Divorce Italian Style (1961)
1h 44m | PG-13
Ferdinando Cefalù is desperate to marry his cousin, Angela, but he is married to Rosalia and divorce is illegal in Italy. To get around the law, he tries to trick his wife into having an affair so he can catch her and murder her, as he knows he would be given a light sentence for killing an adulterous woman. He persuades a painter to lure his wife into an affair, but Rosalia proves to be more faithful than he expected.
Director: Pietro Germi
Studio: Galatea Film
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Video: 720p
Cast
Marcello Mastroianni
as Ferdinando Cefalù
Daniela Rocca
as Rosalia Cefalù
Stefania Sandrelli
as Angela
Leopoldo Trieste
as Carmelo Patanè
Odoardo Spadaro
as Don Gaetano Cefalù
Margherita Girelli
as Sisina
Reviews
As a bizarre tribute to my mom on her 75th birthday and her 46-year-marriage to her only love, my father, who died in 2011, and to her subsequent loyalty and devotion, with stubborn refusal to even contemplate having another relationship, I decided to watch 'Divorce Italian Style'. It was hilarious and highly enjoyable. It certainly deserved its Oscar win for Best Screenplay, as well as its nominations that year both for Best Actor (Marcello Mastroianni) and Best Director (Pietro Germi). The latter tends to get thrown under the bus and ignored altogether when it comes to mentioning pivotal Italian directors of the period. Not so. Though this is thus far the only film of his I have seen, the guy--both in terms of script writing this comedy and behind the camera--is a sheer genius. Do yourself a favour and watch it today!