christopher-underwood A Sunday afternoon respite from my more usual, of late, darker and edgier, exploitation movies, allows me to watch again, after a gap of many years, this post neo-realist gem from director, Pietro Germi. Still shot in some way as the neo-realist films were, with stunning b/w cinematography, much location shooting and those streets filled with emotionally charged locals, but without the sentimentality that could mar the earlier films. A comic opera of a tale, full of family honour and dishonour, male entitlement and female subservience. Not that light for a Sunday afternoon then! but this is deftly done with light touches and strong sense of humour. The heartfelt traditions and cornerstones of Italian society, or more especially, here Sicilian are bring gently mocked. Marcello Mastroianni is masterful in the lead and Stefania Sandrelli utterly lovely as the young girl of his fancy. This was an early film for her but she is still working and was to star in the same director's later Seduced and Abandoned, Bertolucci's 1970 The Conformist and also appear in a favourite giallo of mine, Black Belly of the Tarantula.

kenjha An Italian big shot with a nagging wife concocts ways to be rid of her so he can be free to lust after his cousin. Mastroinni, sporting a pencil-thin mustache, seems to be trying very hard to make it funny, but is let down by a witless script. Rocca, also sporting a pencil-thin mustache (no kidding), as well a uni-brow, plays the nagging wife. Sandrelli is the cousin, and nobody makes an issue of cousins having an affair (Oh those Italians!). Everybody overacts and the humor is forced and rather cartoony. Good comedies are marked by two traits - they are funny and they don't overstay their welcome. This one fails on both accounts.

pauliebleeker Definitely a classic film, but not just an Italian classic! "Divorzio all'italiana" centers itself around Ferdinando Cefalù (Mastroianni), a 37 year old baron in a small town. Although he's a baron, his life is not completely perfect as his father has squandered much of their money, and his extremely clingy wife Rosalia stands between him and the only thing he loves, his 16 year old cousin Angela. To add salt to the wound, 1960's Italy does not allow couples to divorce, which leads Ferdinando to seek desperate measures. After a town scandal erupts, when a woman murders her cheating husband to protect her honor, Ferdinando is inspired to set up his wife with a lover in order to kill her and "protect his honor." The rest of the movie chronicles Ferdinando's attempts to find someone who would fit the bill."Divorzio all'italiana" is a satirical look at Italian society and its seemingly backward laws which force people to do stupid things and its fallibility at justice. In its social commentary of Italian laws/society, Concini, Germi, and Giannetti (the writers) create well fitted, stereotypical characters that are much needed in order for the message of the film to get across. Ferdinando plays the evil nobleman, Rosalia as the annoying wife, Angela as the desirable secret teen lover, etc. The beauty of the story not only lies in it's scathingly funny humor, with Ferdinando's clever plotting and hallucinations of killing his wife, but also in its ability to transcend time. Nowadays there are no laws that forbid divorce in most societies, but even though that crucial point does not relate to modern audiences, the film is still able to conjure emotions for the characters' plight. Another great thing about the film, is the idea of a protagonist character with typically antagonist characteristics. Ferdinando is definitely a bad man, but the story plays with the audience in making them want Ferdinando to succeed in his plot. To add to the underlying theme of the film, the failure of Italian laws, is the theme of "justice" whether it be from the law or from a simple reversal of fate. Definitely watch the film up to the very end, as it closes with an ironic yet justified twist of fate for the characters involved.

jotix100 Imagine the life of Baron Ferdinando Cefalu, an impoverished middle aged man who has fallen in love with his young cousin Angela. In the society of Agramonte, Sicily, of that time, being poor was endurable, but the pangs of love Ferdinando feels in his heart, is consuming him, but his bigger problem is he is married to Rosalia, a woman who truly loves him, or so it seems. What could a man do in Ferdinando's shoes? Nothing, since in the Italy of those years divorce was not allowed, either by the state, or the church.The only possible solution to solve Ferdinando's problems is in trying to kill Rosalia. In the Italian penal code of the times, people could plea guilty in trying to avenge their honor and would get lesser sentences. Rosalia, who has no idea of what's going on, has a secret of her own. Years ago, she had been in love with Carmelo Patane, a man who went to war and on his return found that his beloved Rosalia had already married Baron Ferdinando! It's the Baron, who discovers the letters Rosalia likes to read on the sly, late at night. Ferdinando devises a plan that will bring Carmelo to repaint some of the frescoes of the old palatial home, hoping Rosalia and the painter will try to reacquaint themselves, as it's obvious that even though Carmelo is married, he still loves Rosalia! The Baron, who has bought a tape recorder, and spies on his wife and the painter, knows the end is in sight and gambling on getting a short jail time, goes ahead with his plans. Little does he know what his life with Angela will be like!"Divorce Italian Style", directed by Pietro Germi, was a satire about Italian law that allowed such practices to take place. In a complete Catholic society, people got married for life, literally. Since there was no divorce, couples who found out they were not compatible had to keep on staying married because divorce was not an option. Pietro Germi and his collaborators take a look at how, with some clever research, imagination, and ingenuity, an unhappily married man could get a release from those restricting marital vows.Marcello Mastroianni was perfect as Baron Ferdinando Cefalu. The actor clearly knew this man and the mentality of men like his character. His facial expressions are worth the price of the rental of this wonderful Criterion DVD. Mastroianni, one of the best film actors of his generation gives one of the best performances of his career. Daniella Rocca, who plays Rosalia, makes a great contribution to make this film the winner it is. Leopoldo Trieste, another important figure in the Italian cinema, appears as Carmelo Patane, the painter who never stopped loving Rosalia. Stefania Sandrelli, is seen briefly as the object of Ferndinando's passion and love.The DVD transfer has kept the film black and white cinematography of Carlo DiPalma and Leonida Barboni intact. We can see the sunny Sicilian town in all its splendor as captured by the camera of these men. Pietro Germi, the director and co-writer, delivered a film that is a classic because of the humanity, love and humor that went into this tremendously satisfying work.