of complexity to his already tangled web of relationships and schemes, complicating his efforts to stay ahead of his pursuers while executing the Canaletto deal.

• gina
• former lover
• accomplice
• venice
• complexity

As Alexandre attempts to complete the Canaletto sale with Japanese buyers, the various pursuers, oil magnates, intelligence operatives, and other shadowy figures, close in around him. The convergence of these interests in Venice creates a climactic showdown where alliances shift rapidly and the stakes reach their highest point.

• final confrontation
• venice
• pursuit
• oil magnates
• climax