Non ci resta che piangere is more than a comedy; it is a linguistic and cultural landmark. Many of its lines—such as "Ricordati che devi morire!" (Remember that you must die!) and the subsequent deadpan response, "Sì, sì... no, mo' me lo segno" (Yes, yes... let me write that down)—have entered the Italian common lexicon.
The choice of the year 1492 is not arbitrary. It is the year Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas. In a pivotal scene, Mario and Saverio attempt to warn the locals not to sail west, warning of the death and destruction colonization will bring. Their failure to be heard transforms the film from a comedy into a tragedy. It suggests that history is an unstoppable force, an indifferent juggernaut that marches forward regardless of individual intent. The duo's frantic warnings are met with indifference, highlighting the isolation of the modern man who knows the horrors to come but lacks the power to prevent them. Non Ci Resta Che Piangere Film