Original negatives for this film were stolen and held for ransom

"Prior to [editing] and release, the original negative was stolen, held for ransom, and was never recovered. For release the film had to be cobbled together using alternate takes and scraps from the original cut that had been copied in the form of positive film. It's hard to imagine this happening to a film of this magnitude, the Herculean efforts involved in salvaging the picture, and how inevitably the film must have suffered. What's on the DVD, and what European audiences apparently saw when the film was brand-new, at times resembles a work print. Some scenes jarringly cut back-and-forth between pristine elements with great color and what looks like floor scraps, the latter looking like they were filtered through an algae-infested aquarium. In some shots the film is badly scratched and the blue sky will suddenly become an ugly green."

More details here:
https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/11681/un-genio-due-compare-un-pollo-a-genius-two-partners-and-a-dupe/