Where Can You Go Without the Little Vice? (1979) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The film is set in the luxurious Beltramelli mansion, a wealthy industrialist's estate that serves as the main stage for the undercover investigation. The opulent house hosts a private staff and various guests, providing the perfect cover for the detectives to move freely while gathering evidence of infidelity.

• beltramelli mansion
• setting
• wealthy house
• estate

Disguise is the central theme driving the plot. The detectives impersonate a flamboyant gay butler and a female cook to infiltrate the household. This creates a comedic exploration of identity, showing how appearance masks truth and how deception becomes a tool for both profit and discovery.

• disguise
• identity
• undercover
• butler costume

Cesare Beltramelli is the wealthy businessman at the center of the story. He is a powerful industrialist whose secret cross-dressing and relationship with a transvestite become central to the investigation. His hidden life challenges conventional gender norms and drives much of the film's comedy.

• cesare beltramelli
• businessman
• cross-dressing
• secret life

The film explores gender fluidity through the discovery of a husband who enjoys cross-dressing and has a relationship with a transvestite. The comedy highlights how society polices sexuality, using humor to question what is public versus private in relationships within a bourgeois setting.

• gender roles
• cross-dressing
• sexuality
• fluid identity

Greed drives the investigation as the detectives exploit the suspicions of multiple clients to extract double compensation. The plot hinges on taking advantage of others' vulnerabilities for monetary gain, highlighting moral ambiguity rather than presenting clear-cut heroes.

• greed
• money
• scheme
• double payment
• motivation

Simona Beltramelli is the seductive wife of Cesare Beltramelli. She hires the detectives to investigate her husband's faithfulness, using charm and manipulation to protect her marriage or manipulate the terms of the arrangement, actively participating in the web of deception.

• simona beltramelli
• wife
• infidelity investigation

Prima Cliente is the seductive female client who initially hires the investigators to look into her lover's faithfulness. Her involvement sets the plot in motion and she negotiates the terms of the case, representing bourgeois temptation and the lure of money.

• prima cliente
• client
• investigator hired
• case setup

Diogene Colombo is the lead private investigator who goes undercover in the Beltramelli household, posing as the flamboyant butler Diogene. He is quick-witted and morally flexible, using disguises to uncover the truth while juggling flirtations and risk, driving much of the comedy.

• diogene colombo
• detective
• private investigator
• butler disguise

This is a lighthearted Italian comedy from 1979, focused on slapstick and sexual farce rather than tension or drama. The tone remains satirical, highlighting moral ambiguity while prioritizing entertainment through humorous deception and misdirection.

• comedy
• farce
• italian comedy
• 1979
• satire